Heart Health

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on August 2, 2023 The health benefits of early rhythm control are associated with reasonable costs, as represented by incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia observed in the adult population, with a one-third lifetime risk among individuals of European descent. By 2060,...

There is a significant association between unfavorable cardiovascular health metrics and an increased incidence of early-onset vasomotor symptoms in perimenopausal women. The majority of menopausal symptoms are vasomotor symptoms that include night sweats and hot flashes. There is an increase in the incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in menopausal transition, which is due...

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on July 27, 2023 This study found that patients with higher transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy scores had different clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and higher cardiovascular risk. Heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction may benefit from the transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy score’s moderate discriminatory performance and satisfactory calibration in...

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on July 27, 2023 Cardiac amyloidosis is a common cause of heart failure and should be screened in elderly heart failure patients with myocardial thickening. Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) has emerged as an underdiagnosed cause of heart failure (HF) in recent years. The available studies on CA prevalence...

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on July 27, 2023 Left atrial function evaluated by speckle tracking echocardiography is significantly impaired in cardiac amyloidosis patients compared to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients and healthy controls. Left atrial (LA) function assessment is crucial for gauging left ventricular filling in various cardiovascular conditions. Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) causes...

Medically reviewed by Dr. Shani S. Saks, D.O. on July 27, 2023 Diagnosing cardiac amyloidosis (CA) can be difficult due to its nonspecific presentation and overlapping clinical features. Clinical suspicion, cardiac biomarkers, monoclonal protein assessment, echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance findings, and bone scintigraphy are important in the diagnostic algorithm. Non-invasive techniques are preferred, but tissue...

Total serious harms extrapolated to affect 795,000 in U.S., with 15 dangerous diseases accounting for half of serious harms Misdiagnosis of dangerous diseases results in an estimated 795,000 Americans with permanent morbidity or mortality, according to a study published online July 17 in BMJ Quality & Safety. David E. Newman-Toker, M.D., Ph.D., from the Johns Hopkins...

Benefit seen with median of 230.4 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week regardless of distribution. Physical activity concentrated within a few days is associated with a similarly lower risk for cardiovascular outcomes as more evenly distributed activity, according to a study published in the July 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association....

Relationship between redlining and heart failure risk strongest in most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Among Black Medicare beneficiaries, historical redlining, a marker of structural racism, is associated with heart failure risk, according to a study published online July 17 in Circulation. Amgad Mentias, M.D., from the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues examined the association of redlining with...