Trending News Today: Young Women Have Low Awareness of Cardiovascular Risks

A new study suggests young women are less likely to be aware of cardiovascular risks, Reuters reported. According to the article, the researchers provided survey questions from the American Heart Association to 331 young women aged 15 to 24 years to assess their awareness of cardiovascular disease and how it can be prevented compared with responses from a 2012 survey of 1227 women above age 25. Only 1 in 10 women surveyed cited heart disease as the number 1 cause of death among women and fewer than 20 believed it was the leading health problem for women, the article reported.

A proposed House bill would establish a pilot program for HIV prevention for victims of rape or sexual assault, The Associated Press reported. According to the article, the 3-year pilot program would provide individuals with full access to HIV non-occupational post-exposure prophylactic treatment. The program would help pay for the medication, which can typically be costly, especially if the patient does not have health insurance, the article reported.

New data showed that Amarin’s icosapent ethyl (Vascepa), a purified fish oil derivative, reduced total cardiovascular events, first and subsequent events, by 30% versus placebo, according to the company’s press release. The REDUCE-IT trial included 8179 patients who had elevated triglyceride levels despite stable statin therapy and either documented cardiovascular disease or diabetes with other cardiovascular risk factors, according to the release. The study also showed a 28% reduction of total events in the key secondary endpoint in the intent-to-treat population, including a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack, and nonfatal stroke.