Chest Pain News and Research

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The proper use of drugs to treat heart disease reduces the need for hospital interventions

Regular attacks of chest pain induced by exercise (angina pectoris) is a common condition caused by blockages of the blood vessels that supply the heart (coronary heart disease).

29 Aug 2004

No benefit from early PCI/CABG in high risk unstable angina patients

Patients with chest pain are recognized as being at high risk of subsequent adverse cardiac events when their plasma levels of cardiac troponin are elevated as evidence of myocardial damage.

29 Aug 2004

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy reduces artery-clogging plaque

Early cholesterol-lowering drug therapy after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome appears to reduce artery-clogging plaque, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2004

Not all good cholesterol helps to protect arteries from becoming clogged with fatty deposits

HDL becomes dysfunctional, Dr. Hazen said, when myeloperoxidase (MPO), an enzyme present in white blood cells, inhibits the HDL's ability to keep LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, from building up in artery walls.

17 Aug 2004

A quarter of all adults aged over 40 could develop an irregular heartbeat

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the U.S., affecting more than 2 million adults. The prevalence of the condition is rising and scientists predict that about 5.6 million Americans will have the disorder by 2050. Known causes of AF include abnormalities in the heart’s structure and long-term uncontrolled high blood pressure.

17 Aug 2004

Painless heart attacks often result in greater fatality rates than painful episodes

Painless heart attacks or heart conditions can be commonly overlooked and undertreated at the hospital, often resulting in greater fatality rates than painful episodes.

9 Aug 2004

CV Therapeutics initiates approval-enabling trial of drug to treat chronic angina

CV Therapeutics has announced that it has initiated an approval-enabling study of Ranexa, which, if successful, could support approval of Ranexa for the treatment of chronic angina in a restricted patient population.

3 Aug 2004

Warning for counterfeit drugs simvastatin and carisoprodol recently imported from Mexico

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a public warning regarding counterfeit versions of the drugs simvastatin and carisoprodol that have recently been imported from Mexico to the U.S.

31 Jul 2004

Anti-hypertensive drug clonidine before non-cardiac surgery reduces risk of complications due to inadequate blood flow to the heart

Patients with or at risk for heart disease who take the anti-hypertensive drug clonidine before non-cardiac surgery can significantly reduce the risk of complications and death due to inadequate blood flow to the heart, according to a study by UCSF researchers at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

29 Jul 2004

Call for measures to counter under-diagnosis of angina

There is a glaring need for better objective guidance for GPs in the diagnosis and management of chest pain, according to a multi-disciplinary working group of the Angina Forum. The group agreed that a worrying over-dependence on subjective judgment by GPs in identifying suspected angina patients means that many cases may go undiagnosed.

22 Jul 2004

Tinned tuna lowers the risk of an irregular hearbeat

A new study out today suggests that tuna or broiled/baked fish lowers the risk of an irregular hearbeat among elderly people.

19 Jul 2004

Older people fail to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest

An Australian study has found a disturbing number of older people fail to recognise the signs of cardiac arrest and do not know what to do in the event of such an emergency.

15 Jul 2004

Updated guidelines for treatment of blood cholesterol

The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) has updated its guidelines for treatment of blood cholesterol, suggesting that people at risk for heart attack and stroke would benefit from more intensive cholesterol-lowering therapies.

13 Jul 2004

New guidelines for treating heart attacks

If your chest pain worsens and lasts more than five minutes, especially if you’re short of breath, feel weak, nauseated or lightheaded, call 9-1-1—you could be having a heart attack.

8 Jul 2004

Even in the middle of a heart attack, women are less likely than men to think their symptoms are heart-related

Most people assume that the typical heart attack patient is male, says René Martin, R.N., Ph.D., of the University of Iowa, so women and the people around them tend to look for other explanations of their symptoms, such as stomach problems.

2 Jul 2004

Senior citizens cutting back on medications due to high costs

The findings are based on an in-depth study over a three-year period of nearly 8,000 older adults who were regularly taking prescription medicines at the beginning of the study.

25 Jun 2004

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy identifies women with chest pain at high risk

Women with chest pain who have a normal coronary angiogram can benefit from a test that detects abnormal metabolism in their heart muscle, according to a study reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

16 Jun 2004

Atrial fibrillation may be hereditary

Having a parent with atrial fibrillation (AF) strongly increased an offspring’s risk of developing this heart rhythm disorder, according to a study of participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Framingham Heart Study.

15 Jun 2004

Untreated transient ischemic attacks put 21,000 Canadians at increased risk of death, stroke or heart attack

The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation warns that untreated transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are putting nearly 21,000 Canadians at increased risk of death, stroke or heart attack.

9 Jun 2004

Innovative type of brain scan can determine where blockages of blood to the brain lie

It's a no-brainer that the brain needs a constant supply of blood to keep it going. But some medical conditions can block or reduce that life-giving flow. Whether it's a stroke, a clogged artery or a brain tumor, any situation where blood can't get to the whole brain can lead to death or permanent disability.

2 Jun 2004