Articles related to Cardiology, Interventional

There haven’t been any national guidelines developed for managing patients with stage 1 hypertension who don’t respond to lifestyle modification. This population represents an important guideline gap: most patients with stage 1 hypertension progress to stage 2 hypertension, which increases the risk for cardiovascular events. The AHA has published a scientific statement to fill the gap – if lifestyle modification fails to reduce blood pressure, consider pharmacotherapy.

The lipid metabolism plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. However, little has been known about the molecular relationships. But now, a set of lipids have been statistically associated with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

CVD is the leading cause of death in the US, accounting for more than one in four deaths. Following a systematic review, the US Preventive Services Task Force has provided an update on the effectiveness of aspirin to reduce the risk of CVD events.

A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine looked at the association between cardiovascular outcomes and the coprescription of nitrates with PDE5 inhibitors in more than 42,000 men over a 10-year period. Two composite outcomes were measured: 1) cardiac arrest, shock, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or acute coronary arteriography; and 2) syncope, angina pectoris, or drug-related adverse event. The authors found no statistically significant increase in measured cardiovascular AEs.

Drinking beer and spirits is linked to elevated levels of visceral fat, which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and other health complications. Moderate wine consumption shows no such association with levels of this harmful fat and may even protect against it.

Walking exercises have been found to improve outcomes for people suffering from peripheral artery disease (PAD). Specifically, among adults with PAD and intermittent claudication, a home-based, walking exercise behavior change intervention, compared with usual care, resulted in improved walking distance at three months. However, authors of the JAMA study concluded that further research is needed to determine the durability of these findings.