Heart Health Archive

Hospitalization rates for heart attacks are going down, so maybe prevention efforts are paying off.

Two studies published in 2010 show that the American heart attack rate is continuing to decline. The first, published in Circulation, was based on Medicare data. The main finding was that hospitalization rates for heart attack dropped by about 23% between 2002 and 2007, which by the authors' calculations might have translated into 100,000 fewer hospitalizations a year for the 45 million Americans enrolled in the Medicare program.

A thoracic aortic aneurysm can be small and stable, or it can tear or rupture. People with certain genetic conditions, and those who have a relative who has had this condition, are at higher risk and should be tested.

NutritionSource, a Web site developed by the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, has an in-depth package of articles called "Cutting Salt and Sodium." One of the articles, co-authored by the Culinary Institute of America, a leader in teaching chefs and other food service workers, offers 25 science-based strategies for cutting back on salt. (Click here for a printable version.)

The Nutrition Source

Tasting Success with Cutting Salt: Twenty-Five Science-Based Strategies & Culinary Insights

Developed by the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health & The Culinary Institute of America

The Institute of Medicine's newly released report, Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States, focuses on big-picture strategies for reining in America's salt habit. (1) Although the report's recommendations represent an essential step forward, there are many things that individuals, chefs, and organizations can do right now to reduce sodium.

Symptoms, heart measurements guide the need for mitral valve surgery.

The heart is a marvel of biological engineering. Four strategically placed valves ensure that every contraction propels blood forward with little or no backflow. On the right side of the heart, the tricuspid and pulmonary valves direct the orderly flow of blood; on the left side, the mitral and aortic valves. Although all four valves are essential for good health, we focus on the mitral valve and mitral valve regurgitation in this article.

If the mitral valve is damaged or becomes misaligned, it can't close completely with each heartbeat. Some blood spurts backward with each contraction. This backflow, called mitral regurgitation, puts a strain on the heart. It can provoke symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue and lead to atrial fibrillation or heart failure.

Q. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and my doctor wants me to take prednisone for it. Will prednisone be bad for my blood pressure, which is already high?

A. Prednisone raises blood pressure in many people who take it. One reason is that prednisone and other corticosteroids cause the body to retain fluid. Extra fluid in the circulation can cause an increase in blood pressure.

Postprandial hypotension, low blood pressure that occurs after eating, can cause dizziness, chest pain, nausea, or other issues, particularly in the elderly.

Q. I heard somewhere that the type of earwax you have is linked to your risk of heart disease. Can that be true?

A. One part of that "connection" is correct — humans have different types of earwax, also known as cerumen (suh-ROO-men). Wet earwax, which is brownish and sticky, contains about 50% fat and 20% protein. Dry earwax, which is gray and flaky, contains 18% fat and 43% protein. The type of earwax a person has is genetically determined.

Balloon angioplasty appears to be just as good as surgery to unblock carotid arteries.

Date of last review, March 25, 2020Opening a blocked heart artery with a balloon and then propping it open with a wire-mesh stent is more commonly used than bypass surgery for restoring blood flow to the heart. Although coronary angioplasty plus stenting isn't quite as durable as bypass surgery, it is much easier on the body, since it doesn't require opening the chest.

The situation is similar in the carotid arteries, which convey oxygen-rich blood to the brain. In that territory, carotid angioplasty plus stenting (CAS) for many people has become preferred to endarterectomy, an operation to clean out a clogged carotid artery.

What makes you worry that chest pain is serious, like a heart attack

When is chest pain serious? That dull burning feeling in your chest doesn't seem to be going away, and even feels like it is getting worse. Is it a heart attack, or something else?

It's a vexing question, one that millions of people — and their doctors — face each year. What's the problem? Chest pain can stem from dozens of conditions besides heart attack, from pancreatitis to pneumonia or panic attack.

I have coronary artery disease. Is this something I can have cured or get rid of, or is keeping it from getting worse the best I can do?