Category: Cardiology

Women with human papillomavirus infection face higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease

Women have a four times higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease if they have an infection with a high-risk strain of the human papillomavirus (HPV), according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1]. HPV is a very common infection and high-risk strains are known to cause cervical cancer. Previous research has suggested […]

Nationwide study suggests link between medical cannabis for chronic pain and abnormal heart rhythm

People taking medical cannabis for chronic pain have a slightly increased risk of arrhythmia, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Arrhythmia is when the heart beats too slowly, too quickly or irregularly. It includes conditions like atrial fibrillation. Recreational use of cannabis has been linked to cardiovascular disease but there has […]

Patients who quit smoking after percutaneous coronary intervention do as well as non-smokers – unless they had smoked heavily

Patients who quit smoking after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for narrowed arteries have similar outcomes as non-smokers during four years of follow-up after the procedure, according to a large study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. However, if they had been heavy, long-term smokers, no improvement was seen. The study of 74,471 patients […]

Treating high risk heart patients with immediate double cholesterol-lowering therapy could save thousands of lives each year

Patients who have suffered a heart attack should immediately be offered a combination of cholesterol lowering drugs with statins and ezetimibe, according to research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association [1]. The study showed that people with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes those who have experienced a heart attack or unstable […]

World’s largest study shows the more you walk, the lower your risk of death, even if you walk fewer than 5,000 steps

The number of steps you should walk every day to start seeing benefits to your health is lower than previously thought, according to the largest analysis to investigate this. The study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology [1], found that walking at least 3867 steps a day started to reduce the risk of […]

Blood biomarkers plus genomics predict common disease risk more accurately than genomic information alone

Glasgow, UK: Being to identify people at high risk of chronic disease means that they can be targeted with prevention measures before they become sick. Polygenic risk scores, where genomic information alone is used to assess the risk of developing diseases, have been receiving a lot of attention recently, but research presented at the annual […]

Plant-based diets are better for your health – as well as for the climate

Vegetarian and vegan diets are linked to lower levels of cholesterol and fats in your blood, according to an analysis of all the evidence from randomised trials published since 1982. The authors of the study, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1], say this means that plant-based diets can play a significant role […]

World first: Researchers identify specific regions of the brain that are damaged by high blood pressure and are involved in a decline in mental processes and dementia

For the first time, researchers have identified specific regions of the brain that are damaged by high blood pressure and may contribute to a decline in mental processes and the development of dementia. High blood pressure is known to be involved in causing dementia and damage to brain function. The study, which is published in […]

Study shows ‘obesity paradox’ does not exist: waist-to-height ratio is a better indicator of outcomes in patients with heart failure than BMI

New research has debunked the idea that there is an “obesity paradox”, whereby patients with heart failure who are overweight or obese are thought to be less likely to end up in hospital or die than people of normal weight. The study, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1], shows that if doctors […]

More cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage if patients already have type 2 diabetes

Barcelona, Spain: A study of 11,945 people in six European countries has shown that people with type 2 diabetes who develop cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease if the condition is one that is not screened for routinely. In a presentation to the 13th European Breast Cancer Conference, Dr Anna Jansana, […]