Heart attack survivors living close to highways face higher 10-year death risk (USA)

Living close to a major highway poses a significant risk to heart attack survivors, reinforcing the need to isolate housing developments from heavy traffic areas, a Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center study concludes. Writing in the May 7 edition of Circulation, researchers found heart attack survivors living less than 100 meters or 328 feet from a roadway have a 27 percent higher risk of over within 10 years than survivors living at least 1,000 meters away. That risk recedes to 13 percent for those living between 200 and 1,000-meter or 656 to 3,277-feet from the roadway. "Living close to a highway is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in those with underlying cardiac disease," says Murray Mittleman, MD, DrPH, a physician in the CardioVascular Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of BIDMC's cardiovascular epidemiological research program. "Besides air pollution, exposure to noise could be a possible mechanism underlying this association." The Onset study of 3,547 heart attack survivors in 64 community hospitals and tertiary care medical centers recorded 1,071 deaths over 10 years. Of that total, 63 percent of the patients died of cardiovascular disease, 12 percent died of cancer and 4 percent expired from respiratory disease. Researchers analyzed factors such as personal, clinical and neighborhood-level characteristics such as income and education

Skin cells turned into healthy heart muscle cells

Scientist say they have managed to turn patients' own skin cells into healthy heart muscle in the lab. Ultimately they hope this stem cell therapy could be used to treat heart failure patients. As the transplanted cells are from the individual patient this could avoid the problem of tissue rejection, they told the European Heart Journal. Early tests in animals proved promising but the experimental treatment is still years from being used in people. Experts have increasingly been using stem cells to treat a variety of heart problems and other conditions like diabetes, Parkinsons disease or Alzheimer's. Stem cells are important because they have the ability to become different cell types, and scientists are working on developing ways to get them to repair or regenerate damaged organs or tissues.

Calcium pills pose 'heart risk'

People who take calcium supplements could be increasing their risk of having a heart attack, according to researchers in Germany. Calcium is often taken by older people to strengthen bones and prevent fractures. But the study, published in the journal Heart, said the supplements "should be taken with caution". Experts say promoting a balanced diet including calcium would be a better strategy. The researchers at the German Cancer Research Centre, in Heidelberg, followed 23,980 people for more than a decade. They compared the number of heart attacks in people who were taking calcium supplements with those who did not

2012 Saskatoon Dragon Boat Festival (Canada)

The Heart and Stroke Foundation has announced that they will be organizing this event this summer, as well as remain the charity of choice. The Festival will include a children’s area, a heart healthy food and beverage menu and all day entertainment. This is sure to be a fantastic day of exciting races and family fun. July 27th and 28th 2012

Clopidogrel goes generic (USA)

On May 17, 2012, the FDA approved generic versions of the blood thinning drug clopidogrel (Plavix, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi-Aventis), which helps reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Clopidogrel is FDA approved to treat patients who have had a recent heart attack or a recent stroke, or have partial or total blockage of an artery (peripheral artery disease). The anticipation of this generic approval of this popular drug has led many to question its affect on the antiplatelet drug market. "For people who must manage chronic health conditions, having effective and affordable treatment options is important," said Keith Webber, PhD, deputy director of the Office of Pharmaceutical Science in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "The generic products approved today will expand those options for patients."

Study: Heart damage after chemo linked to stress in cardiac cells

Blocking a protein in the heart that is produced under stressful conditions could be a strategy to prevent cardiac damage that results from chemotherapy, a new study suggests. Previous research has suggested that up to a quarter of patients who receive the common chemotherapy drug doxorubicin are at risk of developing heart failure later in life. Exactly how that heart damage is done remains unclear. In this study, scientists identified a protein called heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1) as a likely source of chemotherapy-related heart damage in mice and cell cultures. Heat shock factor-1 is known to be induced by stress - in this case, the chemotherapy treatment itself. The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition

Stick-on "Zio" patch diagnoses irregular heartbeat in cardiac patients

It may look like a Band-Aid, but the "Zio" cardiac monitor can help emergency-room patients avoid unnecessary follow-ups, according to a new study by Scripps Health. Developed by iRhythmn Technologies, the 2-by-5-inch patch sticks to the skin like an adhesive bandage. Despite their severity, cardiac arrhythmias happen infrequently and are tricky to diagnose. The "Zio", on the other hand, provides continuous recording of up to 14 days - significantly longer than most heart monitors on the market

"Nordic Walking" benefits heart failure patients

Research presented at a conference this week suggests heart failure patients can benefit from "Nordic walking", where people walk with the help of poles as in cross-country skiing. This type of walking, which engages the upper as well as the lower body, is becoming increasingly popular in Europe: it is safe for older patients, especially those over 65, and after a short introductory course, can be practised outdoors without having to go to the gym. The lead author of the study is Andrzej Lejczak, a physiotherapist at the Military Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland. He presented the findings on 21 May, in Belgrade, Serbia, to delegates attending the Heart Failure Congress 2012, the main annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology

Overweight teens: Half have heart risk, CDC says (USA)

Half the nation's overweight teens have unhealthy blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar levels that put them at risk for future heart attacks and other cardiac problems, new federal research says. And an even larger proportion of obese adolescents have such a risk, according to the alarming new numbers. "What this is saying, unfortunately, is that we're losing the battle early with many kids," said Dr. Stephen Daniels, a University of Colorado School of Medicine expert who was not involved in the study. People can keep their risk of heart disease very low if they reach age 45 or 50 at normal weight and with normal blood pressure, normal cholesterol and no diabetes. So these results are not good, he said. The study was released in the journal Pediatrics

Doctors ditching the prescription pad as more than a third of prescriptions now are electronic (USA)

Dropping a paper prescription at the drugstore is becoming old-school: More than a third of the nation's prescriptions now are electronic, according to the latest count. The government has been pushing doctors to e-prescribe, in part because it can be safer for patients. This year, holdouts will start to see cuts in their Medicare payments. Thursday's report from Surescripts, the largest network for paperless prescribing, shows more doctors are signing up fast. At the end of 2011, 36 percent of all prescriptions were electronic - the doctor wrote it by computer and sent it directly to the pharmacy with the push of a button, the report found. That's up from 22 percent of prescriptions that were paperless a year earlier

CARG Newsletter - May 2012

The CARG Newsletter - May 2012 is now available online

Vitamin D may help lower blood pressure

A study showed giving vitamin D supplements in Europe in winter can help lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension, Danish researchers said. Study leader Dr. Thomas Larsen and a group of researchers studied 112 patients visiting the Holstebro Hospital in Denmark -- at the 56th northern latitude, about the same latitude as Glasgow and Moscow. The study participants had initial levels of vitamin D measured, and then were given either vitamin D or a placebo for 20 weeks. At the beginning of the study, 92 of the 112 patients were found to have low levels of vitamin D. The researchers found those patients taking the vitamin D supplement showed a significant reduction in central systolic blood pressure, when compared to the placebo group. There was also a reduction in ambulatory blood pressure -- blood pressure measured at the upper arm, where several measurements are taken during the day -- in those patients who were originally vitamin D deficient, although this reduction was of borderline significance. "Probably the majority of Europeans have vitamin D deficiency, and many of these will also have high blood pressure. What our results suggest is that hypertensive patients can benefit from vitamin D supplementation if they have vitamin D insufficiency," Larsen said in a statement. "Vitamin D would not be a cure for hypertension in these patients, but it may help, especially in the winter months. However, it is important to stress, that this was a small study, and that larger studies are needed to provide solid evidence." The findings were presented at the European Society of Hypertension meeting in London

Urban residents more likely to develop heart disease

People living in urban areas are twice as likely as are their country counterparts to suffer from coronary artery calcification (CAC), a condition that leads to heart disease. CAC is the accumulation of calcium deposits in arteries. Researchers, led by Jess Lambrechtsen, cardiologist at Svendborg Hospital in Denmark, spoke to 1,225 men and women aged 50 to 60 years, including 251 who lived in the centers of major Danish cities. Despite the fact that none of the participants showed any symptoms of heart disease, 43 percent of the total had CAC, the Journal of Internal Medicine reports. The study also found that people who lived in city centers were 80 percent more likely to develop CAC than those living in other areas and that males, older participants, diabetics and smokers also faced higher risks, according to a Svendborg statement

Both too little and too much sleep bad for the heart: study

When it comes to what's best for their hearts, people walk a fine line between getting too much and too little sleep, a new study suggests. Adults who get fewer than six hours or more than eight hours of sleep a night are at greater risk for a variety of heart conditions, according to research led by Dr. Rohit Arora, chairman of cardiology at the Chicago Medical School. Sleeping too little puts people at significantly higher risk of stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure, the researchers found. On the other hand, people who sleep too much have a higher prevalence of chest pain (angina) and coronary artery disease, a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply the heart with blood and oxygen. The findings are scheduled for presentation at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting in Chicago

Cardiac rehab at home 'promising' option (Canada)

As heart patient Mark Lemieux runs on a treadmill at his home, the slap of each sneaker-clad foot marks one more step in his quest to bump up his cardiovascular fitness and keep it there. Lemieux's routine, which also includes lifting weights and resistance training to strengthen muscles, is part of a cardiac rehab program he began last June after he was treated for three partially blocked coronary arteries. What's different about this rehab program is that he can do it in the comfort of his own home, working out at a convenient time, rather than having to take time off work to attend a traditional hospital-based program. "One of the challenges for me in the regular location program was that it didn't really suit my lifestyle and particularly my work style," says Lemieux, 54, a pharmaceutical marketer who lives in Markham, Ont., northeast of Toronto. "It would have been difficult to integrate going into the centre," he says of the cardiac exercise program located at Toronto Rehab, a 50-kilometre round trip from his home