Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Aspirin aids recovery following heart bypass surgery

Many patients who regularly take aspirin to thin their blood prior to undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, have in the past been told to stop the aspirin a week before the operation, but new research has found that they may be better off taking it.

11 May 2005

Sleeping pills and soda don't mix

Researchers in Arizona warn that sleeping pills and sodas do not mix, and can in fact cause heartburn at night so severe that it disrupts sleep on a regular basis.

10 May 2005

Drug lowers inflammatory markers associated with risk for heart attack

A preliminary study suggests that use of a drug that inhibits a specific protein in patients with certain genetic variants that increase their risk for heart attack reduced their levels of inflammatory markers associated with heart attack risk, according to a study in the May 11 issue of JAMA.

10 May 2005

Races react differently to dietary salt

African-American and Caucasian adolescent girls handle sodium and calcium differently, which may help explain why the races have different rates of hypertension and osteoporosis, according to research at Purdue University.

10 May 2005

No glass ceiling for women when it comes to dying from heart disease, say experts

While many of us assume that heart disease mainly strikes men, the fact is 12,000 Australian women die each year from illnesses like stroke, heart attack and heart failure - that's four and a half times the number of lives claimed by breast cancer.

10 May 2005

Jefferson vascular surgeons go on web to demonstrate less invasive treatment than vein stripping for varicose veins

Stripping is a lengthy procedure often performed under general anesthesia and requires a surgeon to make incisions in the groin and below the knee and remove the vein with a long, surgical instrument extending inside the leg to the knee.

10 May 2005

Polypill improves survival rates for heart disease sufferers

A ‘polypill’ made up of a combination of drugs could extend the lives of thousands of patients with coronary heart disease, say researchers at The University of Nottingham.

10 May 2005

Obesity appears to worsen and possibly cause asthma

Obesity is a known risk factor for type II diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. Evidence is now mounting that obesity is also a risk factor for asthma.

10 May 2005

Expert analyzes why manufacturers have gradually abandoned vaccines

Recent shortages of vaccines, most recently the flu vaccine during the past winter, are not short-term glitches--they reflect long-term problems in the vaccine industry. A variety of social, legal and economic forces have caused pharmaceutical companies to withdraw their commitment to vaccines, according to pediatrician and vaccine expert Paul A. Offit, M.D., chief of Infectious Diseases at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

10 May 2005

Research proves the dangers of salt

Sydney University scientists have proved that salt has a dangerous adrenalin-inducing effect on people suffering from high blood pressure, or 'hypertension'.

10 May 2005

Carbonated soft drinks can cause heartburn

Carbonated soft drinks and one of the most commonly prescribed sleeping pills, benzodiazepines, can cause nighttime heartburn, according to new research.

9 May 2005

New study suggests you might benefit from adding more low-fat dairy to your diet

A new study suggests that increased intake of lowfat dairy foods, as part of a DASH-based eating plan, may lower blood pressure more effectively than a conventional low-fat diet -- a significant finding for the estimated 1 in 3 Americans who suffer from high blood pressure.

9 May 2005

Cocaine use increases the risk of coronary aneurysms

Researchers in Minnesota say that cocaine users may be putting themselves at risk of coronary aneurysms, a ballooning of the walls of coronary arteries, which is potentially fatal.

9 May 2005

New study suggests Pioglitazone HCl may significantly improve key predictors of cardiovascular risk

Study results published in the May 17th issue of Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, found that the diabetes medication pioglitazone HCl reduced carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT). Patients taking pioglitazone also experienced significant reductions in insulin resistance, C-reactive protein (a marker for inflammation) and blood pressure, all of which contribute to the overall risk for cardiovascular disease.

9 May 2005

Australian-designed heart pump gives new hope to heart patients

A 56-year-old New Zealand man, a heart failure patient, is recovering in hospital after world-first surgery to implant an Australian-designed device which helps the heart pump blood.

9 May 2005

Dairy products lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes in men

Men who include more dairy products in their diets, especially low-fat varieties, may have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the May 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 May 2005

Obese workers' pay lower due to health costs

Studies have consistently shown that obese employees are paid less than normal-weight employees doing similar jobs, leading many people to attribute the gap to prejudice against workers based on their appearance.

9 May 2005

New fat is needed to clear old fat from the system

Where fat comes from determines whether the body can metabolize it effectively. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the "old" fat stored in the body's peripheral tissues -- that is, around the belly, thighs or bottom -- can't be burned efficiently unless "new" fat is eaten in the diet or made in the liver.

9 May 2005

Metabolic syndrome costing four times that for all other patients

It is well known that hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are each taking a toll on Americans' health, but according to a new analysis, metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by a combination of these and/or other risk factors, is fast becoming one of the nation's costliest health concerns.

9 May 2005

CPR instructions should focus on continuous chest compressions

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instructions given over the phone by emergency dispatchers to lay rescuers should focus primarily on continuous chest compressions instead of the traditional ABC's – "airway, breathing, circulation," according to Dr. Paul Pepe, chairman of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

8 May 2005