Articles related to Cardiology

An 18-year-old man comes to you for a sports physical. He is asymptomatic, with no limitation in his exercise capacity. He has a history of exercise-induced bronchospasm for which he takes a budesonide-formoterol inhaler. He does not smoke, drink alcohol, or use any drugs. There is no family history of cardiac disease or sudden death. What’s the next appropriate test?

A quartet of current clinical trials involving first-in-class molecules and CRISPR gene editing show great promise. STELLAR investigates a fusion protein in PAH, CodeBreak 200 studies a first-in-class of KRAS inhibitor, EMERGENT-2 focuses on a new treatment for schizophrenia, and NCT04601051 studies a gene editing drug for one form of amyloidosis.

Despite having anti-psychotic, anxiolytic, sedative, and hypnotic properties, quetiapine is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular death and sudden cardiac death when used in conventional doses. For the first time, the current investigation demonstrated that quetiapine taken off-label and in modest doses raises the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), stroke, and cardiovascular death.

A UK study reports that a history of irregular menstrual cycle was associated with higher risk for afib in women. A finding from the Vitamin D and Omega 3 Trial (VITAL) Rhythm Study reveals that when controlled for height and body size, women are at higher risk than men for afib, suggesting that biological sex and body size account for much of the protective effect of female sex. And as separately reported, early rhythm control is associated with lower risk for CV events as compared to usual care.

Exploring the Korean National Health Insurance claims database revealed that rhythm control via ablation or drugs, initiated within 1 year of diagnosis of AF, was associated with lower risk for cardiovascular events. This held true for both low risk and higher risk patients. The study analyzed data on more than 35,000 patients with a median age of 70.

In a prospective study following the diet and activity records of more than 100,000 individuals in France, artificial sweeteners were positively correlated with cardiovascular diseases. Analyzing 900,000 person-years of data showed: Total artificial sweetener intake was associated with CVD risk Artificial sweeteners were more strongly associated with cerebrovascular disease Aspartame was associated with increase cerebrovascular events Acesulfame K and sucralose were associated with increased coronary heart disease risk