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Started by R McCartney; Last updated Feb 25, 08 4:41 PM CST by D Lim | View history

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Heart Health

At the end of the day, the heart is a muscle, not just a metaphor.

Heart disease-related deaths are falling. Experts attribute this to the declining number of smokers in America and efforts by individuals to lower their cholesterol and blood pressure. But with more and more Americans becoming obese—nearly as bad for the heart as smoking—the trend to healthier hearts can't be counted on to continue.

Stories

Stories 41 - 60 of 108

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April 2008
- Tragic Bond Links Heart Donor, Recipient
  
  Hilton Head Island Packet | Apr 7, 08 4:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Georgia man who took his own life last week had lived 12 years after receiving a transplanted heart from a South Carolina man who also committed suicide, police said. And in a twist worthy of Edgar Allan Poe, the donor's widow had met and married the recipient, the Hilton Head Island Packet reports. More »
- 'Sweatshop' Bloggers Drop Dead
  
  New York Times | Apr 6, 08 6:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The news cycle never stops, and neither do the bloggers who relentlessly chase stories, enduring a sweatshop kind of life stressful enough to apparently induce heart attacks. Two prominent web commentators have died in the last few months, and the community is reflecting on the toll of its hardcore, caffeine-fueled, take-no-prisoners lifestyle, the New York Times reports. More »
- Heart Disease Is Killing Caged Gorillas
  
  Associated Press | Apr 5, 08 7:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Gorillas in US zoos are dying from heart disease, and no one knows why, the AP reports. Zookeepers and scientists started a nationwide “Gorilla Health Project” 2 years ago to probe the causes of fibrosing cardiomyopathy, a condition that turns heart muscle into useless fibers and has left scores of gorillas dead in the last few years. More »
- AIDS Drug May Raise Risk of Heart Attack
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Apr 2, 08 6:52 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Patients who use an important and widely used AIDS drug have twice the risk of heart attacks, a new study shows. Abacavir is a major component in the so-called "drug cocktails" used to control HIV. "This is a head-scratcher, in the sense that we don't really understand the biology here," one expert told the San Francisco Chronicle . More »
- Firms Hid Bad News on Heart Drugs 2 Years: Doc
  
  New York Times | Apr 1, 08 10:49 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A scientist hired by two drug companies to conduct trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs accused the firms of deliberately delaying release of the results, the New York Times reports. The results for the Vytorin and Zetia trials—which showed the drugs don't work to reduce plaque in arteries—were not released until almost two years after the medical trials wrapped up. More »
- Blood Pressure Drugs Cut Elderly Death Rate
  
  Guardian (UK) | Apr 1, 08 10:13 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Death rates, heart attacks, and strokes among people over 80 can be cut significantly by common blood pressure medication rarely given to older people, finds a new large-scale study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine . The study found death rates among the elderly could be cut 21% and heart attacks by 64%, reports the Guardian . More »
- Diabetes Drug Slows Artery Clogging
  
  Cleveland Plain Dealer | Apr 1, 08 6:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A drug used to lower blood sugar in diabetics significantly decreases the clogging of arteries, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Tests on diabetic patients found that Actos, a new-generation drug that lowers insulin resistance, aided arteries more than a drug that boosted insulin production. Heart disease kills 75% of diabetics and doctors are working to find ways to treat both blood sugar and heart disease. More »
- Skip Liplock, 'Go for the Heart' to Save a Life
  
  Reuters | Apr 1, 08 5:21 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Reluctant bystanders can skip mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if they witness someone collapse from a heart attack, but should attempt "hands-only" CPR to save a life, the American Heart Association has recommended. With less than a third of cardiac arrest victims receiving any form of CPR before it's too late, anything remotely resembling a chest compression could help, reports Reuters. More »
March 2008
- Naked Chef Wants UK Cooking Like It's 1939
  
  Guardian (UK) | Mar 29, 08 12:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Inspired by WWII food rationing, a British celebrity chef has declared war on the UK’s poor eating habits. Jamie Oliver is encouraging families in one South Yorkshire town to shun takeout and ready-made meals in favor of home-grown food and other healthier alternatives. “People are really busy, they’re on tight budgets, and no one has bothered to teach them how to cook,” Oliver said. More »
- Old Blood Is Bad Blood: Study
  
  USA Today | Mar 20, 08 6:08 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Donated blood may have a much shorter shelf life than previously thought, finds a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine . Transfusions using blood at least two weeks old increased heart-surgery patients' post-operative death risk by 30%, researchers discovered, though the current expiration date for blood is 6 weeks after donation, reports USA Today. More »
- Coke Can Mimic Heart Attack Symptoms
  
  Associated Press | Mar 17, 08 7:56 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Doctors should ask younger patients if their heart attack symptoms are really due to cocaine use, the American Heart Association said today. Coke can cause chest pain similar to a heart attack, it said, but heart medication can be fatal to cocaine users. "Not knowing what you are dealing with and giving the wrong therapies could mean death rather than benefit," said Columbia University Professor James Reiffel. More »
- Taming Gorilla Heart Disease a Beastly Task
  
  Washington Post | Mar 14, 08 2:40 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With heart disease nearly epidemic among America’s captive gorilla population, zookeepers are trying to train the great apes to submit to the human medical procedures that could save their lives. But getting a gorilla to sit still for a blood test is a taxing problem, one the National Zoo is just starting to figure out. The Washington Post pays a visit to the exam room. More »
- Stay Heart Healthy at Work
  
  Forbes | Mar 1, 08 9:50 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Stressing out at work can negate the effects of that heart-healthy oatmeal you had for breakfast, Forbes reports. To avoid being that one of every three Americans with cardiovascular disease, adopt these work-day habits: Drink water instead of cola, coffee, or tea. Take the stairs; walk a few blocks at lunch. Stretch your upper back and neck after sitting for a while. Forget the value meal; keep lunch light. More »
February 2008
- Pfizer Pulls Lipitor Ads After Probe
  
  New York Times | Feb 25, 08 7:55 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Pfizer said today it will drop its ads for cholesterol drug Lipitor due to criticisms of the TV spots, the New York Times reports. US lawmakers recently probed whether the campaign had inflated the credentials of artificial heart developer Dr. Robert Jarvik. "The way in which we presented Dr. Jarvik in these ads has, unfortunately, led to mis-impressions and distractions," said Pfizer president Ian Read. More »
- FDA Delay Cost 22,000 Lives: Doctor
  
  CBS | Feb 15, 08 7:53 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A prominent researcher who revealed widespread fatalities associated with the heart surgery drug Trasylol says 22,000 people died because of the FDA's delay in blowing the whistle