Heart Health Archive

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is on the rise. Should you be tested for it?

For nearly half a century, the top three causes of death in the United States were heart disease, cancer, and stroke. But a slow, steady drop in deaths from stroke and a gradual rise in fatalities from lung disease have shifted that long-held order. In 2008, chronic lower respiratory diseases rose to third place on the list of leading killers.

Research we're watching

Want to nudge down your cholesterol level? Try a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. New research adds to earlier evidence that among the whole grains, oats are the most effective choice when it comes to lowering cholesterol.

The findings were gleaned from 24 studies that looked at blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) in people who ate diets featuring whole-grain foods versus non-whole-grain control diets. Compared with the control diets, whole-grain diets lowered total cholesterol levels by an average of 4.6 points. Diets featuring oats proved to be slightly superior, dropping cholesterol levels by 6.5 points, on average. An added bonus: whole-grain diets don't appear to lower beneficial HDL cholesterol. The report appeared in the September 2015 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In emergency departments, doctors routinely test blood levels of a protein called troponin to diagnose people with suspected heart attacks. That's because damaged heart muscle releases troponin into the bloodstream. Now, new research suggests that a high-sensitivity troponin test may help identify people with heart disease who face a high risk of fatal heart events.

For the study, published in the August 13 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers measured troponin levels with the high-sensitivity test in nearly 2,300 people with type 2 diabetes and stable heart disease (meaning they had narrowed heart arteries and chest pain but not a heart attack). Within five years, nearly one in three people with elevated troponin levels had a heart-related problem or died from one.

The medications your doctor prescribes may depend on your underlying health issues.

People who have a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) should keep cellphones and smartphones at least five to seven inches away from the device. Doing so helps prevent the rare possibility of interference between the two devices.

Atrial fibrillation (afib) is affecting far more people than it did 50 years ago, according to a study published July 11, 2015, in The Lancet. Afib is an irregular heartbeat that makes the heart's upper chambers (the atria) quiver, rather than pump steadily. This can lead to the formation of blood clots, which can travel in the blood to the brain and cause a stroke. The Lancet study found that afib cases quadrupled from 1958 to 2007 among 9,500 people. But there is some encouraging news: the study also found that the risk of stroke associated with afib decreased 74% in the last 50 years, and the risk of death decreased 25%.

Why the ups and downs? Researchers point to epidemics of obesity and diabetes as part of the reason, as well as increased awareness of the condition and better detection methods. Meanwhile, improved recognition and treatment of other diseases, such as high blood pressure, may be helping to reduce the cases of stroke and early death linked to afib. So, this study provides further evidence of the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and keeping blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol under control. In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other illnesses, you also reduce the risk of getting afib and developing complications from it.

Dog lovers know how much warmth and comfort their canine companions add to their lives. But they might not know that a growing body of evidence suggests that having a dog may help improve heart health.

Pet ownership, especially having a dog, is probably associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. This does not mean that there is a clear cause and effect relationship between the two. But it does mean that pet ownership can be a reasonable part of an overall strategy to lower the risk of heart disease.

Proton-pump inhibitors offer welcome relief for people with chronic heartburn. Here's what you need to know to use them wisely.

Heartburn didn't get its name by accident. Although the problem stems from excess stomach acid rather than heart-related issues, it provokes searing pain focused directly behind the breastbone. Of the over eight million emergency room visits for chest pain each year, severe heartburn, also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), accounts for over half the cases in which actual heart problems are ruled out.