Cardiovascular Health

Newly released lipid guidelines have introduced a variety of changes in how clinicians determine whether patients should receive statins.

New guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology eliminate strict LDL cholesterol targets and include stroke risk in determining whether patients should take statins.

Risk of death from prostate cancer was reduced for patients who started taking statins after being diagnosed with the disease and was reduced even more for those who started taking statins before being diagnosed.

Patients need to achieve high levels of adherence to all the medications they are prescribed after a heart attack in order to reduce their risk of subsequent adverse cardiovascular events, a new study finds.

A range of trials has failed to resolve whether calcium supplementation significantly decreases the risk of fracture or increases the risk of cardiovascular events.

A meta-analysis of previous studies suggests that getting vaccinated against the flu reduces one's risk of adverse cardiovascular events, with the greatest benefit in those with a recent acute coronary syndrome.

The hospitalization rate for the most serious cardiovascular infection declined despite a recommendation from the American Heart Association to limit use of preventive antibiotics.

Issues in anticoagulation relating to mechanical valve replacement and diabetes patients on antithrombotics.

Apixaban (Eliquis) was recently approved as an oral anticoagulant (a direct inhibitor of factor Xa) to reduce the risk of embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Compared with morning dosing, taking once-daily antihypertensives at bedtime led to improved nighttime blood pressure measurements without increasing daytime measurements.

Pharmacists working along with other health care providers can help improve outcomes for heart failure patients, according to the results of a pair of studies presented at the Heart Failure Society of America meeting.

Acute ischemic stroke patients with hyponatremia have worse stroke scale scores on admission and discharge as well as worse mortality rates in the hospital and at 3-month and 12-month follow-ups.

The medications may lower cholesterol levels in advanced chronic kidney disease patients, but they do not appear to reduce the number of cardiovascular events and may interact with other drugs the patients are taking.

Patients with or at high risk for cardiovascular disease who took a pill that combined aspirin, a statin, and 2 antihypertensives had significantly higher adherence levels than those who received usual care.

Study participants aged 40 to 64 who had received a flu shot had a risk of heart attack reduced by 45%.

A review of 53 studies finds that hypertension patients with health insurance were more likely to be adherent to antihypertensive medication and to have their hypertension under control than were those without insurance.

Patients who continued taking simvastatin and atorvastatin had significantly reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared with those who discontinued statin therapy.

Progression of dementia was slower in patients taking ACE inhibitors, particularly those who had recently started taking them, compared with those not taking them.

Hypertensive patients who participated in a 1-year pharmacist telemonitoring program were more likely to have their blood pressure under control than those who received usual care.

Middle-aged men who took statins for 5 years had a substantially lower hospitalization rate and reduced health care costs over a 15-year period.

Patients with poor adherence to antihypertensive medication were much more likely to die from a stroke than were patients with high adherence, according to the results of a new study.

The new oral anticoagulants that have become available in recent years have added significant complexity to the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

The overall stroke rate for women who had migraine with aura was 4.3 per 1000 women per year, according to the results of a 15-year-long study.

A literature review finds that triple therapy including newer anticoagulants, aspirin, and clopidogrel may increase the risk of bleeding and should be limited to patients at highest risk for thromboembolic events.

A discussion of high blood pressure and measures that can be taken to counter it, including prescription medication.

Patients may have questions about taking antioxidants.

Patients may have questions about taking antioxidants.

New treatments for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation require patient-specific assessment.