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Coronary Artery Disease and Cardiovascular General Information
General Information
NEWS:
Dodgy heart? Then don't ride the roller coaster "People with known heart problems should not take roller-coaster rides and theme parks should consider having defibrillators on hand in case riders are taken ill …"
Erectile Dysfunction and Subsequent Cardiovascular Disease
Health Benefits of Moderate Drinking Questioned
Heart Association Urges Trans Fats Limit
Heart disease is biggest killer
Heart Disease, Stroke Still Big Killers
Heart disease, stroke taking toll in Third World
Heart Rate Profile During Exercise and Recovery May Predict Sudden Death
Impotence Can Foreshadow Coronary Artery Disease
In Heart Disease, the Focus Shifts to Women
'Significant' link found between ED, heart disease
Soy Might Worsen Heart Condition
Sudden Death Genes Strike Women Most "Women are more likely than men to carry -- and to pass on -- mutant genes that cause long-QT syndrome, a defect in the heart's electrical system linked to sudden death, according to new research. Long-QT syndrome is a cause of sudden deaths seen in young athletes. Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with the problem. "
Top 10 Causes of Death Worldwide "Top 10 Causes of Death - Heart disease and stroke were the leading causes of death in 2001, regardless of countries' incomes, the study shows. However, other leading causes of death differed depending on countries' incomes. Here is the list for high-income countries: 1. Heart disease 2. Stroke 3. Lung cancer 4. Lower respiratory infections 5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 6. Colon and rectum cancers 7. Alzheimer's disease and other dementias 8. Type 2 diabetes 9. Breast cancer 10. Stomach cancer Here is the list for low- and middle-income countries: 1. Heart disease 2. Stroke 3. Lower respiratory infections 4. HIV/AIDS 5. Fetus/newborn (perinatal) conditions 6. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 7. Diarrhea 8. Tuberculosis 9. Malaria 10. Road traffic accidents "
Unstable Coronary Plaques in Noninfarct Arteries Rarely Lead to Reinfarction
Women Are Said to Face Hidden Heart Disease Risk
ARTICLES:
Cardiovascular Disease: What You Should Know
Medical Enemy #1: Heart Disease
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Adverse Impact of Bleeding on Prognosis in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes (Circulation. 2006) "Conclusions- In ACS patients without persistent ST-segment elevation, there is a strong, consistent, temporal, and dose-related association between bleeding and death. These data should lead to greater awareness of the prognostic importance of bleeding in ACS and should prompt evaluation of strategies to reduce bleeding and thereby improve clinical outcomes."
Alcohol Consumption and Risk for Coronary Heart Disease in Men With Healthy Lifestyles (Arch Intern Med. 2006)
An Overview of Orthostatic Hypotension "Orthostatic hypotension is defined by the Consensus Committee of the American Autonomic Society and the American Academy of Neurology as a reduction of systolic blood pressure of at least 20 mmHg or a reduction of diastolic blood pressure of at least 10 mmHg within three minutes of standing. For individuals who cannot stand, a drop in blood pressure within three minutes of tilting the head up to at least a 60° angle is indicative of orthostatic hypotension. The Consensus Committee describes orthostatic hypotension as a physical sign, rather than a disease, that may be symptomatic or asymptomatic.1 Common symptoms of orthostatic hypotension include light-headedness, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, cognitive impairment, nausea, palpitations, and tremulousness.1"
Androgenetic alopecia and coronary artery disease in women (Dermatology Online Journal 2005)
Association among C-reactive protein, oxidative stress, and traditional risk factors in healthy Japanese subjects. (Int J Cardiol. 2006) "BACKGROUND: Inflammation and oxidative stress play a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. This study was designed to examine the interrelationships among C-reactive protein (CRP), oxidative stress, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. . CONCLUSIONS: CRP levels are associated not only with clinical cardiovascular risk factors but also with oxidative stress. There are significant interrelationships among inflammation, oxidative stress, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors."
Association study between fibronectin and coronary heart disease. (Clin Chem Lab Med. 2006)
Blood pressure as a predictor of cardiovascular events in the elderly: the William Hale Research Program. (J Hum Hypertens. 2006)
Body mass index and mortality from ischaemic heart disease in a lean population: 10 year prospective study of 220,000 adult men. (Int J Epidemiol. 2006) "BACKGROUND: Increased body mass index (BMI) is known to be related to ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in populations where many are overweight (BMI>or=25 kg/m2) or obese (BMI>or=30). Substantial uncertainty remains, however, about the relationship between BMI and IHD in populations with lower BMI levels. . CONCLUSIONS: Lower BMI is associated with lower IHD risk among people in the so-called normal range of BMI values (20-25 kg/m2), but below that range the association may well be reversed."
Carotid Artery Disease (Circulation. 2006) "Patients who have carotid artery disease are likely to have blockages (atherosclerosis) in other arteries of the body, especially in the arteries of the heart and legs, and are much more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than are patients without carotid artery disease. If you are diagnosed with a blockage in your carotid arteries, your doctor will work closely with you to decrease your risk of having a heart attack or stoke."
Cashews boost blood-pressure-regulating reflex "After eight weeks, there was no change in baroreflex sensitivity among people on the control diet. Those on the walnut-rich diet showed significant impairment in baroreflex sensitivity, while baroreflex sensitivity improved among those eating the cashew-heavy diet. No other significant changes were seen in other components of the metabolic syndrome, and neither diet produced changes in levels of cholesterol and other blood fats. However, the people on the cashew diet showed higher blood sugar levels."
Challenging Existing Paradigms in Ischemic Heart Disease: The NHLBI-Sponsored Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) (JACC 2006 (several research articles))
Chronic Aspirin Therapy for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Events: A Waste of Time, or Worse? (Nat Clin Pract Cardiovasc Med. 2006) "Few therapies in cardiovascular medicine have been studied so intently and adopted so widely into clinical practice as aspirin, especially with so little evidence of long-term benefit for people with or at risk of coronary artery disease. A series of studies has shown that long-term aspirin therapy is ineffective, or worse, for the primary, secondary or tertiary prevention of cardiovascular events; however, distorted reporting of these studies, in a way that would not be tolerated for other pharmacologic agents, has led many readers to misinterpret neutral studies as showing benefit with aspirin (see Supplementary Table 1 online for a list of these investigations). . Aspirin should be used to treat or prevent medical problems only when the effective dose and duration of therapy is known-that is, for short-term treatment of acute vascular events and relief of pain. Aspirin should not be given to patients to achieve misguided health-service targets. International guidelines now recommend aspirin withdrawal in some patients with coronary disease, and such recommendations should be extended to other patient groups after scientific review of the relevant evidence.[1]"
Comparison of long-term mortality across the spectrum of acute coronary syndromes. (Am Heart J. 2006)
C-reactive protein (CRP)-lowering agents. (Cardiovasc Drug Rev. 2006) "The data suggest that lipid lowering agents, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, antidiabetic agents, antiinflammatory and antiplatelet agents, vitamin E, and beta-adrenoreceptor antagonists lower serum or plasma levels of CRP, while vitamin C, oral estrogen and hydrochlorothiazide do not affect CRP levels."
Detection of Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients With or at Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease (Circulation. 2006) "Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs commonly in patients with cardiovascular disease. In addition, CKD is a risk factor for the development and progression of cardiovascular disease. In this advisory, we present recommendations for the detection of CKD in patients with cardiovascular disease."
Determinants of physical activity after hospitalization for coronary artery disease: the Tracking Exercise After Cardiac Hospitalization (TEACH) Study. (Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity levels declined from 2 months after hospitalization. Specific subgroups (e.g. less educated, younger) were at greater risk of decline and other subgroups (e.g. women, and PCI, CHF, and diabetic patients) demonstrated lower physical activity. These groups need tailored interventions."
Diagnosis and risk assessment of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. (J Endovasc Ther. 2006)
Dietary factors in erectile dysfunction. (Int J Impot Res. 2006)
[Differences in variables representative of cardiovascular disease or repercussion between subjects with high cardiovascular risk with and without any family history of early cardiovascular events.] (An Med Interna. 2006)
Effects of a Mediterranean-style diet on cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized trial. (Ann Intern Med. 2006) "CONCLUSION: Compared with a low-fat diet, Mediterranean diets supplemented with olive oil or nuts have beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors."
Effects of dietary saturated, monounsaturated, and n-3 fatty acids on blood pressure in healthy subjects (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2006)
Epidemiology and pathophysiology of lower extremity peripheral arterial disease. (J Endovasc Ther. 2006)
Fatigue in patients with cardiovascular disease (Annales de Réadaptation et de Médecine Physique 2006) "Fatigue is a frequent complaint during cardiovascular disease and can sometimes constitute the first clinical manifestation of this disease. It is responsible for deterioration of the quality of life and prognosis. Although physical and mental fatigue are often intimately interrelated, these two aspects of fatigue correspond to different pathophysiological mechanisms and different clinical features and the neurobiological links between the two are only just beginning to be studied. Physical fatigue is related to loss of efficacy of the effector muscle, due to multiple causes: mismatch of cardiac output during exercise, muscle and microcirculatory deconditioning, neuroendocrine dysfunction, associated metabolic disorders. Mental fatigue corresponds to predominantly depressive mood disorders with a particular entity, vital exhaustion."
Gender differences in the management and clinical outcome of stable angina. (Circulation. 2006)
Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics--2006 Update. A Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee (Circulation 2006)
Homocysteine level and coronary artery disease. (Angiology. 2006)
Homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate levels in premature coronary artery disease (BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 2006) "Conclusions We may conclude that hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for CAD in young patients (bellow 45 years old) - especially in men -and vitamin B12 deficiency is a preventable cause of hyperhomocysteinemia."
Incidence and Prognostic Implications of Stable Angina Pectoris Among Women (and Men) "Conclusions Women have a similarly high incidence of stable angina compared with men. Furthermore, stable angina in women is associated with increased coronary mortality relative to women in the general population and, among easily identifiable clinical subgroups, has similarly high absolute rates of prognostic outcomes compared with men."
Mediterranean diet has no effect on markers of inflammation and metabolic risk factors in patients with coronary artery disease (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006)) "Conclusions: Adoption of a Mediterranean diet by patients with medically treated CAD has no effect on markers of inflammation and metabolic risk factors."
Narrative Review: Assessment of C-Reactive Protein in Risk Prediction for Cardiovascular Disease (Annals 2006) "Some experts propose C-reactive protein (CRP) as a screening tool for prediction of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many epidemiologic studies show positive associations between elevated CRP levels and incident CVD. Assessment of the value of new prognostic tests, however, must rely on understanding of test characteristics rather than on associations measured by relative risks. . find no definitive evidence that, for most individuals, CRP adds substantial predictive value above that provided by risk estimation using traditional risk factors for CVD. Use of CRP may add to risk estimation in a limited subset of individuals who are at intermediate predicted risk according to the Framingham risk score. The authors propose that many questions still must be addressed before CRP is incorporated into risk prediction algorithms and before universal screening with CRP can be recommended."
Orthostatic hypotension predicts mortality in middle-aged adults: the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) Study. (Circulation. 2006) "METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated the association between OH (a decrease of 20 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure or a decrease of 10 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure on standing) and 13-year mortality among middle-aged black and white men and women from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study (1987-1989). . CONCLUSIONS: OH predicts mortality in middle-aged adults. This association is only partly explained by traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease and overall mortality."
Periodontal infections and cardiovascular disease: The heart of the matter. (J Am Dent Assoc. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS: Evidence continues to support an association among periodontal infections, atherosclerosis and vascular disease. Ongoing observational and focused pilot intervention studies may inform the design of large-scale clinical intervention studies. Recommending periodontal treatment for the prevention of atherosclerotic CVD is not warranted based on scientific evidence. Periodontal treatment must be recommended on the basis of the value of its benefits for the oral health of patients, recognizing that patients are not healthy without good oral health. However, the emergence of periodontal infections as a potential risk factor for CVD is leading to a convergence in oral and medical care that can only benefit the patients and public health."
Peripheral Vascular Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment (Am Fam Physician 2006) "Peripheral vascular disease is a manifestation of systemic atherosclerosis that leads to significant narrowing of arteries distal to the arch of the aorta. The most common symptom of peripheral vascular disease is intermittent claudication. At other times, peripheral vascular disease leads to acute or critical limb ischemia. Intermittent claudication manifests as pain in the muscles of the legs with exercise; it is experienced by 2 percent of persons older than 65 years. Physical findings include abnormal pedal pulses, femoral artery bruit, delayed venous filling time, cool skin, and abnormal skin color. Most patients present with subtle findings and lack classic symptoms, which makes the diagnosis difficult."
Periodontal Infections and Coronary Heart Disease (Arch Intern Med. 2006) Conclusions Our findings suggest an association between periodontitis and presence of CHD. Periodontal pathogen burden, and particularly infection with A actinomycetemcomitans, may be of special importance.
Physical Exertion, Exercise, and Sudden Cardiac Death in Women (JAMA 2006) "Conclusions These prospective data suggest that sudden cardiac death during exertion is an extremely rare event in women. Regular exercise may significantly minimize this small transient risk and may lower the overall long-term risk of sudden cardiac death."
Prediction of Lifetime Risk for Cardiovascular Disease by Risk Factor Burden at 50 Years of Age (Circulation 2006)
Review of epidemiological studies on drinking water hardness and cardiovascular diseases. (Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2006) "CONCLUSION: Information from epidemiological and other studies supports the hypothesis that a low intake of magnesium may increase the risk of dying from, and possibly developing, cardiovascular disease or stroke. Thus, not removing magnesium from drinking water, or in certain situations increasing the magnesium intake from water, may be beneficial, especially for populations with an insufficient dietary intake of the mineral."
Risk of cardiovascular diseases with oral contraceptives. (Mymensingh Med J. 2006) "To review all relevant articles it is concluded that the risk for cardiovascular disease is lower with current preparations of oral contraceptives. Cardiovascular diseases occur mainly among oral contraceptive users who smoke or have predisposing factors-such as age more than 35 years, overweight, diabetes & hypertension."
Selenium and coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis. (Am J Clin Nutr. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS: Selenium concentrations were inversely associated with coronary heart disease risk in observational studies. Because observational studies have provided misleading evidence for other antioxidants, the validity of this association is uncertain. Few randomized trials have addressed the cardiovascular efficacy of selenium supplementation, and their findings are still inconclusive. Evidence from large ongoing trials is needed to establish low selenium concentrations as a cardiovascular disease risk factor. Currently, selenium supplements should not be recommended for cardiovascular disease prevention."
Serum Antioxidants, Inflammation, and Total Mortality in Older Women (American Journal of Epidemiology 2006)
Sexual function in women with coronary artery disease: a preliminary study (International Journal of Impotence Research 2006) "This preliminary study demonstrates that female patients with CAD have distinct sexual dysfunction compared with healthy controls. Women with CAD should be evaluated also in terms of sexual function to provide better quality of life."
Short-term and long-term outcomes in 133,429 emergency patients admitted with angina or myocardial infarction in Scotland 1990-2000: population-based cohort study. (Heart. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS: Longer-term case-fatality was similarly high in patients with angina as in acute myocardial infarction survivors, approximately 5% per year. Furthermore, half the patients experienced a fatal or non-fatal event within five years. These data may strengthen the case for aggressive secondary prevention in all patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome."
Sleep disturbance, stroke, and heart disease events: evidence from the Caerphilly cohort. (J Epidemiol Community Health. 2006)
The Effect of Including C-Reactive Protein in Cardiovascular Risk Prediction Models for Women. (Ann Intern Med. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS: A global risk prediction model that includes hsCRP improves cardiovascular risk classification in women, particularly among those with a 10-year risk of 5% to 20%. In models that include age, blood pressure, and smoking status, hsCRP improves prediction at least as much as do lipid measures."
The link between abdominal obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. (Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2006) "CONCLUSION: Metabolic syndrome is associated with a pro-inflammatory state, and the role of visceral obesity is thought to be central to this. Visceral obesity leads to alteration of the normal physiological balance of adipokines, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction and a pro-atherogenic state. In association with this, the presence of conventional cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidaemia and smoking results in a significantly elevated cardiovascular and metabolic (cardiometabolic) risk"
Zinc, Copper, and Magnesium and Risks for All-Cause, Cancer, and Cardiovascular Mortality. (Epidemiology. 2006) "CONCLUSIONS:: High serum copper, low serum magnesium, and concomitance of low serum zinc with high serum copper or low serum magnesium contribute to an increased mortality risk in middle-aged men."
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