Heart Failure News and Research

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Heart failure (HF) is a condition in which a problem with the structure or function of the heart impairs its ability to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. It should not be confused with cardiac arrest or myocardial infarction.

Cancer survivors' other medical problems poorly managed

People who survive cancer are less likely to receive necessary care for a wide range of other non-cancer-related medical problems according to a new study published September 13, 2004 in the online edition of CANCER, a peer- reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

12 Sep 2004

Postmenopausal women with heart disease have three fold increased risk of heart failure if they also have diabetes

In addition, diabetic women in the study who also had kidney disease or obesity, or whose diabetes was poorly controlled (fasting blood sugar levels above 300 mg/dL) had a risk of heart failure 6-10 times higher than that of women without diabetes.

7 Sep 2004

Ramipril reduces rate of sudden cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest by 21 percent

Ramipril, a high blood pressure and heart failure drug, can reduce the rate of sudden cardiac death and nonfatal cardiac arrest by 21 percent in people at high risk for heart attack or stroke, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Sep 2004

Angina drug nifedipine safe for long-term use

Calcium antagonists such as nifedipine are used to relieve the symptoms of angina, but there have been doubts about their long-term safety. However, ACTION--A Coronary disease Trial Investigating Outcome with Nifedipine GITS--provides new information on the drug's long-term use. GITS (gastrointestinal therapeutic system) modifies the release of the drug to provide stable long-term concentrations of nifedipine in blood.

30 Aug 2004

Kiwis reverse heart disease in diabetics

New Zealand biopharmaceutical company Protemix Corporation has announced the discovery of a treatment which appears to reverse heart disease in people suffering from diabetes and may lead to a more effective intervention in a major cause of death worldwide.

30 Aug 2004

Surgery for angina in the elderly provides long-term mortality

Elderly people who undergo surgery or angioplasty to treat chest pain fare just as well long-term as those treated with medication, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Aug 2004

Study suggests intramyocardial injection of cells from bone marrow might be an alternative for heart transplantation

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world and patients with end-stage ischemic heart failure carry the highest morbid-mortality rate.

30 Aug 2004

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

Atrial fibrillation patients often receive needless treatment

Results of the Euro Heart Survey on atrial fibrillation (AF), demonstrate that many AF patients receive clot-preventing drugs while not at risk for stroke.

29 Aug 2004

U.S. FDA study shows Canadian drugs to be more expensive

If you think all drugs from Canada are cheaper than U.S. drugs, think again. In the United States, generic drugs - roughly half of all prescriptions - are often cheaper than both Canadian brand-name drugs and Canadian generic drugs, according to a study by the Food and Drug Administration.

29 Aug 2004

Study emphasizes the importance of monitoring blood pressure and dyslipidemia in patient's with metabolic syndrome

Having three or more traits of the metabolic syndrome significantly increases the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease or any other cause, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2004

High blood pressure increased 30 percent over the last decade in the U.S.

The study found that at least 65 million Americans have hypertension, defined as blood pressure of 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher, using blood-pressure lowering medications, or having been told at least twice by a physician or other health professional that they had high blood pressure (medical history). By that definition, almost a third of U.S. adults have hypertension.

25 Aug 2004

New class of compounds play a role in protecting the cardiovascular system

Half a million Americans are diagnosed each year with heart failure, a progressively debilitating condition characterized by the heart's declining ability to pump blood efficiently.

25 Aug 2004

Striking increase in high blood pressure in the U.S.

A new analysis of the prevalence of high blood pressure in the US shows a striking increase over the last 10 years in the number of adults with this condition.

23 Aug 2004

Worldwide evidence says better care will halt heart failure epidemic

An international team of researchers from Australia, Canada, Italy and Scotland studying the results of heart failure management have found that managed care from specialist teams of health professionals can improve survival rates by up to 25 per cent.

23 Aug 2004

Nitroxyl-releasing drugs promise to revive failing hearts

Half a million Americans are diagnosed each year with heart failure, a progressively debilitating condition characterized by the heart's declining ability to pump blood efficiently.

22 Aug 2004

COX2 inhibitor lumiracoxib could be an effective treatment for osteoarthritis

The use of non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is widespread to reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis; however the sideeffects of these drugs can be severe, sometimes leading to gastro-intestinal ulcer complications which account for around 7000 US and 1000 UK deaths each year.

21 Aug 2004

Revised cholesterol-lowering guidelines constitute a major risk to public health

Recently revised cholesterol-lowering guidelines constitute a major risk to public health according to The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics, a non-profit organization of doctors, scientists and researchers.

18 Aug 2004

Researchers to conduct a series of studies on human circulation

Penn State College of Medicine researchers recently were awarded a five-year, $7 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to conduct a series of studies on human circulation.

18 Aug 2004

New guidelines urge early and long-term treatment with Aldosterone blockade therapy

Patients who have had a recent heart attack with ST-elevation (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, or STEMI), complicated by heart failure should be treated with aldosterone blockers according to new guidelines issued recently by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

17 Aug 2004