Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) News and Research

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A Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction) occurs when blood flow to a section of heart muscle becomes blocked. If the flow of blood isn’t restored quickly, the section of heart muscle becomes damaged from lack of oxygen and begins to die.

Heart attack is a leading killer of both men and women in the United States. But fortunately, today there are excellent treatments for heart attack that can save lives and prevent disabilities. Treatment is most effective when started within 1 hour of the beginning of symptoms. Heart attacks occur most often as a result of a condition called coronary artery disease (CAD). In CAD, a fatty material called plaque (plak) builds up over many years on the inside walls of the coronary arteries (the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to your heart). Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture, causing a blood clot to form on the surface of the plaque. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the part of the heart muscle fed by the artery.

Things that can trigger heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrests

Heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests seem like they come out of the blue, but most don't.

13 Jul 2007

High blood pressure medication strategy proves effective in Hispanic women

Hispanic women with hypertension and coronary artery disease respond better to drug regimens aimed at controlling high blood pressure than non-Hispanic white women, University of Florida researchers report.

13 Jul 2007

Bak protein's deadly double whammy

When a cell is seriously stressed, say by a heart attack, stroke or cancer, a protein called Bak just may set it up for suicide, researchers have found.

13 Jul 2007

No benefit from HRT for older women

New evidence confirms that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should not be prescribed to older women who are many years past the menopause. The treatment will not help prevent chronic conditions such as heart disease in these women.

11 Jul 2007

Heart attack death rates appear lower at 'America's best hospitals'

Individuals admitted for heart attack to a hospital ranked as one of America's Best by U.S. News & World Report are less likely to die within 30 days than those admitted to a non-ranked hospital, according to a report in the July 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Jul 2007

Wall Street Journal examines women's health initiative findings on HRT's effect on heart attack risk

The Wall Street Journal on Monday examined findings from the 15-year, $725 million NIH-sponsored Women's Health Initiative on hormone replacement therapy's effects on heart attack risk.

10 Jul 2007

Scots of South Asian descent have increased risk of heart attacks

Scots of South Asian descent are significantly more likely to suffer a heart attack than the rest of the Scottish population, according to a report published in the online open access journal BMC Public Health.

9 Jul 2007

People with damage to blood vessels in the brain more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease

A recent study in Journal of Neuroimaging suggests that cognitively normal adults exhibiting atrophy of their temporal lobe or damage to blood vessels in the brain are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

9 Jul 2007

High-risk patients need improved guidance on heart attacks

Varying advice means patients at high-risk of having a heart attack are unclear about when symptoms are potentially life threatening and when they should call an ambulance, argue a group of heart specialists in this week's BMJ.

9 Jul 2007

Myeloperoxidase offers clues to heart attack in seemingly healthy people

We've all wondered how a seemingly healthy person can actually be at high risk for heart disease or a heart attack.

4 Jul 2007

Myeloperoxidase protein provides clues to heart attacks in healthy people

We've all wondered how a seemingly healthy person can actually be at high risk for heart disease or a heart attack.

4 Jul 2007

Chocolate lovers rejoice - it lowers the blood pressure!

Chocolate lovers have a good reason to rejoice - new research says dark chocolate helps to keep the blood pressure down.

4 Jul 2007

Stem cell therapy to prevent heart attacks

The use of stem cell therapy to prevent heart attacks is explored in a Comment published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

29 Jun 2007

Link between lung capacity, inflammation and chronic lung disease

People who have a reduced lung capacity may have a greater risk of heart attack and stroke because they show evidence of inflammation, reveals a study published online ahead of print in Thorax .

28 Jun 2007

Women's mortality rates for cardiovascular disease differ widely among hospitals

Women treated for cardiovascular disease at the nation's best- performing hospitals have a 39 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality rate when compared with women at the nation's poorest-performing hospitals, according to the fourth annual HealthGrades Women's Health Outcomes in U.S. Hospitals study.

26 Jun 2007

Portion-control dishes may help obese diabetics lose weight

A plate and cereal bowl with markers for proper portion sizes appear to help obese patients with diabetes lose weight and decrease their use of glucose-controlling medications, according to a report in the June 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

26 Jun 2007