Feature Channels: Heart Disease

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Among deployed U.S. service members who died of combat or unintentional injuries between 2001-2011 and underwent autopsies, the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis was 8.5 percent, with factors associated with a higher prevalence of the disease including older age, lower educational level and prior diagnoses of dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity, according to a study in the December 26 issue of JAMA.

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Anthracyclines, a class of chemotherapy drugs commonly used to treat breast and childhood cancers are effective, but can cause heart damage that doesn't appear until long after treatment is over. By analyzing cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and heart health biomarkers in breast cancer patients, researchers were able to identify slight changes in heart function that could help identify which cancer patients are more likely to suffer cardiac issues later in life.

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After FDA warnings on side effects of popular cholesterol-lowering drugs, study finds that some patients potentially exposed to high-dose medication risks unnecessarily.

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Are you stressed? Results of a new meta-analysis of six studies involving nearly 120,000 people indicate that the answer to that question may help predict one’s risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) or death from CHD. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published in a recent issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

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A research team led by scientists at Mayo Clinic in Florida have decoded the entire pathway that regulates leakiness of blood vessels — a condition that promotes a wide number of disorders, such as heart disease, cancer growth and spread, inflammation and respiratory distress.

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In a study of 400 healthy volunteers, researchers went looking for people who are truly resistant to the benefits of aspirin. They failed to find one case of aspirin resistance; rather, they found “pseudoresistance,” due to the coating found on most brands of aspirin, often preferred by patients for the protection it is claimed to provide the stomach. A urine biomarker of platelet stickiness was not able to find which volunteers were even pseudoresistant.

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People acting as caregivers for family members with cardiovascular disease may inadvertently increase their own risk for heart disease by neglecting their own health, according to a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

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During embryonic development, the all-important coronary arteries arise from cells previously considered incapable of producing them, according to scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (http://einstein.yu.edu/) of Yeshiva University. The research, carried out in mice and published today in the online edition of the journal Cell, may speed development of regenerative therapies for heart disease.

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Scientists from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia presented new findings this week in pediatric heart disease. Topics included racial disparities in sudden cardiac death, novel 3D imaging and concurrent organ transplants.

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Researchers at The Methodist Hospital Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Baylor College of Medicine presented new data today that show two biomarkers can improve heart failure risk prediction as part of a simpler model.

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Heart failure patients with a condition called “heart block” derive significant benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), according to the results of the Block HF clinical trial, presented today at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2012 meeting in Los Angeles.

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A study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that having chronic lung, kidney or heart disease more than doubles a patient's risk of future sepsis. Worse yet, the risks are additive.

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A single junk food meal – composed mainly of saturated fat – is detrimental to the health of the arteries, while no damage occurs after consuming a Mediterranean meal rich in good fats such as mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

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New Chicago adult congenital heart network holds first conference to address lack of adequate adult care for congenital heart defect patients.

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A comprehensive new review on how to treat high cholesterol and other blood lipid problems suggests that intensive treatment with high doses of statin drugs is usually the best approach. But some statins work much better for this than others, the review concluded, and additional lipid-lowering medications added to a statin have far less value.

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U-M Cardiovascular Research Center harnesses expertise in basic research to find new treatment options for heart and vascular conditions.

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Researchers have found that a diet high in saturated fat raises levels of endothelial lipase (EL), an enzyme associated with the development of atherosclerosis, and, conversely, that a diet high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fat lowers levels of this enzyme. The findings establish a “new” link between diet and atherosclerosis and suggest a novel way to prevent cardiovascular heart disease. In addition, the research may help to explain why the type 2 diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) has been linked to heart problems.

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A new study has outlined for the first time a biological mechanism by which zinc deficiency can develop with age, leading to a decline of the immune system and increased inflammation associated with many health problems, including cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease and diabetes.

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Since moderate drinking is common for more than a third of the population, the findings suggest the effect of increased alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, on atrial fibrillation risk in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease may be considerable.

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Women who experience early menopause are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than women whose menopause occurs at a later age, according to a new study by Melissa Wellons, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine in the Vanderbilt Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism.