Atherosclerosis Blog

The Mummies' Curse: Heart Disease

Posted 21 hours ago by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 – Hardening of the arteries may have more of a family history – the human family tree – than was once thought.

Modern-day imaging techniques have unearthed hardening of the arteries – or atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks and stroke – in mummies up to 3,500 years old.

Experts have long believed that atherosclerosis is a scourge of modern society, caused by meals snatched at fast-food restaurants and eaten in front of high-definition TVs. Read more...

Related support groups: Atherosclerosis

Drug Fails to Slow Progression of Atherosclerosis

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, March 17 – A drug that blocks an enzyme involved in the accumulation of cholesterol does not reduce the progression of atherosclerosis, thickening and stiffening of the arteries, but increases the risk of major cardiovascular events, according to an international study.

Researchers assessed the safety and efficacy of the drug pactimibe, which inhibits an enzyme known as ACAT, in 892 people with a family history of high cholesterol, which is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. The participants, from 40 clinics in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Israel, were randomly selected to take either 100 milligrams a day of pactimibe or a placebo, in addition to standard lipid-lowering therapy. Read more...

Related support groups: Atherosclerosis

Experimental Drug May Prevent Plaque Buildup

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Feb. 20 – An experimental drug called A-002 appears effective in preventing atherosclerosis, according to a phase II study that included American and Ukrainian participants.

In atherosclerosis, arteries become blocked and inflamed by a buildup of white blood cells and fatty material, or lipids. Two potentially bioactive fats that can be involved in atherosclerosis are produced when enzymes known as sPLA2 break down particular molecules in the blood and artery walls. The drug A-002 targets three groups of these enzymes that are present in high levels in atherosclerotic lesions.

The 393 people in the study were randomly selected to receive one of four doses of the drug (50, 100, 250 or 500 milligrams) or a placebo twice a day for eight weeks. Read more...

Related support groups: Atherosclerosis

Genetic Test for Heart Disease Risk in the Works

Posted 3+ months ago by Drugs.com

SUNDAY, Feb. 8 – Perhaps five years from now, you might actually hear your doctor casually say, "While we're at it, let's do a blood test to see if your genetic makeup puts you at high risk of having a heart attack."

So says Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of preventive cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is the leader of a group that has identified three new genetic variants associated with an increased risk of heart attack.

That finding, which brings the total of such risk-associated variants to nine, is reported in the Feb. 8 online issue of Nature Genetics. The journal highlights a total of five papers from groups around the world looking at the genetics of heart disease. Read more...

Related support groups: Heart Attack, Heart Disease, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Atherosclerosis