The HCPLive Cardiology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for heart disease and cardiovascular events, as well as associated diabetes, renal failure, and more...
May 15th 2024
A post hoc analysis from FIDELITY shows finerenone could significantly reduce eGFR slopes among patients at risk of worsening CKD due to a heart failure hospitalization.
Elevating Care for PAH: Applying Recommended Management Approaches to Maximize Outcomes
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‘REEL’ Time Patient Counseling™: Navigating the Complex Journey of Diagnosing and Managing Fabry Disease
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Expert Illustrations & Commentaries™: Envisioning Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Managing ANCA-associated Vasculitis
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Nonfasting triglycerides and ischemic heart disease in men and women
Triglyceride levels are usually measured after the patient has fasted, and then exclude remnant lipoproteins. Except for the first few hours of the morning, individuals are usually in a nonfasting state for most of the day. We investigated whether nonfasting triglyceride levels predicted the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic heart disease, and death in the general population. Results showed that increased nonfasting triglyceride levels were associated with an increased risk of MI, ischemic heart disease, and death.
Serial biomarker measurements in chronic heart failure
September 5th 2008Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) have been used to estimate prognosis in heart failure. However, most studies have evaluated decompensated patients using single measurements. To determine the value of serial measurements, we evaluated 190 stable chronic heart failure patients every 3 months during 2 years.
Biomarkers in heart failure: Work in progress
Assessing prognosis in heart failure poses a challenge in clinical practice.
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease among middle-aged women due to glycemic load
We conducted a study among 15 714 Dutch middle-aged women consuming modest-glycemic-load diets. Results showed that high dietary glycemic load and glycemic index increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. This association was particularly evident among overweight women. Recommendations to follow a high-carbohydrate diet may therefore not be optimal in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Intracranial hemorrhage in atrial fibrillation: Is there a racial/ethnic difference?
September 5th 2008We evaluated a multiethnic cohort of subjects with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation hospitalized over a 6-year period to determine the racial and ethnic differences in the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and the effect of warfarin treatment on ICH risk. Treatment with warfarin was associated with a 2-fold greater risk of ICH in whites, a 4- to 5-fold greater risk in both blacks and Hispanics, and a 15-fold greater risk in Asians. After adjusting for established stroke risk factors and warfarin use, Asians were 4 times as likely as whites to have ICH, whereas blacks and Hispanics were twice as likely.
Cholesterol-lowering therapies and C-reactive protein
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol-lowering therapy decreases C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, but the importance of LDL cholesterol-independent effects is uncertain because of the variability in measuring LDL cholesterol and CRP levels in any individual patient. In this study, this variability was reduced by comparing average changes in LDL cholesterol and CRP levels after treatment with lipid-lowering therapy across different studies.
Cholesterol, statins, and inflammation: Cause and effect
Extrapolating experimental findings to humans requires one to remember 2 basic dictums: (1) drugs do a lot of stuff; and (2) animal and in vitro findings are often wrong.
Community-acquired MRSA pericarditis
September 5th 2008Only 2 cases of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) pericarditis have been reported in the English literature. Over the last 15 years, CA-MRSA has emerged as an increasingly common pathogen that is genetically and epidemiologically different from hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA).
Impaired coronary blood flow reserve in prehypertension and function
September 5th 2008Despite the fact that prehypertension has been shown to be associated with atherosclerosis and target-organ damage, no studies evaluating coronary flow reserve (CFR) among prehypertensive patients have been done. We assessed CFR in normotensive subjects, in subjects with prehypertension, and in newly diagnosed and never-treated subjects with established hypertension. We found that CFR was decreased in prehypertensive subjects, although not as significantly as in subjects with hypertension.
Improved noninvasive assessment of coronary artery bypass grafts in an unselected patient population
In their study, Meyer and colleagues investigated the accuracy of multislice computed tomography (MSCT) in the assessment of bypass grafts following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.