Sudden cardiac arrest, most often caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation, kills more than 95 per cent of its victims (more than a quarter million Americans each year) before they get the treatment they need - an electric shock to the heart.
A just-published recommendation for an expanded definition of hypertension urges physicians to look beyond the numbers obtained from blood pressure readings, and instead, view hypertension as a progressive cardiovascular syndrome that can begin before elevated blood pressure appears.
Nine years ago this week, a team of doctors gave a dying heart patient a second chance at life by implanting a high-tech pump in his chest. Today, an improved version of that same life-saving technology, and similar devices, have helped thousands of Americans with failing hearts.
Dramatic rescues are made possible by a device called the TandemHeart pVAD, the first in a new generation of heart devices that can take over for the heart's pumping function but don't require surgery.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women. Yet many women underestimate their risk of heart disease because they are unaware of the risk factors.
September kicks off the Legs For Life(r) free national screening program for peripheral arterial disease to prevent amputation, heart attack and stroke. Screening is essential for diabetics because one-third have PAD, but most do not present classic symptoms.
If you experience chest pain that persists for more than 15 minutes or have any other reason to believe you may be having a heart attack, don't delay. Call for emergency help.
18.2 million American diabetics are at risk for peripheral arterial disease "“ a red flag for several life-threatening vascular diseases, such as heart attack, stroke and abdominal aortic aneurysms. Interventional Radiologists nationwide will screen patients in the Legs For Life program.
Despite decades of evidence that aspirin can prevent heart attacks, some patients are still not receiving this simple and cost-effective therapy.
Many scientists suspect that slightly elevated CRP levels are linked to atherosclerosis, which raises the risk for a heart attack. Two major studies recently found that CRP levels predict risk even when LDL cholesterol is brought to very low levels, and that exercise can reduce CRP.
Heart disease can affect much more than just the heart. The most common cause of heart disease often causes erectile dysfunction in men. Erectile dysfunction can be a sign that someone has heart disease and can be a predictor of the leading cause of death in the United States.
Many women who don't have heart disease wonder if they should take a statin for prevention. But some who watched the ups and downs of hormone therapy feel a sense of déjà vu about the enthusiasm for these relatively new drugs.
Depression, stress, loneliness, a positive (or negative) outlook on life, and other psychosocial factors extend beyond affecting mood and reach into the heart. How you think, feel, and behave can affect heart disease for better or for worse.
ISHIB (the International Society on Hypertension in Blacks) invites health reporters to attend ISHIB2005 to learn about recent studies, new guidelines, and treatment approaches to eliminate heart disease disparities.
The trick to coping with heart disease is to choose the strategies with the greatest benefit and the least risk. This month's Harvard Heart Letter explains the benefits and risks behind the choices heart patients face.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health have examined the effect of eating nuts on cardiovascular health, reports the Harvard Men's Health Watch. "Their work shows that nuts really are healthy, especially for men at risk for heart disease," says Dr. Harvey B. Simon.
Cardiovascular medications help to prevent heart attack and stroke. But taking certain over-the-counter drugs or herbal remedies along with them can cause the prescribed cardiovascular drugs to lose their effectiveness or to increase their potency in ways that can be beneficial or harmful.
Five health tips from experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Subjects include bariatric surgery, prenatal vitamins and child safety, bone density scans, heart attack symptoms, and gallstones.
Stress often gets a bad rap. It's true that sustained stress is harmful to your health. It can contribute to insomnia, depression, anxiety, obesity, heart disease, depression and other problems.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have begun what is believed to be the first clinical trial in the United States of adult mesenchymal stem cells to repair muscle damaged by heart attack, or myocardial infarct.
Laboratory mice will take to the pool to help a URI researcher discover the mechanisms involved when regular exercise leads to growth of the heart. The researcher will ultimately apply what he learns from the swimming mice to understand abnormal heart growth caused by disease.
Over a romantic candlelit dinner, the eyes may be the windows to the soul. In a more prosaic light, they're windows to the heart. A look into the eye can reveal the silent damage wrought by high blood pressure and diabetes and reflect the risk of a future stroke or heart attack.
By the beginning of this year, a consensus had developed on the link between COX-2 drugs and heart disease risk: The evidence for cardiovascular side effects was strongest for Vioxx and Bextra, intermediate for Celebrex, and weak for naproxen.
A healthy breakfast that includes high-fiber cereal can help you lose weight and keep diabetes, heart disease, and stroke at bay -- especially when the menu also includes nonfat milk and fruit.
Being overweight puts you at a very high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which carries significant health threats such as heart disease -- the leading cause of death related to diabetes. So what can we do to reduce our risk? Eat healthy and get active!
Medical College of Wisconsin physicians at Froedtert Hospital are using the most powerful medical CT scanner in the world to research the potential for noninvasive approaches to diagnosing and treating heart disease.
This is a release with some information about heart disease, American Heart Month, and tips to prevent heart disease in women.
The new Chief of Cardiology at the University of Virginia Health System and Co-Director of the U. Va. Heart and Vascular Center, effective Jan. 1, recommends the following resolutions for every adult to keep their heart disease-free in the New Year and beyond.
As Valentine's Day and the American Heart Month (February) approach, the American Urological Association cautions that poor quality erections or erectile dysfunction (ED) could be an indicator that another potentially serious condition -- heart disease -- is on the way.
Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)"”clogged or narrowed arteries in the legs"”is a red flag that the same process may be going on elsewhere because PAD is associated with other life-threatening vascular diseases.
Congestive heart failure is no longer considered a chronic, incurable disease process in every case. In this excerpt from the University of Washington health Beat series, how modern medications can remodel the heart, restoring full function.
Experts from the American Diabetes Association and American College of Cardiology are available to discuss the increased risk for minorities of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and provide helpful information on reducing those risks.
Only a few years ago, most of what we knew about heart disease, the number one killer of women, came from studies in men. More recent research, though, is uncovering new information about the sex differences in heart disease.
For people with heart disease, lowering even "normal" blood pressure can reduce the chances of having a heart attack, stroke, severe chest pain, or the need for a procedure to open coronary arteries, according to the Harvard Heart Letter.
To mark the start of Heart Health Month, The Larry King Cardiac Foundation is hosting a media briefing focused on the "Changing Face of Cardiovascular Disease" and how current research is helping more patients understand the various treatment options available.
Once a mere fantasy, the idea of growing new, healthy heart tissue to replace damaged or diseased heart muscle is inching closer to reality. Researchers are exploring several routes to grow new heart muscle, according to the January issue of the Harvard Heart Letter.
According to results gathered by the Second National Registry of Myocardial Infarction (heart attacks), winter was the top season for heart attacks, followed by fall, then spring, then summer.
Why don't doctors have a good way to predict heart disease before chest pain, a heart attack, or stroke happens? That question was raised recently when a prominent American not previously diagnosed with heart disease "”President Clinton"”had bypass surgery.
Nowadays, a vial of blood taken by a family physician can sometimes forecast a person's risk of heart disease. But in the future, a simple finger prick also may predict which cancers are destined to develop in an individual, years, even decades, down the road.
Millions of Americans have arrhythmia, most of which are harmless, but certain types of arrhythmia can be life threatening, especially in combination with other heart disease.
The Fab Four are back, and they're heading straight for the hearts of millions. This Fab Four is a combination of four kinds of medicines that can protect the heart "” and maybe save the life "” of almost anyone who has ever had a heart attack or chest pain.
A diverse group of international cardiologists and cardiovascular researchers has sent a formal request to former President Bill Clinton inviting him to help in the campaign for heart attack eradication.
Each year, about 1.2 million Americans suffer a heart attack, and of these about 500, 000 have already had at least one heart attack. Adopting and following new heart-healthy habits is important for people who have had a heart attack and want to avoid another cardiac event.
In diabetics, heart attacks and strokes are four times more common, occur earlier in life, and are more likely to be deadly than in people without diabetes. However, surveys show that few people, including few doctors, know that diabetes and heart disease go hand in hand.
Unhealthy eating habits, coupled with the rising rate of obesity among America's children, have lead experts to come together to teach students a very important lesson: how to lead a heart-healthy lifestyle to reduce their future risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
A new device that temporarily assists a weakened heart can be threaded into position through blood vessels. The procedure is a potential lifesaver for patients who arrive in the emergency room after experiencing damaging heart attacks and those whose hearts are too frail to undergo major procedures without temporary support.
Beyond making you drowsy, not getting enough sleep night after night can contribute to a variety of health problems. The August issue of the Harvard Heart Letter examines the connection between sleep and disease and offers practical tips to achieving a good night's rest.
What's your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years?
We now know that women 60 and older should not start taking hormone therapy, as they did in the WHI, to prevent heart disease. But what if a woman were to begin therapy earlier? Would the risks be the same? The July issue asks these and other questions about this once widely-accepted treatment.
The UK's FSA has today issued new advice on eating oily fish and, for the first time, is able to recommend maximum levels at which the health benefits of preventing heart disease clearly outweigh the possible risks from dioxins.
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