Join the 'Heart Disease' group to help and get support from people like you.
Heart Disease News
Related terms: Congenital Heart Disease
Secondhand Smoke More Insidious Than Thought
Posted 1 day 11 hours ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28, 2016 – Nonsmokers can be exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke without realizing it, and be unaware that they are at increased risk for lung cancer and heart disease, a new study suggests. The discovery highlights the need for a more accurate way to assess secondhand smoke exposure than having patients fill out questionnaires. "A crucial finding of this study is that nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke without even realizing it," said lead researcher Dr. Raja Flores. He is chair of thoracic surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. The researchers used blood levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, as a marker for secondhand smoke exposure in more than 20,000 nonsmokers. The investigators found a significant increase in years of life lost across all levels of cotinine in the blood. The lowest levels of cotinine were ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Smoking, Smoking Cessation, Lung Cancer
Alcohol May Damage the Heart -- at Least for Some
Posted 15 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 14, 2016 – You might need to reconsider that nightly glass of wine (or beer, or liquor) because new research suggests that alcohol may not be as healthy for everyone's heart as previously believed. Long-term drinking even moderate amounts of alcohol may increase some people's risk of stroke by causing the heart's left atrium to get bigger, the researchers said. The left atrium is the upper left chamber of the heart. This enlargement of the left atrium can contribute to a heart condition called atrial fibrillation, in which the heart beats irregularly, said senior researcher Dr. Gregory Marcus. He's director of clinical research with the University of California, San Francisco, division of cardiology. Atrial fibrillation causes blood to pool and clot in the left atrium. If a clot breaks free, it can block a blood vessel in the brain, causing a stroke. About 15 percent ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Atrial Fibrillation, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Ischemic Heart Disease, Alcoholic Liver Damage
Heart Rhythm Disorder May Be Tied to Wider Range of Ills
Posted 7 Sep 2016 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 7, 2016 – Atrial fibrillation, a common type of heart rhythm disorder, is associated with a wider range of conditions than previously believed, researchers report. The findings add "to the growing literature on the association between atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular outcomes beyond stroke," researchers at the University of Oxford in England and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wrote. The team reviewed 104 studies involving more than 9 million people, including nearly 590,000 people with atrial fibrillation. They concluded that the heart rhythm disorder was also associated with heart disease, heart failure, kidney disease, sudden cardiac death and death from all causes. The study did not prove atrial fibrillation caused these additional health risks, just that there was an association. Risk for heart failure was the most significant of these ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Atrial Fibrillation, Heart Attack, Renal Failure, Transient Ischemic Attack, Prevention of Thromboembolism in Atrial Fibrillation, Myocardial Infarction, Chronic Kidney Disease, Ischemic Stroke - Prophylaxis, Thromboembolic Stroke Prophylaxis
Want Better Heart Health? There's an App for That
Posted 31 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 31, 2016 – Can a smartphone app save your life? Not on its own, but an app could help you adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle that might reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease, a new evidence review suggests. People are better able to stick to a heart-healthy lifestyle when guided and encouraged by smartphone apps and Internet sites that help set goals and track progress, said lead researcher Dr. Ashkan Afshin. He's an acting assistant professor of global health at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. "Our results showed that both Internet-based and mobile-based intervention were effective in improving lifestyle behaviors including diet and physical activity over short term," Afshin said. "These interventions were also effective in achieving a modest weight loss over 3 to 12 months," he added. Afshin ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, Ischemic Heart Disease
Health Tip: Reading the Label on OTC Medications
Posted 30 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
-- Knowing how to properly use over-the-counter medications can help prevent serious reactions and interactions. Here's how to read labels, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians: The active ingredient, or ingredients, is the first thing on the label and it is the chemical that works to manage the symptoms. Uses, or indications, explain what conditions this medication can treat. Warnings provide safety information, including whether or not you should consult a doctor, side effects and what to avoid when you take this medication. Directions tell you how often to take a medicine and exactly how much to take. Other information explains other important details, such as storage recommendations. Inactive ingredients explain chemicals included that don't treat symptoms. This includes things such as binding agents or preservatives. Questions and comments provides information ... Read more
Related support groups: Pain, Suboxone, Percocet, Cancer, Vicodin, Norco, Lortab, Asthma, Fever, Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Heart Disease, Meloxicam, Advil, Diclofenac, Voltaren, Aleve, Mobic, Fioricet, Motrin
Fewer Drugs in Pipeline to Treat World's No. 1 Killer
Posted 29 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Aug. 29, 2016 – Heart disease remains the world's leading cause of death, but development of drugs to treat it has slowed, a new study reveals. The percentage of heart drugs in clinical trials declined from 1990 through 2012, an analysis of pharmaceutical research and development projects found. Over that time period, 347 heart drugs entered clinical trials, most of them to treat high blood pressure, prevent clotting and lower lipid levels (such as cholesterol) in the blood. Clinical trials are done in a series of steps called phases, each intended to answer different questions about drugs' safety and effectiveness. Between 1990 and 1995, heart drugs made up 108 of 679 (16 percent) of phase 1 trials. That compared with 125 of 2,366 (5 percent) between 2005 and 2012, the researchers said. Phase 1 is the earliest stage of testing. Among later-stage, phase 3 trials, heart drugs ... Read more
Related support groups: Metoprolol, Amlodipine, Heart Disease, Atenolol, Hydrochlorothiazide, Diltiazem, Bystolic, Lasix, Norvasc, Verapamil, Furosemide, Bisoprolol, Nifedipine, Cardizem, Toprol-XL, Lopressor, Tenormin, Felodipine, Chlorthalidone, Cardizem CD
Serious Heart Problem a Family Matter
Posted 25 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Aug. 25, 2016 – A potentially deadly heart problem can run in families and occur at similar ages, a new study suggests. An aortic dissection is a sudden tear in one of the body's main arteries. "Family history is very important and is one factor in our 'guilt by association paradigm' for identifying patients at risk," said study co-author Dr. John Elefteriades, of the Aortic Institute at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. Researchers reviewed the family histories of 90 people treated for an aortic dissection. Among those cases, more than half of those within the same families occurred within a 10-year age span. The risk increased within certain age groups, the researchers found. For instance, when they looked at patients whose aortic dissection occurred between ages 30 and 49, they found that 71 percent of other family members' dissections occurred in that age range. ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
Adult-Onset Asthma Might Raise Heart Risks
Posted 24 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 24, 2016 – People who develop asthma when they're adults may have another health issue to worry about: an increased risk for heart disease and stroke. That's the finding from research involving almost 1,300 adults, average age 47, none of whom had heart disease at the beginning of the study. Of the participants, 111 had been diagnosed with asthma as adults – also known as "late-onset" asthma. Fifty-five more people had been diagnosed with asthma as children. The health of all the participants was tracked for 14 years. Researchers led by Dr. Matthew Tattersall published their findings Aug. 24 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. They found that people with late-onset asthma were 57 percent more likely than those with early-onset asthma and those without asthma to suffer heart attack, stroke, heart failure, angina and heart-related death. Based on the ... Read more
Related support groups: Asthma, Heart Disease, Ischemic Stroke, Heart Attack, Asthma - Maintenance, Angina, Transient Ischemic Attack, Asthma - Acute, Myocardial Infarction, Intracranial Hemorrhage, Ischemic Heart Disease, Myocardial Infarction - Prophylaxis
Stress May Take Greatest Toll on Younger Women's Hearts: Study
Posted 24 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 24, 2016 – Stress may be especially hard on the hearts of younger women who have heart disease, new research suggests. Researchers gave nearly 700 men and women with heart disease a mentally stressful public speaking assignment. Then they measured blood flow to the heart. Women aged 50 or younger were nearly four times more likely than men of the same age or older women to have reduced blood flow to the heart, said study leader Dr. Viola Vaccarino. She is chair of epidemiology at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta. Reduced blood flow – known medically as myocardial ischemia – can lead to a heart attack, she noted. "Younger women appear to be more vulnerable [than men and older women] to the effects of stress on their heart," Vaccarino said. Experts have long known that younger women have worse outcomes than men of the same age after a heart ... Read more
Related support groups: Anxiety and Stress, Heart Disease, Heart Attack, Angina, Myocardial Infarction, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Ischemic Heart Disease, Myocardial Infarction - Prophylaxis, Post MI Syndrome, Abnormal Electrocardiogram
Cancer on Course to Become Top Killer of Americans
Posted 24 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 24, 2016 – Cancer is on track to become the leading cause of death in the United States, closing in on heart disease as America's number one killer, a new government study shows. Heart disease has consistently been the leading cause of death for decades, and remained so in 2014, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the gap between heart disease and the second-leading cause of death, cancer, has been narrowing since 1968, the researchers said. Cancer actually surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death for 22 states in 2014, the study found. Back in 2000, Alaska and Minnesota were the only two states where cancer killed more people than heart disease. In addition, cancer is now the leading cause of death for a number of minority groups, including Hispanics, Asians ... Read more
Related support groups: Obesity, Cancer, Heart Disease, Smoking, Smoking Cessation, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, Ischemic Heart Disease
Gallstones Linked to Higher Heart Disease Risk
Posted 18 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Aug. 18, 2016 – People who've ever suffered gallstones may have a slightly increased risk of developing heart disease down the road, a large new study suggests. In a group of more than one-quarter million U.S. adults, researchers found those with a history of gallstones were 17 percent more likely to develop heart disease over the next few decades. Gallstones and heart disease share some of the same risk factors – such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and unhealthy cholesterol levels. But those risk factors couldn't completely explain away the finding, the researchers said. To cardiologist Dr. Richard Stein, the study makes a "pretty convincing" case that gallstones, themselves, are a risk factor for heart disease. Stein, who wasn't involved in the research, is director of the urban community cardiology program at New York University School of Medicine. He said that people with a ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Gallstones, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Ischemic Heart Disease, Cholangitis, Cholecystitis, Cholelithiasis with Obstruction, Gallbladder Obstruction w/o Calculus, Acute Cholecystitis, Calcium Oxalate Calculi with Hyperuricosuria, Cholelithiasis w/ Acute Cholecystitis and Obstruction
Heart Health May Hinge on Easy Access to Fresh Food
Posted 16 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Aug. 16, 2016 – People who can't shop for fresh food close to home are more likely to have early signs of heart disease, a new study finds. Researchers examined data from nearly 6,000 adults who had an initial heart CT scan and several follow-up scans over 12 years. The availability of fresh food near their homes was key to the condition of their arteries, according to the study published Aug. 15 in the journal Circulation. "We found that healthy food stores within one mile of their home was the only significant factor that reduced or slowed the progression of calcium buildup in coronary arteries," co-lead author Ella August said in a journal news release. She is a clinical assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "Our results point to a need for greater awareness of the potential health threat posed by the scarcity of healthy grocery ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, Ischemic Heart Disease
Cancer Now Leading Killer in 12 European Nations
Posted 15 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Aug. 15, 2016 – Cancer has overtaken heart disease and stroke as the leading cause of death in 12 European countries, a new study reports. However, cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) is still the leading cause of death worldwide, killing more than 17 million people a year, according to the study. In the 53 countries defined as the European region by the World Health Organization, heart disease killed more than 4 million people in 2016. Those deaths accounted for 45 percent of all deaths in those nations. Cancer accounted for less than half the number of deaths from heart disease in Europe as a whole, researchers said. However, success in preventing and treating heart disease seems to have led to large declines in heart disease deaths in a number of countries. Cancer now kills more men than heart disease in these 12 countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Israel, ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Heart Disease, Breast Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
U.S. Kids Don't Make the Grade on Heart Health
Posted 12 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Aug. 11, 2016 – Most American children fall short of ideal heart health, a new American Heart Association scientific statement says. An analysis of 2007-08 federal government survey results found that about 91 percent of youngsters did not have healthy diets. Those between the ages of 2 and 19 get most of their calories from simple carbohydrates such as sugary drinks and desserts. "A primary reason for so few children having ideal cardiovascular health is poor nutrition," statement author Dr. Julia Steinberger said in an association news release. "Children are eating high-calorie, low-nutrition foods and not eating enough healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, fish and other foods strongly associated with good heart health and a healthy body weight." Lack of physical activity is another concern. Among 6- to 11-year-olds, half of boys and about a third of ... Read more
Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, Ischemic Heart Disease
High Doses of Fish Oil Might Help Healing After Heart Attack
Posted 2 Aug 2016 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Aug. 1, 2016 – Heart attack patients who took high doses of fish oil supplements for six months showed improved heart function and less scarring, researchers report. It is not yet precisely known how the large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in these supplements might have helped the healing process, but the results are encouraging, said study senior author Dr. Raymond Kwong. He is director of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In his study, 360 heart attack survivors were followed for six months. Half of them were given 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acid supplements daily for six months, while the other half were given placebo pills. A doctor might typically prescribe 1 to 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acid supplements a day if a patient has high triglyceride levels (a type of blood fat), Kwong added. Using MRIs of the heart, the researchers ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Disease, Heart Attack, Dietary Supplementation, Fish Oil, Lovaza, Myocardial Infarction, Omega-3, Omacor, Ischemic Heart Disease, MaxEPA, Myocardial Infarction - Prophylaxis, Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Omega 3-6-9 Complex, Animi-3, Post MI Syndrome, Restora, Marine Lipid Concentrate, EPA Fish Oil, TherOmega Sport, TheraTears Nutrition
Ask a Question
Further Information
Related Condition Support Groups
Arrhythmia, Cardiomyopathy, Ischemic Heart Disease, Endocarditis, Pericarditis, Abnormal Electrocardiogram, Heart Murmur, Hemopericardium, Cardiovascular Conditions and Disorders
Related Drug Support Groups
evening primrose, Primrose Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, capsicum
