heart-letter
Women who eat a diet high in saturated fat are more likely to develop memory loss and thinking problems than those who eat more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
An increasing creatinine level could indicate problems controlling diabetes and blood pressure. Measuring the kidneys’ glomerular filtration rate offers helpful information.
Physical inactivity is responsible for 6% of coronary artery disease, 7% of diabetes, 10% of breast and colon cancers, and 9% of premature deaths worldwide. Increasing activity by 10% to 25% could prevent up to 1.3 million deaths per year.
Medications and devices can help many people with heart failure with low ventricular ejection fraction live longer with a better quality of life. But not all therapies are right for everyone, and treatment must be individualized.
The surgical procedures known as endarterectomy and noninvasive stenting are equally safe and effective treatments for preventing stroke in people with blocked or narrowed carotid arteries.
In addition to blood pressure, doctors are now considering all factors that increase an individual’s cardiovascular risk as a guide to whether to begin antihypertension medications.
About 50% of Americans don’t take their medications properly. A new “smart” pill that reveals whether a medication has been taken as prescribed could improve medication taking.
Developing chest pain while taking an exercise stress test is worrisome.
Blood clots that form in the legs (deep-vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism) can be painful, and even deadly. Prompt treatment and good follow-up can minimize the danger.
A heart attack or stroke triggers an immune response that boosts inflammation and speeds the development of atherosclerosis in artery walls. This may explain why heart attack or stroke victims are at risk for repeat events.