Cardiovascular Health News

Digoxin, a medication used in the treatment of heart failure, may be adaptable for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive, paralyzing disease, suggests new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, destroys the nerve cells that control muscles. This leads to loss of mobility, … [Read more...]

3D printing is used to make car parts, phone cases, and even fashion accessories. The process is also being used successfully in medicine. Now, 3D printing is making heart surgery safer for a growing number of pediatric patients. Three weeks after open heart surgery, Mia Gonzalez was living it up on the playground and the dance stage. At home she holds a plastic replica of … [Read more...]

Blood pressure is effectively lowered by mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for patients with borderline high blood pressure or "prehypertension," according to new research. The finding is reported in the October issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the official journal of the American Psychosomatic Society. The journal is published by … [Read more...]

Strategies to prevent heart attack, stroke and other major cardiac events should be individualized for older adults who should play a role in choosing their therapies, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in its journal Circulation. The statement is a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of medical and lifestyle interventions … [Read more...]

Riding a couple roller coasters at an amusement park appears to have triggered an unusual stroke in a 4-year-old boy, according to a report in the journal Pediatric Neurology. The sudden acceleration, deceleration and rotational forces on the head and neck likely caused a tear in the boy's carotid artery. This tear, called a dissection, led to formation of a blood clot that … [Read more...]

Congenital heart experts from Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital have successfully integrated two common imaging techniques to produce a three-dimensional anatomic model of a patient's heart. The 3D model printing of patients' hearts has become more common in recent years as part of an emerging, experimental field devoted to enhanced visualization of individual … [Read more...]

Atrial fibrillation, or Afib, affects more than one million Americans. It’s the most common form of heart arrhythmia and can greatly increase the risk of stroke. Now, doctors are using a minimally invasive procedure known as the “ring and sling” to treat the heart. Bob Hundevadt is a man on the move. As director of security for the Miami Heat, he covers a lot of ground. But … [Read more...]

Amyloid build-up is commonly talked about in relation to Alzheimer's disease, but amyloidosis can be found throughout the body. An excessive accumulation of these insoluble proteins could cause a heart attack or even death. A new molecular imaging scan of amyloid in the heart could help diagnose the problem, say researchers at the 2015 annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear … [Read more...]

An emergency room rapid response plan for children can help diagnose stroke symptoms quickly, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. "Just as there are rapid response processes for adults with a possible stroke, there should be a rapid response process for children with a possible stroke that includes expedited evaluation and imaging or … [Read more...]

Drinking tea reduces non-cardiovascular mortality by 24%, reveals a study in 13,000 people presented at ESC Congress by Professor Nicolas Danchin from France. Professor Danchin said: "If you have to choose between tea or coffee it's probably better to drink tea. Coffee and tea are important components of our way of life. Their effects on cardiovascular (CV) health have been … [Read more...]

Chelation is a treatment doctors have used for years to remove certain toxins from the body, most often when someone suffers accidental lead poisoning, but for any other treatment, most traditional doctors thought it was a scam or called it “quackery”. A decade long study has now convinced the conventional cardiologist who led it to reconsider chelation for heart … [Read more...]

Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, professor of medicine, cell biology, and physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, has led a study with international collaborators identifying the mechanism by which patients with various autoimmune and connective tissue disorders may be at risk for life-threatening cardiac events if they take certain anti-histamine or anti-depressant … [Read more...]

Cardiovascular disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. Evidence suggests that elevated levels of triglycerides (fats) in the blood after meals, known as postprandial lipemia (PPL), is associated with an increased risk for hardening of the arteries -- a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Numerous population studies have associated the Mediterranean lifestyle -- … [Read more...]

Young women with stable coronary heart disease are more likely than men to have reduced blood flow to the heart if they're under emotional stress, but not physical stress, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2014. Compared to men of the same age, when subjected to a mental stress test, women: age 55 and younger had three … [Read more...]

There is "promising evidence" that the popular mind-body practice of yoga is beneficial in managing and improving the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and is a "potentially effective therapy" for cardiovascular health. Indeed, following a systematic review of 37 randomised controlled trials (which included 2768 subjects), investigators from the Netherlands … [Read more...]

Mohamed Boutjdir, PhD, professor of medicine, cell biology, and physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, has led a study with international collaborators identifying the mechanism by which patients with various autoimmune and connective tissue disorders may be at risk for life-threatening cardiac events if they take certain anti-histamine or anti-depressant … [Read more...]

New research from the University of Copenhagen and Herlev and Gentofte Hospital shows that high vitamin C concentrations in the blood from the intake of fruit and vegetables are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. The study, which has just been published in the well known American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is based on the Copenhagen … [Read more...]

Every year, one million Americans undergo a procedure called angioplasty. Doctors insert a catheter with a stent into a patient’s artery to open blockages near their heart. Now, a new study may have cardiologists rethinking their approach and for some patients, an easier recovery may be all in the wrist. Judy Whipkey told Ivanhoe, “Morgan Ann is four and Harper Grace, she’ll … [Read more...]

A new study suggests that genes may not be to blame for the increased risk of heart disease some studies have shown in people with migraine, especially those with migraine with aura. The research is published during Headache/Migraine Awareness Month in the inaugural issue of the journal Neurology® Genetics, an open access, or free to the public, online-only, peer-reviewed … [Read more...]

Chances are good that women with a low heart rate variability also suffer from sexual dysfunction. That's the finding from a study led by Amelia Stanton of The University of Texas at Austin in the US published in Springer's journal Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Heart rate variability refers to differences in the length of time between consecutive heartbeats. It … [Read more...]

Everyone knows that exercise generally helps the cardiovascular system, but much remains unknown about how the benefits arise, and what to expect in different people who exercise to improve their health. To gain a more precise understanding of how exercise improves health and whom it helps most, researchers analyzed the results of 160 randomized clinical trials with nearly … [Read more...]

A study has established that road traffic noise linked to increased strokes and deaths. Living in an area with noisy road traffic may reduce life expectancy, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal. The findings suggest a link between long-term exposure to road traffic noise and deaths, as well as a greater risk of stroke, particularly in the elderly. … [Read more...]

New treatments for cardiovascular disease have been found by the scientists. In what may be a major leap forward in the quest for new treatments of the most common form of cardiovascular disease, scientists at Johns Hopkins report they have found a way to halt and reverse the progression of atherosclerosis in rodents by loading microscopic nanoparticles with a chemical that … [Read more...]

Group yoga can improve balance in stroke survivors who no longer receive rehabilitative care, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke. In a small pilot study, researchers tested the potential benefits of yoga among chronic stroke survivors -- those whose stroke occurred more than six months earlier. "For people with chronic stroke, … [Read more...]

A study has established that eating chocolate is linked to lowered heart disease. Eating up to 100 g of chocolate every day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk, finds research published online in the journal Heart. There doesn't seem to be any evidence for cutting out chocolate to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, conclude the researchers. They base … [Read more...]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome are major public health problems in the USA and worldwide. There is promising evidence of Yoga, a popular mind-body practice, on improving cardio-metabolic health. This review helps strengthen the evidence base for yoga as a potentially effective therapy for such conditions. The results support earlier reviews on the … [Read more...]

A study has established that eating chocolate is linked to lowered heart disease. Eating up to 100 g of chocolate every day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk, finds research published online in the journal Heart. There doesn't seem to be any evidence for cutting out chocolate to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, conclude the researchers. They base … [Read more...]