Heart Disease Archive

About one in 500 people has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition that causes the walls of the heart to thicken and enlarge. It's often caused by genetic mutations and is the most common inherited form of heart disease. Contrary to popular belief, vigorous exercise appears to be safe for most people with HCM. For people with symptoms, several treatments are available, including mavacamten (Camzyos), a first-in-class medication that targets the underlying cause of HCM by inhibiting a protein that helps power heart muscle contractions.

In a 2023 review of 17 studies that included about 227,000 people, those who took at least 3,900 steps per day had reduced risks of dying young from any cause. Even taking about 2,300 steps per day compared to fewer daily steps was tied to reduced risks of dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease.

People who get most of their recommended weekly physical activity over one or two days may lower their heart disease risk just as much as those who are active more regularly throughout the week. Evidence also suggests there's no particular benefit to exercising at certain times of the day, including with respect to mealtimes. So people should be physically active whenever they find it to be most convenient.

A 2023 Harvard study found that regularly squeezing a week's worth of exercise (150 minutes) into just one or two days—a "weekend warrior" approach—is linked to the same heart-healthy benefits as daily exercise.

A nasal spray containing the experimental drug etripamil can quickly treat an abnormally fast heart rhythm called supraventricular tachycardia. The disordered rhythm occurs sporadically and can raise heart rate to as much as 200 beats per minute.

A polygenic risk score for heart disease is based on an analysis of more than three million common DNA variants and is expressed as a percentile. People can have zero, one, or two copies of any variant, each of which may either raise or lower the risk of coronary artery disease. Many of these variants occur in genes known to affect heart disease, such as those related to cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood clotting. Others aren't well understood and may provide targets for future research, potentially fueling new drug discovery efforts. For now, the potential benefits of this test are greatest for people under 50.

A 2023 study suggests eating enough of six categories of food common in popular heart-health diets is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes. The six groups are fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and dairy products.

Men often confront obstacles that keep them from managing heart disease or lowering their risk for it. Harvard cardiologists share the advice they give patients who face challenges in the areas of weight loss, medication management, exercise, and diet. These include thinking about their future health goals, monitoring blood pressure, scheduling workouts, joining group weight-loss groups, and learning portion control for meals.

Troponins, which are proteins found in heart muscle cells, are released in the bloodstream during a heart attack. Other conditions, such heart muscle inflammation and chronic kidney disease, can also cause troponin levels to rise.

People with autoimmune diseases may be up to three times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without an autoimmune disease. Among the most common autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and lupus. Awareness of this elevated risk is especially important because autoimmune disease typically strikes when people are in their 20s or 30s. In turn, heart problems may develop up to a decade earlier than in people without an autoimmune disease. A calcium scan, which detects early signs of atherosclerosis, can help assess a person's risk and guide treatment advice.