Cardiovascular Health

Unstable Weight Hard on HeartReported November 10, 2004 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Gaining 15 pounds or more over several years puts one at greater risk for heart disease than those who are obese but maintain a stable weight, according to a recent study. Researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago studied nearly 2,500 adults … [Read more...]

New Treatment for Heart ArrhythmiasReported February 27, 2008 PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- One moment you feel fine. The next, your heart is racing at almost double the pace. Atrial fibrillation affects more than two million Americans. Although it is the most common arrhythmia, medicines for the condition only work about half the time. Now, researchers are … [Read more...]

Oxidative Stress Behind Lung ProblemsReported May 20, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research suggests markers for oxidative stress in young people can predict the later onset of lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Oxidative stress itself is not a disease, but it can lead to one. As we breathe, our bodies are constantly reacting with oxygen … [Read more...]

Each year, 1.5 million Americans receive heart catheterizations. This procedure requires doctors to thread a catheter through the arm or leg of a patient and allows them to look for trouble spots in the heart. Now, experts say there is a new, high-tech scanner that is making it easier than ever to spot potential heart problems. Elizabeth Martin is no stranger to heart tests. … [Read more...]

Screening may Reduce Sudden DeathReported December 23, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Researchers in Italy have a found a way to screen for a condition commonly associated with sudden death and other cardiac irregularities. Long QT syndrome is an inherited disease that predisposes a person to increased risk for sudden death or heart … [Read more...]

Patients taking certain medications that help lower cholesterol levels have a relatively low risk of developing a disorder that causes the breakdown of muscles (rhabdomyolysis), according to a new study. These lipid-lowering medications, known as statins, include the drugs atorvastatin (Lipitor), pravastatin (Pravachol), and simvastatin (Zocor). Muscle disorders are among the … [Read more...]

Stroke Doubles Risk of Bone Fractures   Reported August 07, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, in the United States, about 300,000 people fracture their hip every year, and about 20 percent of these people die of their fracture within a year. Stroke patients have about twice the increased risk of … [Read more...]

Stuttering to Save Hearts Reported October 09, 2009 ATLANTA (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Every year, 1 million Americans undergo angioplasty, a lifesaving procedure used to open up blocked arteries that supply the heart. Now, there’s a new twist on the common procedure that can offer patients even better long-term outcomes. At 52, Kathy Burks thought she was … [Read more...]

Teenage Girls' Hearts Protected Against Stress Reported July 22, 2005 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research shows young girls may hold the secret to healthy hearts. A study from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta finds girls between ages 16 and 18 have lower rates of blood pressure increase after activity than males in the same age group. Blood pressure and heart … [Read more...]

Transplant Lengthens Lives of Diabetics With Kidney DiseaseReported May 01, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Type 1 diabetics in need of a kidney transplant may increase their long-term survival rate with a simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplant, although this option also brings some increased surgical risks. SPK transplants involve performing a pancreas … [Read more...]

Ultrasound Predicts Heart Attacks? Reported August 19, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new application for the widely used ultrasound imaging technology is showing promise in identifying people at high risk for heart attack and stroke. With the images and computer enhanced gray scale median measurements (GSM), researchers at the Medical University in Vienna were able to … [Read more...]

Walkable Neighborhoods Harbor Less Obesity Reported August 01, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Want to shed those extra pounds? Then move to a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood! People who live in neighborhoods where walking is the norm weigh significantly less than people who live in neighborhoods where walking is more inconvenient, report University of Utah researchers who … [Read more...]

Women: Don’t Panic, It may Hurt Your Heart!Reported October 3, 2007 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Older women who have experienced at least one full-blown panic attack may have an increased risk for cardiovascular problems … and even death. A team of researchers led by Jordan Smoller, M.D., Sc.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, collected data from 3,369 healthy … [Read more...]

A New Valve With No Open-Heart Reported June 16, 2008 ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- One in seven people will have a significant aortic valve problem in their lifetime. That used to mean open-heart surgery and a painful recovery. But now, doctors have found a way to get the results … no open-heart surgery required. Mary Ann Cahalin has been a Girl Scout for 43 years! … [Read more...]

Heart attack survivors unaware of risks Reported July 02, 2008 People who have already had one heart attack could die from a second because they know so little about the disease, a joint Australian–US study has shown. The first large-scale international study to assess the knowledge of heart patients about their disease revealed poor … [Read more...]

Breakthrough for Fatal Lung DiseaseReported October 15, 2007 TORONTO (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Junne Page has lived a healthy life, but seven years ago, things changed. "I had been short of breath. I thought it was due to a medication I was taking," Page says. It wasn't. Page has pulmonary hypertension -- a fatal disease. "Most commonly, the disease is rapidly progressive such … [Read more...]

Heart attack victims face increased risk of death with NatrecorWednesday, 20-Apr-2005 In a recent study Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein, a doctor at North Shore University Hospital in New York says that Natrecor, heart failure treatment produced by drug company Johnson & Johnson may be linked to a greater risk of death when compared with … [Read more...]

Deadly Type of Stroke Targets Mexican Americans and Women Reported June 13, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) It often begins as a “thunderclap” headache. It’s been described as the “the worst headache of a person’s life.” In many cases it’s also the last one. The “thunderclap” is a symptom of a deadly type of stroke that involves bleeding around the brain usually caused by a … [Read more...]

Electronic Follow-Up Helps Cardiac Patients   Reported August 11, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – An innovative program cut cardiac deaths by 73 percent by linking coronary artery disease patients to full-spectrum teams of care givers with an electronic health record (EHR), according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente. This is the first randomized … [Read more...]

Fishing Out Atherosclerosis Prevention Reported July 29, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Health officials have long noted a lower risk of heart disease in Japanese people living in Japan. But why? Investigators from the U.S. and Japan think they've found the answer: the high rate of fish consumption is keeping their arteries from clogging up. They arrived at that conclusion … [Read more...]

Genders Differences in Heart Disease Reported July 10, 2008 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Some women taking high blood pressure medication to prevent heart disease may want to consider another course of action, according to a new study. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Western countries for both men and women, but a woman’s risk of developing the disease is … [Read more...]

While it may not make you love your love handles, a recent study suggests abdominal fat may not deserve the bad rap it has developed. Abdominal fat has long been suspected of causing metabolic syndrome -- a collection of conditions, ranging from diabetes to high blood pressure, known to increase one's risk of heart attack. But researchers from Yale University School of … [Read more...]

Healing Broken HeartsReported April 08, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- U.S. researchers may have found a new way to mend hearts damaged by a heart attack. They find infusing the patient’s own bone marrow cells into the coronary artery where the original blockage occurred can lead to long term positive outcomes. "These results show that treatment with a patient’s … [Read more...]

Heart Complication Ups Mortality RateReported May 11, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – People with a certain type of heart condition are more likely to die following coronary angioplasty or stent placement if they suffer from an irregular heart rhythm before or after the procedure. According to doctors from the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the irregular heart … [Read more...]

High Blood Pressure Linked to Memory Problems in Middle Age   Reported August 25, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – High blood pressure is linked to memory problems in people over 45, according to a new study. The study found that people with high diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number of a blood pressure reading, were more likely to have problems … [Read more...]

How Much is Your Life Worth?Reported October 3, 2006 By Caroline Penn, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent   (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- You could add months, even years to your life by choosing the right heart surgery. So how do you decide? It depends on how much you are willing to spend. Up to … [Read more...]

In NFL, Fitness Protects the HeartReported May 27, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Despite their massive size, National Football League players have similar cardiovascular disease risk factors compared to other young men in the general population, according to a new study. In recent years, NFL players have gotten much bigger and sporadic deaths of active and young … [Read more...]

Scientists say menstrual blood can repair hearts Reported April 24, 2008 TOKYO (AFP) — The monthly discomfort many women see as a curse could pay off someday as Japanese researchers say menstrual blood can be used to repair heart damage. Scientists obtained menstrual blood from nine women and cultivated it for … [Read more...]

Active women face reduced risk of heart disease as they ageReported August 28, 2007 For women, getting into the habit of being physically active when you're young influences the likelihood you'll be active later in life, helping to cut the risk of coronary heart disease, researchers report. A large study of nearly 40,000 women indicates women who were the most … [Read more...]

Losing Sleep Over Blood Pressure Monitors Reported December 29, 2009 (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A device used to measure nighttime blood pressure may interfere with patients' sleep, thus affecting the accuracy of the test results. "Blood pressure (BP), measured during sleep correlates better with heart attacks and strokes compared to blood pressure measured in the doctor's … [Read more...]