Category: heart-letter

Quitting smoking, even after a heart attack, will likely increase a person’s longevity, and even cutting back on cigarettes is beneficial.

A pedometer is an inexpensive tool that can help promote fitness by measuring a person’s steps. Being aware of how much one is walking acts as a motivator to walk more.

More people are surviving heart attacks and receiving better care afterward, which has led to an increase in the number of people living with heart failure.

Coronary microvascular disease, which affects the smallest arteries in the heart, is difficult to detect because of the small size of the vessels, but tests are improving, and awareness of the condition among doctors is growing.

Brief reports on the use of compression stockings by stroke survivors, and the benefit of adding a second blood pressure medication.

Researchers with the Framingham Heart Study have developed a new tool to assess overall risk of cardiovascular disease by assigning points to various risk factors, then aligning total points with levels of risk.

The FDA is recommending a genetic test for people prescribed warfarin, to search for variants of certain genes that can affect the drug’s effectiveness. But there is not enough evidence yet that the test makes using the drug safer.

The leads of implanted cardiac devices can break or become infected over time. If this happens, the leads must be replaced. A defective lead can be left in the heart, but it is considered safer to have it removed.

Death rates from heart disease had been declining since the 1960s, but recently they have leveled off in men and increased very slightly in women, probably due to increases in obesity and diabetes.

Fainting occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or interrupted. An incident of fainting should be reported to a doctor, because if it was caused by a problem in the heart, it may lead to more serious problems.