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Heart Failure News
Related terms: CHF
As Your Weight Creeps Up, So Does Your Risk of Heart Failure
Posted 1 day 12 hours ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, July 19, 2017 – Gaining even a little weight can increase your chances of developing heart failure, a new study finds. Adding pounds can change the structure of your heart and its ability to pump blood. But losing weight can reverse this potentially deadly process, the researchers said. "People who gain weight, even as little as 5 percent, are more likely to have thickening of the left side of their heart, which is a well-established indicator of heart failure," said lead researcher Dr. Ian Neeland. These people "were also more likely to have decreases in their heart's pumping ability," Neeland said. He is an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. People who lose weight actually improve their hearts by decreasing the thickness of the heart muscle, and that probably lowers their risk for heart failure, he ... Read more
Related support groups: Obesity, Weight Loss, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Left Ventriculography
Reducing Repeat Hospitalizations Doesn't Harm Patients: Study
Posted 2 days 14 hours ago by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, July 18, 2017 – Under Obamacare, efforts were made to cut the number of times patients needed to head back to the hospital after discharge. But would a reduction in these "readmissions" leave patients more vulnerable at home, raising death rates? A new study suggests that didn't happen. Reducing hospital readmission rates for heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia didn't increase death rates, the researchers said. As part of the Affordable Care Act, U.S. hospitals face significant financial penalties if they have too many readmissions. Since enactment of the health care law, also known as Obamacare, readmission rates within 30 days after patient discharge have been significantly reduced. To find out how that might affect death rates, researchers analyzed data on Medicare patients hospitalized for heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia between 2008 and 2014. Reductions in ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Attack, Pneumonia, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Myocardial Infarction, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Myocardial Infarction - Prophylaxis
Fewer Heart Failure Patients Dying of Cardiac Arrest
Posted 15 days ago by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, July 6, 2017 – Heart failure patients are much less likely now to die from sudden cardiac arrest, new research shows. Rates of sudden death from heart failure have declined by nearly half over the past two decades, according to data gathered from a dozen separate clinical trials. Better heart medications used in effective combinations are extending the lives of people with heart failure, said senior study author Dr. John McMurray, a professor of cardiology with the University of Glasgow in Scotland. "Patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction certainly are living longer, and I think are also living better," McMurray said. "Modern pharmacological and device therapy is very effective, and we are now fairly commonly seeing patients with substantial or even complete recovery of their heart muscle dysfunction." In fact, medicines have become so effective that many ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Cardiac Arrest, Left Ventriculography
Fewer Americans Hospitalized for Heart Failure
Posted 27 Jun 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, June 27, 2017 – The number of Americans hospitalized for heart failure has dropped substantially since 2002, but blacks still face higher risks, a new study finds. Between 2002 and 2013, heart failure hospitalizations fell by 30 percent nationwide, the study found. At the same time, disparities between whites and Hispanics closed. By 2013, the hospitalization rate for Hispanic adults was just 6 percent higher than for whites – down from a 45 percent difference in 2002. On the other hand, hospitalizations for heart failure remained stubbornly high among black Americans. Over 5 million Americans have heart failure, according to the American Heart Association. It's a chronic disease in which the heart can no longer pump blood efficiently enough to meet the body's needs. As a result, people with the condition often become fatigued and breathless, and they may develop swelling in ... Read more
Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Diabetes, Type 2, Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Insulin Resistance, Pre-Diabetes, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertensive Emergency, Abnormal Glucose Tolerance, Hypertensive Heart Disease, Left Ventriculography
Childhood Poverty May Predict Heart Failure in Adulthood
Posted 26 Jun 2017 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 26, 2017 – Growing up poor might put you at risk for heart failure in adulthood, a new study suggests. Heart failure, a progressive condition, means the heart isn't pumping as well as it should. This causes fatigue and shortness of breath, and can make everyday activities difficult to carry out. Finnish researchers looked at household income for hundreds of children in 1980. The findings showed that kids from poor families were more likely than richer children to have an enlarged, poorly functioning lower left heart chamber – a sign of heart failure – three decades later. The results aren't surprising, health experts say. "There are continuing socioeconomic inequalities in health across generations and across countries," said Rebecca Hardy, from the Institute of Epidemiology and Health at University College London in England. Hardy, who is with the Lifelong Health and ... Read more
Related support groups: Lisinopril, Fatigue, Losartan, Benicar, Diovan, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Ramipril, Dyspnea, Cozaar, Valsartan, Micardis, Enalapril, Benazepril, Avapro, Atacand, Irbesartan, Perindopril, Candesartan, Left Ventricular Dysfunction
Diesel Pollution May Damage the Heart
Posted 26 May 2017 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, May 26, 2017 – Pollution from diesel engines may cause heart damage, a British study suggests. "There is strong evidence that particulate matter emitted mainly from diesel road vehicles is associated with increased risk of heart attack, heart failure and death," said lead author Dr. Nay Aung, a cardiologist and research fellow at Queen Mary University of London. Aung's team reviewed data from more than 4,200 people in the United Kingdom. The study participants had undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart. The researchers then calculated average diesel pollution exposure based on the study participants' home addresses. Although the study wasn't designed to prove cause-and-effect, the researchers think the pollution stimulates an inflammatory response. "Inhalation of fine particulate matter [PM2.5, which refers to atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter less ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Myocardial Infarction, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Myocardial Infarction - Prophylaxis, Post MI Syndrome
Increasing Numbers of Pregnant Women Also Have Heart Disease
Posted 22 May 2017 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 22, 2017 – Many more American women with heart disease are choosing to have babies, a new study finds. Researchers looked at more than 81,000 women with heart disease from 2003 to 2012. They found that the proportion who had babies rose 24 percent during that time. "We learned that in addition to the high and growing prevalence of women with heart disease delivering babies, the reasons are mainly related to increases in women delivering babies with diseases such as cardiomyopathy, adult congenital heart disease, and pulmonary hypertension," study author Dr. Kathleen Stergiopoulos said in a Stony Brook University news release. She is a specialist in heart disease in women at the Stony Brook Heart Institute. The researchers also found that major heart problems, such as heart failure and heart rhythm problems, in pregnant women with heart disease increased by nearly 19 ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Pulmonary Hypertension, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Restrictive Cardiomyopathy, Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis, Cardiomyopathy Prophylaxis, Broken Heart Syndrome, Left Ventriculography
Sleep Apnea May Boost Pregnancy Complications
Posted 22 May 2017 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 22, 2017 – Mothers-to-be with sleep apnea may have a higher risk of pregnancy complications, longer hospital stays and admission to the ICU than those without the sleep disorder, a new study suggests. The study of more than 1.5 million U.S. women found sleep apnea linked to significantly higher odds for problems such as heart failure, hysterectomy, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. The findings may come as a surprise even to physicians, said study lead author Dr. Ghada Bourjeily. "When people think of obstructive sleep apnea, they usually think of older men," said Bourjeily, an associate professor of medicine at Brown University in Providence, R.I. It's true that men are more likely to develop the condition, but the physiological changes of pregnancy may also trigger sleep apnea, the researchers said in background notes. However, it often goes undiagnosed. People with ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Sleep Apnea, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Pulmonary Edema, Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome, Labor and Delivery including Augmentation
Iron Pills No Help for Certain Type of Heart Failure
Posted 16 May 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 16, 2017 – High-dose iron pills don't improve the exercise capacity of iron-deficient patients with a certain type of heart failure, a new study finds. Iron deficiency affects about half of heart failure patients with what's called reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). This refers to how well the heart's left ventricle pumps with each contraction. This iron shortage is associated with reduced physical functioning, poorer quality of life, and increased risk of death. The new study included 225 such patients who received either high-dose iron pills (150 milligrams) or a placebo, twice daily for 16 weeks. Exercise capacity was assessed by how far patients could walk in six minutes. After four months, those who took the iron pills did not have higher peak oxygen uptake or greater exercise capacity than those who took the placebo, according to the study. The study ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Deficiency Anemia, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Lydia E. Pinkham, Fer-Iron, Left Ventriculography, Feosol Original, Vitelle Irospan, Iron Sulfate, Ferrousal, Ascorbic Acid/Ferrous Sulfate, Docusate/iron/multivitamin, Fero-Grad-500, Ferrous Sulfate/Folic Acid, Slow Fe with Folic Acid
Timing of Menopause May Affect Heart Failure Risk
Posted 15 May 2017 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 15, 2017 – Women who entered menopause early or who never gave birth might have an increased risk of heart failure, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed data from more than 28,000 postmenopausal women who did not have heart disease at the start of the study. During an average follow-up of about 13 years, just over 5 percent of the women were hospitalized for heart failure. Menopause usually occurs after age 45, but changes can start several years before a woman's periods end. In the study, earlier menopause was associated with increased risk of heart failure, and this link was stronger in women who had natural rather than surgical menopause. But the researchers did not establish a cause-and-effect link. Also, women who never gave birth seemed at increased risk for a type of heart failure in which the left side of the heart fails to relax as it should. This association ... Read more
Related support groups: Hot Flashes, Menopausal Disorders, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Postmenopausal Symptoms, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Perimenopausal Symptoms, Vaginal Dryness, Premenopausal Anovulation, Labor and Delivery including Augmentation, Left Ventriculography
Heart Failure Patients Do Better When Sticking With Same Hospital
Posted 10 May 2017 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2017 – Heart failure patients who are readmitted to the same hospital after their initial treatment are more likely to survive and go home sooner, new Canadian research suggests. Speedy treatment is critical for sudden events – such as heart attack or stroke – which explains why ambulance policies usually require patients to be taken to the closest treatment center even if they were just released from another hospital. "This makes sense in time-sensitive acute conditions where delays in initial treatment are associated with poorer outcomes – thus the adage 'time is muscle' for heart attacks and 'time is brain' for strokes," said study leader Dr. Finlay McAlister. He is a professor of general internal medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. But, "heart failure is a chronic condition and continuity of care seems to be more important," McAlister noted in a ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Left Ventriculography
Heart Failure, Job Loss May Be Deadly Combo
Posted 2 May 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 2, 2017 – The ability to work may help predict a heart-failure patient's chances of survival, a preliminary study suggests. Researchers found that joblessness was tied to a 50 percent higher risk of death in younger patients with heart failure. "The ability to hold a job brings valuable information on well-being and performance status," said study lead author Dr. Rasmus Roerth. "And workforce exclusion has been associated with increased risk of depression, mental health problems and even suicide," added Roerth, a physician at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. "It could be highly valuable to assess employment status and actually think of workforce exclusion as a prognostic marker in line with suffering from serious chronic diseases," he said in a news release from the European Society of Cardiology. Moreover, learning why an individual patient is unemployed might ... Read more
Related support groups: Depression, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure
Pump Implants May Rejuvenate Heart Failure Patients
Posted 18 Apr 2017 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 18, 2017 – Implanted pumps may be more than a "bridge" to a heart transplant – they might also restore healthy heart function for some heart failure patients, a new British study suggests. As the researchers explained, these battery-operated left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are often used to support patients with severe heart failure while they await a heart transplant. But this new clinical trial is the first to show that an LVAD, combined with medication, can restore heart function completely, researchers said. "We talk about these devices as a bridge-to-transplant, something which can keep a patient alive until a heart is available for transplantation," said study lead author Djordje Jakovljevic. "However, we knew that sometimes patients recover to such an extent that they no longer need a heart transplant," noted Jakovljevic, a senior research fellow in ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Left Ventriculography
Can Stem Cell 'Patch' Help Heart Failure?
Posted 5 Apr 2017 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2017 – Scientists report another step in the use of stem cells to help treat people with debilitating heart failure. In an early study of 27 patients, Japanese researchers used patients' own muscle stem cells to create a "patch" that was placed on the heart. Over the next year, the patients generally showed small improvements in their symptoms – including the ability to walk without becoming breathless and fatigued. However, experts cautioned that while the results are encouraging, there's a lot of work left ahead before stem cells can be used to treat heart failure. "They've shown that this approach is feasible," said Dr. Eiran Gorodeski, a heart failure specialist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. But it's not clear whether the stem-cell tactic was actually effective, said Gorodeski, who was not involved in the study. That's because the study didn't include a ... Read more
Related support groups: Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk Reduction, Left Ventriculography
Heart Devices 101: Guide to the Tools That Keep You Ticking
Posted 3 Apr 2017 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, April 2, 2017 – Pacemakers, defibrillators and other medical devices have saved the lives of millions of people worldwide. Someone you know probably has received one of these heart-health enhancers, although not all have become household words. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration evaluates and regulates these and other medical devices in the United States. Below, the agency provides a brief glossary of terms that might come in handy when a doctor recommends a cardiac tool: Heart pacemakers: These small, battery-powered devices are implanted in the body. They deliver an electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm when the heart beats too slowly. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators: These deliver a shock to restore normal heart rhythm when the heart beats too fast. Automated external defibrillators: These portable, automatic devices are found in many public locations. ... Read more
Related support groups: Atrial Fibrillation, Heart Disease, Heart Attack, Arrhythmia, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Angina, Tachyarrhythmia, Supraventricular Tachycardia, Prevention of Thromboembolism in Atrial Fibrillation, Prosthetic Heart Valves, Myocardial Infarction, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Ventricular Tachycardia, Prosthetic Heart Valves - Mechanical Valves, Left Ventricular Dysfunction, Atrial Flutter, Mitral Insufficiency, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
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