Heart Disease Archive

Growing evidence suggests that poor sleep is linked to a host of health problems, including a higher risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Now, a recent study on people in midlife finds that having a combination of sleep problems may nearly triple a person's risk of heart disease.

Virtual cardiac rehabilitation offers heart-related education and supervised exercise classes that people can access at home using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. This growing trend may help make cardiac rehab more convenient and accessible.

A low resting pulse can signal peak fitness, hidden heart trouble, or even thyroid issues; learn when a slow beat is harmless and when it's not.

A slower pulse can be healthy or a warning sign, depending on symptoms, medications, and your thyroid status. Simple checks can help reveal which it is.

Warm weather, vein valve issues, and fluid retention can all puff up your ankles. Learn what doctors look for and simple steps that may ease it.

A 2026 study suggested that women with uterine fibroids may have far higher long-term risks of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke.

People who have gout, which results from excess uric acid in the body, are at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. A 2026 study found that maintaining uric acid levels below 6 mg/dL with medication reduced the risk for heart attack, stroke, and heart-related death.

The scientific understanding of HDL cholesterol has evolved in recent years, and many cardiologists now believe that HDL may be more of a bystander rather than a "good guy" that helps lower heart disease risk. While some types of HDL are great at plucking excess cholesterol from LDL and artery walls (a process referred to as reverse cholesterol transport) other types of HDL don't do this. In clinical trials, medications to raise HDL levels-including a drug specifically designed to improve reverse cholesterol transport-have not succeeded in lowering heart attacks and strokes.

Chronic pain is linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, which may be driven in part by depression, according to a 2026 study. Mind-body therapies and medications may help.

High temperatures raise risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and also stress the cardiovascular system, making the heart work harder. If you have a heart condition, here's how to keep cool and protect yourself when temperatures rise.