Heart Beat: Softening the blow
Heart Beat
Softening the blow
Sometimes the first sign of cardiovascular disease is a heart attack or stroke from out of the blue. Other times the first sign — the onset of angina, a TIA, or a minor stroke — is gentler, more like a wake-up call than a potentially deadly event. Medications that improve artery flexibility, prevent clots, act as antioxidants, and ease the heart's workload may explain why some people start out with one rather than the other.
Two studies compared people whose first inkling of cardiovascular disease was a major problem with those whose disease had a less severe onset. One big difference was that those who had been taking some combination of aspirin, an ACE inhibitor, a statin, and a beta blocker were more likely to have started out with angina or a milder stroke. Those not taking artery-protecting medications were more likely to have started their heart disease experience with a heart attack or more severe stroke.
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