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...
July 25th 2024
Personalized text messages can boost physical activity in cardiac rehab patients, especially in early stages, but effectiveness varies by time and device, study finds.
Elevating Care for PAH: Applying Recommended Management Approaches to Maximize Outcomes
View More
‘REEL’ Time Patient Counseling™: Navigating the Complex Journey of Diagnosing and Managing Fabry Disease
View More
Expert Illustrations & Commentaries™: Envisioning Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Managing ANCA-associated Vasculitis
View More
Atrial fibrillation, antiarrhythmic drugs, and maintaining sinus rhythm
Lafuente-Lafuente and colleagues performed a meta-analysis of 44 studies of 11 322 patients in randomized controlled trials of persons with atrial fibrillation who received antiarrhythmic drugs after restoration of sinus rhythm.
Early statin therapy in acute coronary syndrome
September 17th 2008Patients who survive an acute coronary syndrome are at much higher risk of a recurrent event within the following month than patients with stable coronary syndromes. Statin therapy lowers the risk of recurrent events for many years but also reduces the risk of another event within the weeks to months following the initial acute coronary syndrome. The mechanisms that contribute to this benefit are likely related to improved endothelial function, decreased vascular inflammation, and reduced prothrombotic factors. Observation studies show an early reduction in mortality with statin therapy started before discharge from the hospital after an acute coronary syndrome.
Dangers of aggressively lowering blood pressure in coronary artery disease
September 17th 2008We assessed whether there is a paradoxical increase in cardiovascular events with lower blood pressure values among patients with hypertension and coronary artery disease (CAD) who were enrolled in the International Verapamil-Trandolapril Study (INVEST). The relationship between systolic and diastolic pressure and the risk of primary outcome followed a J-curve pattern, with the relationship being relatively weak for systolic pressure but more significant for diastolic pressure. Our data indicate that excessive lowering of diastolic pressure in hypertensive patients with CAD should be avoided.
What does the J-shaped curve spell out when lowering blood pressure?
The manuscript by Messerli and colleagues, entitled "Dangers of aggressively lowering blood pressure in coronary artery disease," raises a controversial issue with important clinical implications—the J-shaped curve.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have been shown to be beneficial in the management of multiple cardiovascular disease states.
Prevalent atherosclerosis-Choose your biomarker
Circulating biomarkers have been used in cardiovascular medicine as predictors of incident or prevalent disease.
Nonischemic cardiomyopathy and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
September 11th 2008We assessed whether duration of nonischemic cardiomyopathy was related to the degree of benefit from implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) insertion. Subjects who had a recent diagnosis of nonischemic cardiomyopathy had at least a similar benefit from ICD insertion as did those with a remote diagnosis. These results indicate that ICD therapy should be considered in such patients as soon as they are diagnosed and once reversible causes of left ventricular dysfunction have been excluded.
Nonischemic cardiomyopathy and implantable defibrillators: Timing is everything
September 11th 2008This review presents a substudy analysis of the Defibrillators in Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy Treatment Evaluation (DEFINITE) trial, which examined the role of prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy.
C-reactive protein and hypertension
September 11th 2008We assessed whether C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations predicted future risk of hypertension in a cohort of young adults. Results showed that CRP levels do not independently predict risk of incident hypertension after accounting for body mass index. Further research is needed in the area of inflammation and hypertension, with a special focus on the effect of obesity and age-related changes on this process.
Relationship between insulin use and development of hypertension
September 11th 2008This study evaluated whether exogenous insulin use to control blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes was associated with the development of hypertension by analyzing data obtained from a large national sample in Taiwan. Exogenous insulin use was shown to be a significant risk factor for hypertension development.