Tag: heart

Obesity: A ‘Double Hit’ in Pregnant Women With Heart Disease

Being obese and pregnant raises the risk for cardiac complications in women with preexisting heart disease, new research suggests, highlighting the need for earlier interventions in this high-risk population.    The analysis of 790 pregnancies revealed that 23% of women with obesity, defined as body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2, had a cardiac event

Medications for enlarged prostate linked to heart failure risk

Widely used medications for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)—also known as enlarged prostate—may be associated with a small, but significant increase in the probability of developing heart failure, suggests a study in The Journal of Urology, Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The risk is highest in men taking a type of BPH medication

Female heart disease patients with female physicians fare better

Female physicians have better patient outcomes compared with their male peers, while female patients are less likely to receive guideline-recommended care when treated by a male physician, according to a systematic review from the American College of Cardiology’s Cardiovascular Disease in Women section published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. While

Obesity and Urinary Incontinence

Obesity and urinary incontinence are both common disorders. The prevalence of obesity is on the rise worldwide with a 6% increase per year in the United States. Obesity Over half of American women are overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9 kg/m2) or obese (BMI 30 kg/m2 or greater). Obesity is associated with several health conditions including

What is Takayasu Arteritis?

Takayasu'sarteritis (TAK) is a rare condition characterized by a cascade of inflammatory processes. TAK involves vasculitis or inflammation of blood vessels such as the aorta and its major branches. Inflammation of these blood vessels leads to thickening of the walls of the vessels, which, in turn, causes stenosis and ultimately ischemia of the body parts

Why Do Older Women Lose their Libido (and How to Get it Back)?

Skip to: Why do Older Women Have a Reduced Libido? Is Reduced Libido a Matter of Concern? How to Regain Sexual Desire? Concept of low libido. Image Credit: Pavlovska Yevheniia / Shutterstock Elderly women generally have a lower sexual desire or libido because of age-related physiological, psychological, and social transition. Although libido reduces gradually with

Positive Effects of Exercise on the Brain

Exercise can promote good heart and lung health, and strengthen just about every aspect of the body — keeping joints working for longer, strengthening bones and reducing the risk of serious health issues like heart disease and strokes. Physical activity can have a positive effect on mental health, as well, boosting mood and positive thoughts.

What are Decellularized Myocardial Matrix Hydrogels?

Several decellularized materials have recently been synthesized that have previously demonstrated significant potential in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, therefore improving the understanding of cardiac muscle growth. Image Credits: Jose Luis Calvo / Shutterstock.com Out of these new biomaterials, decellularized myocardial matrix hydrogels have recently shown great potential for synthesizing cellular microenvironments that are representative

What is Hyperglycemia?

Skip to: What is hyperglycemia? What causes hyperglycemia? What are the symptoms? How to prevent hyperglycemia? Hyperglycemia is a medical condition characterized by high blood glucose levels. The condition is primarily caused by significantly lower blood insulin levels or improper functioning of insulin. What is hyperglycemia? Hyperglycemia is characterized by fasting and 2-hour postprandial blood

Minorities benefit less from regionalizing heart attack care

California’s Black and Hispanic communities may be falling further behind whites in the quality of care they receive for heart attacks, despite recent medical efforts aimed at improving the standards of care for these populations, according to a new study led by researchers at UC San Francisco. In response to ongoing health disparities, emergency management

Serious disparities in care and outcomes found among Black and non-white heart patients

Adults from underrepresented racial groups who have acute heart blockages and cardiac arrests received fewer early interventions, had longer hospital stays and higher death rates than their white counterparts, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Science Symposium 2020. Researchers set out to investigate whether health inequities exist for

More green spaces can help boost air quality, reduce heart disease deaths

Green spaces—trees, shrubs and grasses—can improve air quality and may lower heart disease deaths, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2020. “We found that both increased greenness and increased air quality were associated with fewer deaths from heart disease,” said William Aitken, M.D., a cardiology fellow with

Statins’ unique effectiveness in preventing heart disease

Statins, a class of drugs that lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood by reducing the production of cholesterol by the liver, are the first line of defense in preventing and treating cardiovascular disease. Statins appear to be more effective than other drugs targeting cholesterol at preventing death and possibly are more effective in