If you're over 65, be sure to follow the latest pneumonia vaccine guidelines.

Each year, about a million people in the United States end up in the hospital with pneumonia, a serious lung infection that can be caused by an array of different viruses, bacteria, and even fungi. New research suggests that older people hospitalized with pneumonia face four times their usual risk of a having a heart attack or stroke or dying of heart disease in the month following the illness.

If you have high blood pressure, there may be better alternatives.

Known as non-obstructive coronary artery disease, this condition can trigger heart attacks down the road.

You just had a cardiac stress test and you passed with flying colors. Does that mean you are free of heart attack risk? Not necessarily, says Dr. Ron Blankstein, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and preventive cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

A week or so after having a heart attack, if you can take a brisk walk without any heart-related symptoms, it's fine to have sex. So say the guidelines from the American Heart Association. But most doctors don't share this advice with their patients, according to a study in the December 2014 Circulation.

The study included more than 2,300 women and 1,100 men between the ages of 18 and 55. Just 12% of women and 19% of the men reported receiving any counseling about sexual activity within a month of their heart attacks. Those who did get advice were often given restrictions (such as to limit sex or to take a more passive role) that are not supported by evidence or guidelines. Being female or older was linked to a lower likelihood of receiving counseling.

Q. I had radiation and chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. My cancer doctor sent me to a cardiologist for an ultrasound. Are there cardiac risks to cancer treatments?

A. Radiation to the chest can harm the heart muscle, arteries, and valves. In women who have had breast radiation, the lifetime risk of having a heart attack or another major cardiac event goes up approximately 3%. Women who have radiation to the left breast, which is nearer the heart, have a higher chance of problems, but the overall dose of radiation also plays a role. Radiation-related heart effects can emerge as soon as five years after treatment, so women who have breast cancer at a younger age may develop heart problems earlier than would otherwise be expected.

Screening men for cardiovascular risks before starting testosterone therapy may help avert dangerous blood clots.

Q. My family doctor heard a heart murmur and sent me to a cardiologist, who diagnosed aortic valve sclerosis after doing an echocardiogram. Should I worry?

Questions remain about this popular product

Since smoking is so bad for the heart, some people had hoped that electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) might provide a heart-healthy alternative. These battery-operated, cigarette-shaped devices give off a vapor that contains nicotine. E-cigs entice smokers by providing the pleasure of inhaled nicotine without the health risks of tobacco smoke. While e-cigs may be less damaging to health than real cigarettes are, they still present risks.

Learning hands - only CPR could help save a loved one's life

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation can double or triple a person's odds of surviving cardiac arrest.

If you're on the fence about whether to take a statin, this test might make sense.

Cardiologists constantly seek better ways to predict who will have a heart attack. Among the many potentially helpful options is a coronary artery calcium scan. This test uses a special x-ray machine called a computed tomography (CT) scanner that takes multiple pictures of the heart in thin sections. Combined, the scans produce a view that can reveal specks of calcium in the walls of the heart's arteries. These specks, called calcifications, are an early sign of cardiovascular disease.