Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition caused by the weakening of the heart muscle, affecting the ventricles (chambers in the heart that push blood around the body as it contracts). If allowed to progress unchecked, DCM can lead to heart failure and death, especially in children. The only cure, at…
Touchless respiratory and heart rate measurement for COVID-19 health screening
A new way to measure respiratory rate, heart rate and heart rate variability has recently been developed in a collaboration led by the University of Michigan. Together with body temperature, these important indicators could identify a respiratory infection early—before a worker or student feels ill. The technology, which was recently…
Many Older Americans With Heart Failure Take 10 or More Meds
TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2020 — When older people hospitalized for heart failure are sent home, they are often given a whopping 10 medications to take for a variety of conditions. But is this “polypharmacy” practice necessary, or does it just place a bigger burden on already frail patients? It’s not…
Pregnancy complications linked to heightened risk of heart disease and stroke in later life
Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, diabetes in pregnancy (gestational diabetes) and pre-term birth are linked to a heightened risk of heart disease in later life, suggests an overarching (umbrella) analysis of data published by The BMJ today. Several other factors related to fertility and pregnancy also seem to be…
Preeclampsia may double a woman’s chances for later heart failure
Pregnant women with preeclampsia are far more likely to develop heart failure later in life than those who don’t have blood pressure-related pregnancy complications, especially if it occurs during more than one pregnancy, new research finds. The study of more than half a million Norwegian women, published Monday in American…
How pregnant woman’s high blood pressure can change shape of baby’s heart
Mothers who have high blood pressure are more likely to have babies with slightly different-shaped hearts, a finding that could impact future cardiovascular care for those women and their children, according to a new study. The research, published Thursday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, adds a new…
Is COVID-19 causing more people to suffer heart attacks at home?
(HealthDay)—As U.S. hospitals deal with a continuing influx of COVID-19 patients, cardiologists are sounding an alarm: People may be ignoring heart attack symptoms in fear of going to the ER. Since the coronavirus first hit the United States, doctors at a number of hospitals have noticed a pattern. Fewer patients…
COVID-19: Heart and kidney patients should keep taking their medicines
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, inaccurate medical information has flooded social media and other channels. One potentially lethal example is that patients who take renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers, particularly angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs), may be more susceptible to the virus. However, in an article published in the…
Can you help fix Samsung the kitten's broken heart?
Can you help heal Samsung the kitten’s broken heart? The RSPCA is raising funds for life-saving surgery for Samsung, a 17-week-old kitten with a serious heart condition. A routine vet check found that Samsung has a high-grade heart murmur, which turned out to be Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), a heart…
Just half a spoon of olive oil a day cuts heart attack risk by a FIFTH
Consuming half a tablespoon of olive oil a day cuts heart attack risk by a FIFTH, research shows Harvard researchers studied the health of nearly 100,000 people over 24 years They found that higher olive oil consumption was beneficial to heart health Tablespoon per day meant a 15 per cent lower…
Wearable Sensor Data Predict Heart Failure Rehospitalization
TUESDAY, Feb. 25, 2020 — For patients discharged from heart failure admission, analysis of physiological telemetry data from a wearable sensor can detect worsening heart failure and predict impending rehospitalization, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in Circulation: Heart Failure. Josef Stehlik, M.D., M.P.H., from the VA Salt…