Younger doctors more likely to prescribe heart drugs, says study (Italy)

Italian researchers suggest that younger doctors are more likely to prescribe drugs for heart related conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes while older doctors are more likely to suggest their patients make lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and eating more healthily

Long-term secondary prevention program may help reduce cardiovascular risks after heart attack

"An intensive, comprehensive, long-term secondary prevention program lasting up to three years after cardiac rehabilitation appears to reduce the risk of a second non-fatal heart attack and other cardiovascular events, according to a new article. Cardiac rehabilitation programs after a heart disease diagnosis have evolved over two decades from solely exercise-based interventions, according to background information in the article. Now, rehabilitation includes helping patients with smoking cessation, diet, risk factors, and lifestyle habits. However, current rehabilitation procedures rely on short-term interventions that are unlikely to yield long-term benefits because patients never reach therapeutic goals. Pantaleo Giannuzzi, M.D., of the Associazione Nazionale Medici Cardiologi Ospedalieri Research Center, Florence, Italy, and colleagues conducted the Global Secondary Prevention Strategies to Limit Event Recurrence After Myocardial Infarction (GOSPEL) study, in which they randomly assigned 1,620 patients who had a heart attack to receive a long-term, reinforced, multifactorial educational and behavioral intervention after a standard period of rehabilitation" - ScienceDaily

19th European Meeting on Hypertension

The 19th European Meeting on Hypertension and its Satellite Symposia will be held in Milan, Italy, 12-16 June, 2009

Mediterranean Cardiology Meeting 2009

The Mediterranean Cardiology Meeting 2009 will be held 26-28 April 2009 in Taormina, Italy. The theme is "Patient Care & Monitoring in Cardiology"

Dark chocolate: half a bar per week may keep heart attack risk at bay

"6.7 grams of chocolate per day represent the ideal amount for a protective effect against inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular disease. A new effect, demonstrated for the first time in a population study by the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University in Campobasso, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of Milan. The findings, published in the last issue of the Journal of Nutrition, official journal of the American Society of Nutrition, come from one of the largest epidemiological studies ever conducted in Europe, the Moli-sani Project, which has enrolled 20,000 inhabitants of the Molise region so far..." - ScienceDaily

Migraines linked to vein blood clots

Migraine sufferers appear to be at increased risk for stroke, and now a new study may help explain why. The study included 574 Italians age 55 and older, including 111 people with a history of migraines followed for five years. The study appears in the September 16 issue of the journal Neurology

Italian doctors study heart disease on Mount Everest

An Italian expedition will set up camp on Mount Everest later this month to collect scientific data on how lack of oxygen affects cardiovascular disease. The Highcare project involves a group of 46 doctors, bio-engineers and mountain climbers and includes a group of volunteers ready to face the rigours of Mount Everest