Heart Disease >>

Lowering LDL cholesterol through statin-based treatment did not slow kidney disease progression within five years in a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of......

New data presented for the first time at the World Heart Federation's World Congress of Cardiology 2014 shows a significant improvement in both patient adherence and risk factor control when......

Treating subclinical hypothyroidism with levothyroxine has no effect on overall mortality rates, according to research. Subclinical hypothyroidism is a mild form of underactive thyroid disease where patients have raised levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) but a normal concentration of free thyroid hormone. This condition is associated with certain risk factors for increased mortality such as...

Although some guidelines recommend lipid screening for children and adolescents of certain ages, data indicate that only about 3 percent are having their cholesterol tested during health visits, according to a study. Abnormal lipid values occur in 1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents, and are associated with cardiovascular disease in adulthood. ...

Women who smoke during pregnancy may be putting their newborns at risk for congenital heart defects, and the more they smoke, the higher the risk, according to a new study. ...

New evidence shores up findings that whey protein, which is found in milk and cheese, could have health benefits for people who are obese and do not yet have diabetes....

Obese individuals who have no signs of cardiovascular disease show a much higher prevalence of early plaque buildup in the arteries compared to healthy normal weight individuals, according to a study......

Pregnant women with obstructive sleep apnea are more than five times as likely to die in the hospital as those without the sleep disorder, a comprehensive American national study found. Among delivery-related hospital discharges, sleep apnea was also associated with an increase in severe medical conditions that are top causes of maternal death, including preeclampsia, eclampsia, an enlarged heart and...

The smallest heart pacemaker available is about the size of a vitamin pill, and now another American hospital is about to test this emerging technology. “With this investigational device, the battery, the pacing electrodes, everything is in a little piece of metal sitting inside the heart. We believe that will eliminate a lot of risk for infection and complications,” said a cardiologist and principal...

Ischemic brain injury due to heart and vascular surgery causes more than 100,000 deaths annually in Europe and the United States. In addition, approximately 10–20% of patients undergoing heart and vascular surgery – at least 1.5 million people in Europe and the United States every year – suffer from ischemic brain injury as a side-effect of their surgery. Now researchers suggest that they may have...

The way bacteria exploits human proteins during infections has recently become better understood, thanks to new research. Scientists studied how Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause life-threatening human infections, attach to two proteins fibronectin and fibrinogen found in human blood. The human proteins play important roles in clot formation and wound healing and the bacteria appear to exploit...

Between 20-40% of deaths below the age of 80 - from the five leading causes of death in the US - are due to modifiable risk factors that could be prevented, claim the CDC....

A type of cell that builds mouse hearts can renew itself, Johns Hopkins researchers report....

Heart cells created from human embryonic stem cells successfully restored damaged heart muscles in monkeys....

Switching from helicopter to ground transport between two Texas hospitals cut the time heart attack patients had to wait to have their arteries unblocked by more than half an hour, according to a new study. “What we showed in our study was by tweaking our system, in this case by changing our mode of transportation from air to ground, we actually took median treatment time from about 121 minutes beforehand...

Traditional first-line checks of such heart disease risk factors as cholesterol, blood pressure and smoking habits aren't nearly good enough to identify cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy, young firefighters, according to results of a small study. Previous studies have found that cardiovascular disease accounts for 45 percent of deaths of on-duty firefighters nationwide, in contrast to 15...

For patients with chronic kidney disease, statin treatment appears to lower LDL cholesterol, decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke, and has no impact on the development of kidney failure, research concluded. Investigators have said that statin treatment is safe and well tolerated for those with chronic kidney disease. ...

Oily fish are currently recommended as part of a heart healthy diet. This guideline is partially based on the landmark 1970s study that connected the low incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) among the Inuit of Greenland to their diet, rich in whale and seal blubber. Now, researchers have found that Inuit actually suffered from CAD at the same rate as their Caucasian counterparts, meaning there...

Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and irregular heart rhythms are key to stroke survivors avoiding another stroke. Updated guidelines emphasize lifestyle management, including diet, exercise and weight management. Other important updates affect management of narrowed neck arteries and irregular heartbeat.   ...

New findings from an in vitro study show that the combination of statins and eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid, may potentially reduce cardiovascular risk. Researchers conclude that there is a potent and favorable interaction between the omega-3 fatty acid, EPA, and widely used statins, and suggest that a therapeutic strategy with this combination may be beneficial patients with increased...