heart-letter
Radiation and chemotherapy can damage heart structures and lead to heart attacks or other cardiac problems later on. Baseline imaging tests before treatment starts may help doctors monitor heart changes.
A noninvasive stress test can err in either a false negative or false positive direction. Further appropriate invasive testing can often sort out what is really going on.
Unrecognized atrial fibrillation may be to blame for up to 40% of unexplained strokes. Monitoring stroke survivors for irregular heartbeat beyond the standard 24-hour period after a stroke can potentially prevent some repeat strokes.
Two classes of drugs, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), are the first-line choices for lowering blood pressure in people with diabetes. They also lower heart failure risk and slow the progression of kidney disease.
The FDA has approved another device, the CoreValve system, to replace a diseased aortic valve without the need for open-heart surgery.
People who had high blood pressure in middle age showed greater declines in memory and thinking skills over a 20-year period compared with people who maintained normal blood pressure.
Some men use testosterone products to offset the decline in muscle strength and stamina that occurs with age. Recent reports of blood clots in men using the drug are leading doctors to re-examine its safety.
Meditation involves quiet, focused attention on breathing, an object, or a word or phase known as a mantra. It can modestly lower blood pressure and may offer other cardiovascular benefits, some of which may work by dampening the body’s stress response.
Cardiac rehabilitation-a customized exercise and lifestyle education program that helps people recover after a heart attack-may lower your odds of needing a long-term hospital stay and might also extend your life.
Blood transfusions for heart surgery are less common than in the past, in part due to a better understanding of the risks and benefits of transfusions. People slated for open-heart surgery should ask about how to avoid a transfusion.