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Head-to-Head Study Finds Which Diabetes Meds Are Best for the Heart

There are many medications for type 2 diabetes, but one class may stand out for protecting the heart, a new study suggests.

The study, of thousands of U.S. veterans with diabetes, found that those who added drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists to their usual regimen were somewhat less likely to suffer a first-time heart attack or stroke in coming years.

That was in comparison to vet...

Do All Heart Attack Survivors Need Long-Term Beta Blocker Meds?

It's standard for heart attack survivors to take beta blocker medications for years afterward, but a new study suggests that may be unnecessary for people who've had a milder heart attack.

Researchers found that among heart attack survivors whose hearts still had normal pumping ability, there was no added benefit from using beta blockers for more than one year. They were no less lik...

Experimental Pill May Be New Way to Control Cholesterol

Millions of people take daily medication to lower their cholesterol levels and prevent heart attacks, but there hasn't been a drug that targets a dangerous type of cholesterol in the blood known as lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a).

That's why a new study of an investigational drug called olpasiran, which blocks the production of apolipoprotein(a) — a key component of Lp(a) — is generating a l...

All-in-One 'Polypill' Gets Heart Patients Taking Their Meds

In a finding that proves convenience is key when it comes to sticking to a medication regimen, new research shows that combining three heart drugs into one "polypill" slashes the risk of dying from a second heart attack by 33%.

"The results of the SECURE study show that for the first time that the polypill, wh...

Two Meds Better Than One for Many With High Blood Pressure: Study

Nearly half of Americans have high blood pressure and only 24% have it under control, but what's the best way to treat it -- one high-dose pill or two at a lower dose?

A large new study suggests that two medications may be better than one for many older patients. Lowering elevated blood pressure to a sustainable level is important because it reduces a patient's risk of heart attack, strok...

Getting Healthy After Heart Attack Could Add Over 7 Years to Life

Heart attack survivors could gain more than seven healthy years of life if they take the right medications and improve their lifestyle, new research estimates.

Unfortunately, studies have found, heart attack survivors rarely get optimal control over their risk factors.

The new research echoes that evidence: Of more than 3,200 patients, only 2% had their blood pressure, cholesterol a...

Statin's Health Benefits Far Outweigh  Any Potential Harms: Study

The heart benefits of cholesterol-lowering statins in people without heart disease far exceed the risks of any side effects, a new review finds.

Statins are widely prescribed to people with heart disease, and recent guidelines recommend greater preventive use of the drugs even before heart issues are diagnosed. But it hasn't been clear whether the benefits outweigh the risks in people wit...

Two Is Not Better Than One When It Comes to Blood Thinners

It may not be a good idea to take a daily low-dose aspirin if you're also taking a widely used class of blood thinners called direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), researchers caution.

DOACs include drugs such as Eliquis (apixaban), Pradaxa (dabigatran), Lixiana (edoxaban) and Xarelto (rivaroxaban). They're used to help prevent strokes from atrial fibrillation or for the treatment of what's...

Could Widely Used Blood Pressure Meds Raise Skin Cancer Risk?

Most people are familiar with common sun-protection advice, from wearing and reapplying sunscreen to putting on a hat.

But a new Canadian study finds that for people who take certain blood pressure medications, that advice becomes even more critical because those drugs can increase their sensitivity to the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

The researchers reviewed data for nearly...

Beta Blockers Won't Cause Depression, But Might Impair Sleep: Study

Millions of people take a beta blocker regularly, and a new study brings good news: The medications will not raise the risk of depression.

Beta blockers are used to treat conditions such as heart failure, chest pains, high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythm. But it's long been suspected that the drugs may be linked with depression, anxiety, drowsiness, insomnia, hallucinations and n...

Prescription-Strength Fish Oil Won't Help Your Heart -- Or Will It?

Does high-strength fish oil help the heart or doesn't it?

Prior research into a prescription medicine derived from fish called Vascepa, announced earlier this year, suggested it might be of real value for heart patients.

But the results from a trial of another such drug called Epanova, released Sunday, are disappointing: Researchers found no benefit from taking the medicine for a w...

Living Healthy Good for Your Heart, Even if You're on Meds

No matter how many medications you take, eating a healthy diet, not smoking and getting plenty of exercise will help keep you alive, a new study finds.

"We've long known about the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle. The results from our study underscore the importance of each person's ability to improve their health through lifestyle changes even if they are dealing with multiple hea...

No Link Found Between Blood Pressure Meds and Cancer: Study

Blood pressure drugs don't increase the risk of cancer, according to the largest study to examine the issue.

A possible link between blood pressure drugs and cancer has been the subject of debate for decades, but evidence has been inconsistent and conflicting.

For this study, researchers analyzed data from 31 clinical trials of blood pressure drugs that involved 260,000 peop...

Cancer Patients Less Likely to Be Prescribed Heart Meds: Study

Heart disease is on the rise among cancer patients and survivors, but they're less likely than people without cancer to be prescribed medicines to protect their heart, a new study finds.

Heart disease has become a leading cause of long-term preventable death in cancer survivors, according to the study published June 16 as a research letter in the journal JACC: CardioOncology.<...

Major Study Casts Doubt on Routine Use of Stents, Bypass

Folks with clogged arteries do as well with medication and lifestyle changes as they do after undergoing invasive procedures to reopen their blood vessels, a major new clinical trial reports.

Bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty and stenting are no better than drugs, eating right and exercising at reducing the risk of heart attack and death in people with stable ischemic heart disease,...

Common Heart Drugs' Risk With COVID-19 Unproven, Experts Say

Could a blood pressure or diabetes medicine make COVID-19 more severe?

A new theory suggests the coronavirus could be binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors in the lower respiratory tracts. Commonly used drugs like ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are often used to control heart failure and blood pressure. But animal research suggests the...

Medical Groups Say Heart Meds Don't Worsen COVID-19 Symptoms

Two types of heart medications do not make coronavirus infection worse, three major U.S. medical groups say in a new joint statement meant to dispel misinformation about the use of the medications in people with COVID-19.

The American Heart Association (AHA), the Heart Failure Society of America and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommend continuation of angiotensin-...

After Heart Attack, Following Doctor's Orders Greatly Boosts Survival

Heart attack survivors receive a laundry list of tasks from their doctors as they leave the hospital, all aimed at improving their heart health.

It would be understandable to look at the list with a raised eyebrow and ask just how important all of it is.

Vitally important, it turns out.

Heart patients who follow all of their doctor's recommendations have a much low...

Recommended Diuretic Drug Tied to Harmful Side Effects

Patients taking a common diuretic to help lower blood pressure may be better off with a similarly effective but safer one, a new study suggests.

Current guidelines recommend the drug chlorthalidone (Thalitone) as the first-line diuretic. But it can have serious side effects that can be avoided with another diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide (Hydrodiuril), researchers say.

"Diur...

AHA News: Spanish-Speaking Stroke Survivors Face More Obstacles

Stroke survivors who speak Spanish are more likely to have low stroke literacy and a negative perception of their health care, according to a new study that called for breaking down language barriers.

The preliminary study, being presented next Friday at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles, sought to shed new light on the experiences of st...

Common Drugs Might Help Prevent Death From a 'Broken Heart'

When someone close to you dies, grief can literally break your heart, but two common medicines may help prevent a heart attack.

"While almost everyone loses someone they love during their lifetime and grief is a natural reaction, this stressful time can be associated with an increased risk of heart attack," said Dr. Geoffrey Tofler, a professor of preventive cardiology at the Univers...

AHA News: She Put Off Heart Symptoms Until It Was Almost Too Late

When she's not biking, hiking or swimming, Bev Pohlit can probably be found tending to the vegetables growing in her quarter-acre backyard in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania.

"I take advantage of every little square inch," she said. "My vegetables are my morning snacks."

But as Pohlit enjoyed this rather healthy lifestyle, she also had one vice: She smoked precisely seven cig...

Healthy Habits Can Slide After Starting Heart Medications

Some people let healthy habits fall by the wayside after they start medications for high cholesterol or high blood pressure, a new study finds.

Of more than 41,000 middle-aged Finnish adults researchers followed, those who started on cholesterol or blood pressure drugs were more likely to stop exercising or gain weight in the years afterward.

The pattern does not prove that ...

'Yo-Yo' Blood Pressure Numbers in Youth a Bad Sign for Health Later

If your blood pressure numbers swing from low to high and back again in your 20s, that could bode ill for heart health in middle age, new research shows.

In fact, every 4 mm Hg spike in systolic blood pressure -- the top number in a reading -- during young adulthood was tied to a 15% higher risk for heart disease in midlife, the research team found.

Study lead author Dr...

Black Patients May Not Gain Heart Benefit From Low-Dose Aspirin

The daily use of low-dose aspirin against heart disease may have taken another knock.

New research shows that the practice may not provide black Americans with any lowering of their heart attack risk.

Researchers analyzed 11 years of data from more than 65,000 people, ages 40-79, living in the American Southeast. More than two-thirds of the participants were black, and about...

Study Casts Doubt on Use of Common Heart Failure Drugs

Millions of Americans with heart failure take one of the family of beta blocker medications to help ease the condition. But in many cases, could the meds be doing more harm than good?

A new study found that taking beta blockers was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for patients with a certain form of heart failure.

It's commonly called the "stiff heart" su...

Obesity Might Weaken Some Drugs' Effectiveness Against AFib

Millions of Americans have the potentially dangerous irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation.

Now, research suggests that being obese might undercut the effectiveness of certain drugs meant to treat AFib.

The new study followed more than 300 patients listed in the University of Illinois at Chicago's AFib Registry. Researchers found that a class of medicines called s...

Heart Medicines Priced Out of Reach for Many Americans

Many working-age Americans struggle to pay for the heart medications that protect them from heart attack, stroke and heart disease, a new study reports.

About one in eight adults suffering from a high-risk heart problem say financial strain has caused them to skip taking their meds, delay filling a prescription, or take a lower dose than prescribed, the researchers said.

Tho...

Recalls of Blood Pressure Med Took Toll on Patients' Health

Emergency room visits for high blood pressure surged following last year's recall of the popular heart drug valsartan, Canadian researchers report.

Within the first month of the recall, there was a 55% increase of people coming to Ontario-area emergency departments complaining of high blood pressure, said lead researcher Cynthia Jackevicius. She is a senior scientist with the Inst...

Study Casts Doubt on Angioplasty, Bypass for Many Heart Patients

Bypass operations, angioplasty and the placement of artery-opening stents: For decades, millions of Americans have undergone these expensive, invasive procedures to help treat clogged vessels.

However, the results of a large and long-awaited clinical trial suggests that, in most cases, these procedures may not have provided any benefit over medications and lifestyle changes.

<...

Cheap, Older Gout Drug Could Be a Lifesaver After Heart Attack

A cheap drug that's been around for centuries as a gout treatment might also shield heart attack survivors from future heart crises, new trial results show.

The drug, colchicine, is derived from a plant called the autumn crocus, researchers explained Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, in Philadelphia.

In the new trial, colchicine reduced by as ...

Too Few Heart Patients Getting Good Results From Medicines Alone

A rigorous, new international study finds that, despite doctors' best efforts, many heart patients given standard drugs aren't meeting goals to lower their cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

The study involved nearly 4,000 patients, averaging 64 years of age, treated at centers around the world.

The researchers found that, one year into treatment, nearly half (48%) o...

Smartphone App Gets Heart Patients to Follow Their Rx

Forget doctor's instructions: New research shows a smartphone app is the best way to get heart patients to remember to take their medicines.

Heart attack survivors are typically prescribed medications to prevent another attack, but one in four stop taking at least one drug within 30 days after leaving the hospital. That increases the chance of re-hospitalization and premature death.<...

Certain Blood Pressure Meds Tied to Suicide Risk in Study

A common type of blood pressure medication might be associated with an increased risk of suicide, a new study suggests.

People taking angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) appear to be more likely to die by suicide, compared to those who take another type of blood pressure drug called ACE inhibitors, researchers found.

Patients using ARBs had a 63% increased risk of deat...

Just One Pill for All Your Heart Health Needs? It's On the Way

Imagine a single pill loaded with a battery of heart medications that you take once a day to cut your chances of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.

A new clinical trial has turned that idea into reality.

The "polypill" reduced the risk of life-threatening heart health problems by more than one-third during a five-year period in a group of more than 3,400 people aged 50 ...

How Does Meth Trigger Heart Disease? New Research Offers Clues

Autopsies have uncovered new insight into how the illegal drug methamphetamine harms the heart.

Preliminary findings presented Thursday at an American Heart Association meeting, in Boston, suggest that meth triggers a buildup of tough protein fibers known as collagen in the heart muscle.

Previous autopsy studies have noted injury to heart cells, scarring and enlargement of ...

Common Blood Pressure Med Might Help Fight Alzheimer's

Treatment with blood pressure medication can improve blood flow to a key brain region in people with Alzheimer's disease, a small clinical trial has found.

Researchers stressed that they do not know whether the brain finding can translate into any benefits for patients. But future studies should look into that possibility, they said.

The findings, published June 17 in the jo...

Study Refutes Notion That People on Warfarin Shouldn't Eat Leafy Greens

Spinach-loving seniors, rejoice. A new study suggests that -- despite doctor warnings to the contrary -- you can eat leafy greens rich in vitamin K if you are taking the blood thinner warfarin.

In fact, "I think all warfarin-treated patients would benefit from increasing their daily vitamin K intake," said lead author Guylaine Ferland. She's a professor of nutrition at University of ...

AHA News: Torn Heart Artery Put Young Mom on Verge of Death

As Jara Herron walked down her hallway to feed her 10-day-old baby, she didn't feel right. She was nauseous. Her chest felt like elephants were sitting on it. Then Herron tried to pick up her baby and couldn't. Her right arm went numb and she could barely breathe.

Her husband dialed 911.

When paramedics arrived, they told Herron's husband she was having some sort of "heart...

Heart Patients Pay the Price When Nearby Pharmacy Closes

When a neighborhood pharmacy shuts down, it could have dire repercussions for heart patients living nearby, new research suggests.

That's because such closures could mean patients skip or stop taking the prescriptions they need to stay healthy and safe, according to a team from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

"These findings provide strong evidence that pharmacy closu...

Experimental Blood Thinner May Help Prevent Stroke, Without the Bleeding Risk

Researchers say an experimental stroke drug prevented blood clots without the typical side effect of blood thinners: increased bleeding risk.

Bleeding is a common and potentially dangerous side effect of current anti-clotting drugs used to treat stroke patients. But the new findings suggest that the antiplatelet drug, called ACT017, may be a safe and effective alternative to current t...

Mick Jagger in Recovery After Heart Valve Procedure

Giving millions of fans some "Satisfaction," Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is recovering and in good health after undergoing a heart valve procedure in New York City on Thursday.

Jagger is being monitored for any complications that could occur, such as excess bleeding, sources told Billboard.

The 75-year-old rocker underwent a minimally invasive procedure ca...

Bad Info May Be Scaring Patients Away From Heart-Healthy Statins

More than a quarter of people who could benefit from taking statins don't, and a new survey suggests that while not enough doctors are prescribing the cholesterol-lowering drugs, fears about side effects also play a part.

"There is so much misinformation about statins in the media that it's clearly permeated and now is affecting people's ability to take these medications and improve t...

Docs Back Away From Low-Dose Aspirin for Heart Attack Prevention

Millions of aging Americans worried about heart attacks and strokes have for years popped a low-dose aspirin each day, thinking the blood thinner might lower their risk.

But new guidelines issued Sunday by two cardiology groups say that, for most adults, the practice may no longer be warranted.

The new heart health guidelines were issued jointly by the American College of Ca...

Prescription Fish Oil Pill Lowers Heart Attack Risk in Those Already on Statins

MONDAY, March 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who have high triglycerides and take cholesterol-lowering statins to lower their risk for heart attack or stroke can cut that risk by another 30 percent by adding a high-dose omega-3 fatty acid pill, investigators report.

The prescription drug, called Vascepa, is not to be confused with over-the-counter dietary omega-3 (often...

Despite Big Heart Benefits, Far Too Many Skip Statins

People who've already had a heart attack or stroke can cut their odds for another one in half if they regularly take cholesterol-lowering statins.

Yet new research found that only about 6 percent of patients take these drugs as prescribed by their doctor.

"Very few patients were optimally compliant. We found that the less compliant you were, the worse you did," said the stu...

Heart Care Guidelines Rarely Backed by Top-Notch Science

Precious few treatment guidelines for heart patients are supported by the best scientific evidence, a new study shows.

Less than one in 10 recommendations are based on results from multiple randomized controlled trials (considered the "gold standard"), and that percentage has actually dropped in the past decade, the researchers reported.

For the study, the investigators anal...

Making Sense of the Recent Blood Pressure Drug Recalls

People taking blood pressure medications have faced a frightening and bewildering series of pharmaceutical recalls in recent months, as trace amounts of cancer-causing chemicals have been discovered in individual batches of drugs.

But experts from the nation's leading heart groups are urging patients to remain calm, even as the recall list continues to grow.

The trace amoun...

Meds for Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Help the Heart -- But Maybe Not the Mind

While effective at cutting heart risks, blood pressure and cholesterol drugs may not help preserve seniors' brain health, new research finds.

That conclusion came from the tracking of more than 1,600 men and women in 21 countries.

Over an average span of nearly six years, all of the seniors took different combinations of drugs to lower blood pressure and/or statins to contr...

Opioids May Signal Poorer Outcomes for Heart Patients: Study

Heart patients prescribed opioid painkillers when they leave the hospital may be less likely to get follow-up care and slightly more likely to die, a new study finds.

It included nearly 2,500 patients discharged from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., after treatment for heart attack, sudden heart failure or both between October 2011 and December 2015.