Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib, is a condition in which the heart beats chaotically and rapidly. As many as 6 million people in the United States and 9% of those over the age of 65 have the condition. To help prevent a stroke—a common and serious risk associated with AFib—patients…
Human health may be at risk from long-term exposure to air pollution below current air quality standards and guidelines
Long-term exposure to air pollution appears to still be linked to higher mortality despite the existence of air quality standards that restrict levels of pollution, suggests a study published online in The BMJ today. Researchers found evidence of higher death rates amongst people who had been exposed to more air…
Study IDs risk factors for irregular heartbeats in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients
New research will help doctors identify, treat and prevent potentially dangerous irregular heartbeats in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common heart condition in which the heart thickens and strains to pump blood. These chaotic heart rhythms are known as atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation can be asymptomatic, but it can lead…
The underestimated risk of mitral regurgitation
Mitral regurgitation is a disease in which the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle starts to leak, so that blood refluxes with each heartbeat. Typical symptoms of mitral regurgitation are increasing fatigue, increased shortness of breath on physical exertion and water retention in the lungs and legs. Mitral…
Genetic risk of heart disease may be due to low Omega 3-linked biomarker
People who are genetically more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases may benefit from boosting a biomarker found in fish oils, a new study suggests. In a genetic study in 1,886 Asian Indians published in PLOS ONE today, scientists have identified the first evidence for the role of adiponectin, an…
Rare clot risk linked to Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine should be explained to younger women, CDC says
FOX News polling shows 22% of respondents don’t plan on getting vaccinated FOX News medical contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat joins ‘Fox Report’ to discuss vaccine hesitancy amongst Americans Patients should be informed of a rare but serious clotting risk following vaccination with Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 jab, especially women…
Risk of rare blood clotting much higher in COVID-19 than for vaccines
Researchers at the University of Oxford have today reported that the risk of the rare blood clotting known as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) following COVID-19 infection is around 100 times greater than normal, several times higher than it is post-vaccination or following influenza. The study authors, led by Professor Paul…
Research to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in hazardous occupations
A team from the Skoltech-based NTI Center of Excellence (CoE) has succeeded in making blood pressure measurements more accurate by using standard wearable heart rate monitor data. The researchers developed novel algorithms based on ML technologies and deep neural networks that hold much promise for compact continuous health monitoring devices…
Association found between consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks and colorectal cancer risk
Consumption of ultra-processed foods and drink could increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer. This was the conclusion of a large study undertaken by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a center supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation, based on questionnaires about food behaviors completed by around 8,000 people…
AstraZeneca says vaccine 80% effective for elderly, no blood clot risk
AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine is 80 percent effective at preventing the disease in the elderly and does not increase the risk of blood clots, the biotech firm said Monday, following its US phase III efficiency trials. It was 79 percent effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 in the overall population and 100…
Researchers develop guidelines for reporting polygenic risk scores
Scientists and healthcare providers are beginning to use a new approach for assessing a person’s inherited risk for diseases like Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and breast cancer, which involves calculating a polygenic risk score. The score provides an estimate of an individual’s risk for specific diseases, based on…