Cardiovascular Health

OTC case studies involving vitamin E supplementation, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, smoking cessation, and weight-loss medication.

Nutritional supplements should never be used as a replacement for prescription antihyperlipidemic agents.

Helping patients select an appropriate blood pressure monitor and ensuring that they are comfortable using it are crucial for heart health.

Using a benefit-based approach instead of a treat-to-target approach in determining how to treat hypertension could help prevent more cardiovascular events with less medication.

A systematic review of previous studies finds no evidence of decreased cognitive function associated with statin use.

Patients at high cardiovascular risk who took aspirin at night had significantly reduced platelet reactivity compared with those who took aspirin in the morning, according to the results of a study.

Patients who took beta-blockers during non-cardiac surgery had increased risk of acute coronary syndrome, decompensated heart failure, and arrhythmia, according to the results of a study.

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.