Category: heart-letter

I’m a little overweight, but my cholesterol numbers aren’t bad. Do I really need the statin my doctor wants me to take?

It’s a good idea to have your blood pressure measured in both arms every so often. A difference between the two readings of more than 10 points may indicate increased cardiovascular risk.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are increasing the number of people who survive cancer. But they also cause cardiovascular disease in some of the people who get these therapies.

Women with heart disease or atrial fibrillation are more likely than men to have a stroke.

After angioplasty and stent placement, it may not be necessary to take aspirin plus Plavix-what’s called dual antiplatelet therapy-for more than a year.

New evidence-based recommendations from the American Heart Association answers questions about resuming sexual activity after a heart attack that many people (and their doctors) are too embarrassed to bring up.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators can stop a potentially deadly heart rhythm and restore a healthy one. Repeated bending and flexing can cause their leads to fail. Replacement or removal is an option.

Elderly people with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator that has never “fired” can consider having the device turned off.

For people in the hospital, a miniature sensor attached to the torso can transmit vital information about the heart and breathing to doctors and nurses in the hospital.

Evidence that PPIs interfere with blood thinning is weak.