Coronary Heart Disease News and Research

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Simple blood test could indicate higher risk for coronary events in women after post-menopausal hormone therapies

A research study has found that a simple blood test may indicate whether post-menopausal hormone therapies present an elevated risk of a heart attack.

22 May 2008

Erection problems may signal serious heart disease

Erectile dysfunction is always a matter of the heart, but new research shows that more than romance is at stake. Two new studies of men with type 2 diabetes found that erectile dysfunction (ED) was a powerful early warning sign for serious heart disease, including heart attack and death.

19 May 2008

Study finds darapladib lowers biomarker for cardiovascular problems

Despite widespread use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, a significant number of cardiac patients continue to suffer heart attacks and stroke. Researchers theorize that high levels of an enzyme found in coronary plaques may be to blame, by making plaques more likely to rupture and block blood flow. The drug darapladib may offer a way to fight that risk, according to new research led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

8 May 2008

Quit smoking and the benefits soon appear

New research says that people who give up smoking begin to improve their health almost immediately, and the risk of death from all causes falls by 13% within 5 years and to no extra risk of death by 20 years.

7 May 2008

Trends in heart mortality reversing in younger women

Coronary heart disease mortality in younger women could be on the rise, according to findings in the open access journal, BMC Public Health, published by BioMed Central. High levels of smoking, increasing obesity and a lack of exercise could all be contributing to this disturbing trend, seen in women under the age of 50.

30 Apr 2008

First sequence-based map of large-scale structural variation across the human genome

A nationwide team of researchers, funded in part by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has produced the first sequence-based map of large-scale structural variation across the human genome. The work, published today in the journal Nature, provides a starting point to examine how such DNA variation contributes to human health and disease.

30 Apr 2008

FDA approves coronary artery plaque imaging device

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing a device that a doctor can use to see inside a blood vessel to assess the fat content of the plaque which builds up on the wall of the coronary arteries.

29 Apr 2008

Gastric bypass surgery and effect on lower back pain

The prevalence of both obesity and back pain in developing nations has reached alarming levels. According to recent statistics, more than one-third of U.S. adults - over 72 million people were obese in 2005-2006. Of these, 33.3 percent were men and 35.3 percent were women. Especially alarming is that obesity has not decreased among teenagers - the rates remain essentially unchanged in 2005-2006 from the 2003-2004 estimates, at 17 percent.

29 Apr 2008

Thyrotropin levels may be associated with coronary heart disease mortality in women

Women with increasing levels of thyrotropin within the normal range appear to have a higher risk of fatal coronary heart disease, according to a report in the April 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

28 Apr 2008

Exercise helps lower heart disease risk in overweight women

The risk of heart disease in women associated with being overweight or obese is reduced but not eliminated by higher levels of physical activity, according to a report in the April 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

28 Apr 2008

Do patients have equal access to coronary angiography?

Seven in ten patients who have suspected angina are not given appropriate testing and are more likely to suffer from serious heart problems as a result, according to a study published on bmj.com (25 April).

24 Apr 2008

Peripheral arterial disease linked to too little vitamin D

According to the results of the latest research peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may be linked to low levels of vitamin D.

21 Apr 2008

DASH diet also may cut risk for heart disease, stroke

Women who eat diets similar to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet -which is low in animal protein, moderate in low-fat dairy products and high in plant proteins, fruits and vegetables - appear to have a lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, according to a report in the April 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Apr 2008

Scots get serious about childhood obesity

Childhood obesity in Scotland has been a growing problem in recent years and research last year revealed that 21 per cent of all Primary 1 children were overweight: 8.8 per cent were classed as obese and 4.3 per cent as severely obese and the figures were were higher still in deprived areas.

15 Apr 2008

Lower target levels for blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol may provide cardiovascular benefits

Patients with diabetes who reduced their blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol to below standard target levels had a greater decrease in carotid artery wall thickness, but did not have a significant difference in cardiovascular disease events than patients who had recommended blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol levels, according to a study in the April 9 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

9 Apr 2008

Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure

Scientists in the UK claim that drinking a glass of beetroot juice each day can help reduce high blood pressure.

9 Apr 2008

Malfunctioning kidneys may raise risk of sudden death in women

Women whose kidneys are poor at filtering impurities from the blood are at heightened risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a report published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.

8 Apr 2008

Long-term interleukin-6 levels and subsequent risk of coronary heart disease

In research published in the open access journal PLoS Medicine this week, John Danesh of the University of Cambridge and colleagues find that interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels (a type of protein produced by inflammation, attracting cells of the immune system to the site of injury) are associated with coronary heart disease.

8 Apr 2008

Genetic variants of USF1 are associated with the increased risk for cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are major contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide.

8 Apr 2008

Tart cherries cut heart/diabetes risk factors

Tart cherries - frequently sold dried, frozen or in juice - may have more than just good taste and bright red color going for them, according to new animal research from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

7 Apr 2008