Heart Health Archive

COVID-19 may increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure, up to a year after the infection. But vaccination appears to lower these risks. Getting just one dose of a COVID vaccine may halve the risk of myocarditis, a rare condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle that can arise after viral infections.

A common complaint among statin users is that the drugs increase pain during and after exercise. A 2023 study suggests statins won't exacerbate usual muscle symptoms from moderate-intensity exercise.

A 2023 study found that for people with atrial fibrillation, a program of supervised and home-based exercise may reduce the severity and frequency of their symptoms.

People with diabetes who take pain relievers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be at higher risk of heart failure, according to a 2023 study. NSAIDs include ibuprofen, which is sold over the counter as Advil and Motrin.

A 2023 study suggests that the type of technology used in smart watches to measure the heart's electrical activity may have the potential to detect early signs of heart failure or atrial fibrillation.

More than one in seven adults has chronic kidney disease, yet many of them aren't aware of the problem. Early-stage kidney disease often has no symptoms, but the condition slowly and silently worsens over time. The two most common causes of chronic kidney disease—high blood pressure and diabetes—are also leading risk factors for heart disease, which means the two diseases often overlap. Most people know their blood pressure and cholesterol values, but few are familiar with the tests used to assess kidney health. They include serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and urine protein tests.

Marijuana use, which is rising among older adults, appears to heighten the risk of heart-related problems. Cannabis is known to increase heart rate and blood pressure, although high doses can have the opposite effect. Marijuana use has been implicated in causing heart attacks, atrial fibrillation, stress cardiomyopathy, and arteritis.

Many foods traditionally eaten in China, such as vegetables, tofu, and seafood, are all linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. So are the unsaturated oils (such as canola, soy, or peanut oil) frequently used to prepare Chinese dishes. But some Chinese cooking staples like soy sauce and other savory sauces (black bean, hoisin, and oyster) are quite high in sodium, which can raise blood pressure. At restaurants, people should request no monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer that also contains sodium. For home cooking, people can buy soy sauce with 37% less sodium, which is marketed as "less sodium soy sauce.

Major league baseball players have team cardiologists to diagnose and treat common cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol. Distinguishing normal exercise-induced cardiac remodeling (which may cause the heart's main pumping chamber to enlarge) from certain inherited or acquired heart diseases, known as cardiomyopathies, often requires a specialist.

A small amount of leakage (regurgitation) from the mitral or tricuspid valve is normal. People with either condition do not need to modify their activity levels, but they should stay alert to symptoms that suggest the problem is worsening.