The latest in Cardiovascular Medicine

Stock market dips linked to heart attack surge: study

2010-03-13T22:15:26Z

<div><p>Doctors have found a relation between stock market fluctuations and heart attack frequency, a preliminary study by North Carolina's Duke University Medical Center said Saturday.</p><p>"In analyzing our local patient population... during the recent period of increased volatility in the stock market, we found that when...

Hearts may swoon when stocks do, study suggests

2010-03-13T12:15:11Z

<div id="subtitle">Ticker toll: Heart attacks may have risen when the stock market was falling, study suggests</div><div><p>Stock market slides may hurt more than your savings. New research suggests they might prompt heart attacks. Duke University researchers found a link between how a key stock index performed and how many heart attacks were treated at their World Trade Center attacks seem to show early signs of heart problems at a higher rate than would be expected for their age, a new study suggests.</p><p>Nearly half of about 1,200 law enforcement workers who we...

A Closer Look At White Coat High Blood Pressure

2010-03-13T11:58:43Z

Stress has been identified as one of the factors that cause high blood pressure. Unfortunately, there are several sources of stress. It can be work or relationships related. Environmental conditions and certain situations are also major contributors to stress. Examples are going through job interviews or confronting someone. In some cases, people with normal blood pressure become hypertensive upon entering a physician?s office. This occurrence is generally referred to as white coat high blood...

New warning over Plavix effectiveness

2010-03-13T03:15:30Z

<div><p>US health officials Friday ordered the makers of the Plavix anti-blood clotting agent to add a boxed warning to its packets saying the drug may be less effective in preventing heart attacks in people who cannot metabolize it properly.</p><p>The new boxed warning ordered by the Food and Drug Administration is a further step up from jus...

US orders new warning of limited Plavix effectiveness

2010-03-12T15:15:29Z

Summary Box: Vytorin sales likely to keep falling

2010-03-12T11:30:23Z

<div id="subtitle">Summary Box: Sales of Merck cholesterol pill will still fall, despite lack of safety problems</div><div><p>VYTORIN STUDY: A safety monitoring board doing a planned interim analysis of a long study of Merck's Vytorin cholesterol pill decided there are no serious safety problems, so the study can continue.</p><p>ANALYSTS' TAKE: That result was generally expected, and Vytorin sales likely will keep ...

Analyst: Merck's Vytorin sales will keep dropping

2010-03-12T11:15:24Z

<div id="subtitle">Analyst: Sales of Merck cholesterol pill Vytorin will keep falling, no matter what study finds</div><div><p>Sales of Merck & Co.'s blockbuster cholesterol drug Vytorin likely will continue to fall amid rising competition from rival brands and generic versions in the same class of pills, an analyst predicted Friday.</p><p>Atlanta, Georgia this weekend to discuss the latest advances, treatments and care strategies to combat heart disease.</p><p>Some of the 30 studies and trials hoping to grab the spotlight at this year's American College of Cardio...

An Exploration of Your Heart's Anatomy

2010-03-12T12:05:59Z

Each day, your heart pumps nearly 2,000 gallons of blood. Over the course of an average lifetime, it will beat over 3 billion times. It is slightly larger than a clenched fist, and is located behind the sternum, between the lungs.<br><br>This article will explore your heart's anatomy. We'll describe its exterior, including the arteries and veins that supply blood to the muscle. We'll also describe the organ's interior, including the chambers, valves, and blood flow. Lastly, you'll...

People with variable blood pressure at stroke risk

2010-03-12T03:45:12Z

<div id="subtitle">Studies: People with variable blood pressure could be at risk of a stroke</div><div><p>People with occasional spikes in their blood pressure could be at higher risk of having a stroke than those with regularly high blood pressure, new studies said Friday.</p><p>In four articles published in the medical journals Lancet and Lancet Neurology, European researchers suggest cu...

U.S. safety panel says big Vytorin study can go on

2010-03-11T15:17:23Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Merck & Co on Thursday said an independent data safety monitoring board has approved continuation of a big study meant to determine whether its blockbuster Vytorin cholesterol drug prevents heart attacks and stroke.</p><p>Merck said a green light for the so-called "IMPROVE-IT" study to continue was given after the panel condu...

Important Uses of Omega - 3 Fish Oil Supplements.

2010-03-11T14:59:15Z

<b>Why do we need supplements?</b><br><br>As we all know, as we start aging our bodies go through the aging process, losing its vitality and vigor which we had in plenty in our youth. So it becomes essential to supplement the essential vitamins and minerals that our body needs to maintain its health and vigor, like iron, calcium, multi-vitamin and omega fatty acids. Such supplements are recommended form the ages of 35 and above so that your body does not face the defic...

Doctors fail to cut cholesterol enough

2010-03-10T16:30:08Z

<div><p>LONDON (Reuters) - Only half of patients at high risk of heart disease are given the right targets for cutting their cholesterol and millions may suffer heart attack or stroke due to doctors' poor advice, scientists said on Thursday.</p><p>German researchers said that over 10 years, around 50 to 80 heart attacks, strokes and heart disease-related deaths per 1,000 patients could be averted if all doc...

Study suggests too many invasive heart tests given

2010-03-10T16:16:08Z

<div id="subtitle">Study suggests too many low-risk patients given invasive heart tests, docs need better methods</div><div><p>A troublingly high number of U.S. patients who are given angiograms to check for heart disease turn out not to have a significant problem, according to the latest study to suggest Americans get an excess of medical tests.</p><p>The researchers said the findings suggest doctors must do better in determining which patients should be subj...

Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Tantawi dies: MENA

2010-03-10T01:16:18Z

<div><p>Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar -- Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning -- died on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia of a heart attack, the official MENA news agency reported.</p><p>Tantawi, 81,...

Australian court: Vioxx doubled heart attack risk

2010-03-05T00:18:08Z

<div id="subtitle">Australian court finds drug Vioxx doubled heart attack risk, awards man $259,000 in damages</div><div><p>The once-popular painkiller Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attack and was unfit for consumption, an Australian court ruled Friday, awarding a man leading a class action suit against the drug's maker 287,000 Australian dollars ($259,000) in compensation.</p><p>Melbourne Vioxx doubled the risk of heart attacks and was not fit for sale, opening the way for hundreds of lawsuits against US pharmaceutical giant Merck.</p><p>Federal Court judge Christopher Jessop awarded 287,000 dollars (259,000 US) to Reuters Health) - People looking to improve their heart health by lowering their cholesterol levels won't find help from calcium and vitamin D supplements, according to a new study.</p><p>While claims have been made for a beneficial effect of calcium and vitamin D on cholesterol levels, supporting evidence is thin, the study's lead author,