Heart Disease Archive

A 2024 study found that when air pollution levels decreased during a five-year period in Italy, so did hospitalizations for heart-related emergencies. The results suggest that reducing air pollution could lower the prevalence of heart disease.

The body roundness index—defined as height in relation to waist circumference—may be a good way to predict a person's risk of cardiovascular disease.

A 2024 study suggested that women with perinatal depression, which can occur during or just after pregnancy, have significantly higher risks of developing later cardiovascular disease.

According to a 2024 study, the rapid, irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation is three times more prevalent than previously thought, and now affects an estimated 10.5 million Americans.

People with atrial fibrillation (afib) who own a smart watch capable of detecting the heart rhythm disorder may use it to track the frequency and duration of their bouts of afib. The information might help inform their physician's advice. However, afib notifications may cause people to become anxious and preoccupied with tracking their condition. For them, disabling the notifications may be a good idea.

Snow shoveling can be risky for people with heart disease because (1) the activity requires a lot of physical effort, and (2) cold temperatures constrict arteries. Both factors can raise the risk of a heart attack in people with narrowed heart arteries.

About 98 million Americans have prediabetes, in which the average amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood is high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. While people with prediabetes want to avoid getting diabetes, prediabetes can be dangerous on its own, as it increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and fatty liver disease. Controlling blood pressure, lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol, and managing glucose levels with weight loss, exercise, and diet offers protection against diabetes and these conditions.

An online tool to predict heart disease risk might be more accurate if it included a psychological health assessment. Including depression screening results appears to strengthen the tool's ability to predict heart disease deaths.

Over a 24-year span, people whose diets favored plant-based fat lived longer than people who ate more animal-based fat, according to a 2024 study. The same distinction appeared specifically for deaths from heart disease.

In 2024, the FDA approved two catheter-based devices for treating a leaky tricuspid valve. Both relieve symptoms and improve quality of life for people with moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation, which affects about 4% of people ages 75 and older. One device is a modification of a system to treat mitral valve regurgitation that works by bringing the valve leaflets together at the areas of most severe leakage. The other device delivers a new valve made of cow heart tissue, which is commonly used in surgical valve replacements.