Harvard Heart Letter: March 2008

Several medications commonly prescribed to heart patients can cause adverse reactions, even when taken as directed. Therefore caution should be used and any unusual symptoms or side effects should be reported to a doctor right away.

An electrocardiogram test is an important tool in diagnosing heart disease. Doctors can analyze the information to evaluate a patient's condition and identify problems.

Estrogen is beneficial for controlling symptoms of menopause, but its benefits for younger women seem to become risks for older women, so it should not be taken to prevent heart disease.

Lower levels of testosterone may correlate with a higher risk of heart disease, but taking a testosterone supplement may also increase the risk of prostate cancer and reduce beneficial HDL cholesterol.

Changing one's dietary and exercise habits is beneficial to overall health, regardless of age.

Death rates from heart disease had been declining since the 1960s, but recently they have leveled off in men and increased very slightly in women, probably due to increases in obesity and diabetes.

A patent foramen ovale is a small hole in the heart which usually closes soon after birth, but if it does not, it may be a cause of stroke later in life.

Plant sterols have been shown to reduce cholesterol, so a company is manufacturing tortilla chips with sterols added.

According to an Italian study, heart attack survivors can safely drink a cup or two of coffee a day without increased risk for additional heart disease.

A seed related to those used in Chia Pets is a good source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants, but the same benefits can be obtained from eating whole-grain food products.

Certain medications used to treat anemia may increase the risk of heart attack, while the FDA concluded that the heartburn drugs Prilosec and Nexium are not harmful to the heart.

People with high blood pressure who regularly monitor their blood pressure at home seem more likely to lower their pressure over time than those who only have it checked at a doctor's office.

I am 85. I had an angioplasty with a stent and I'm on aspirin and Plavix. Now I have atrial fibrillation, and my doctor wants me to take Coumadin. Is this dangerous? Should I stop taking aspirin and Plavix? Or could I just take them without the Coumadin?

My father recently had a pacemaker installed. Now, almost every time he stands up or gets out of bed, he feels dizzy. Is this a common side effect of getting a pacemaker, something he needs to get used to? Is there anything he can do about it?

Most people with diabetes eventually develop some form of heart disease, but this is not inevitable. Focusing on improving health through diet, exercise, weight loss, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol can help prevent heart disease.