AHA News: Bypass Surgery Turned Doctor From Couch Potato Into Mountain Climber

• American Heart Association News
• March 4, 2021
• Full Page

Because of the lack of oxygen at such lofty altitudes, Dr. Akil Taherbhai needed four hours to climb the last mile to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world.

Savoring the sense of triumph as he finally reached the summit, the family...

U.S. Hispanics at High Heart Disease Risk and Many Go Untreated: Report

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• March 4, 2021
• Full Page

THURSDAY, March 4, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Even after suffering a stroke, many Hispanic Americans still have uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions that raise their risk of a repeat one, a new study finds.

The study involved 40...

AHA News: Calming Us Down or Revving Us Up, Music Can Be Good for the Heart

• American Heart Association News
• March 3, 2021
• Full Page

Stuck in traffic, with a nasty storm making a stressful commute even worse, Joanne Loewy reached for the car radio.

"I felt my heartbeat rise," said Loewy, director of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City. "So I sw...

'Rerouting' Brain Blood Flow: Old Technique Could Be New Advance Against Strokes

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• March 3, 2021
• Full Page

Doctors are testing a decades-old surgical technique as a new way to treat certain stroke patients. And the preliminary results look promising, they say.

At issue are strokes caused by intracranial atherosclerosis, where blood vessels within the brain become hardened and...

AHA News: A New Heart at 18 Put Her on a New Path

• American Heart Association News
• March 2, 2021
• Full Page

Jill Hollander was 9 when, during a visit to her cardiologist with her parents, he asked her to step outside so he could speak alone with her parents.

Nonsense, she thought.

"I want to be in the room too," she told them. "It's about me, and I have a right to be her...

'Telestroke' Care at Hospitals Is Boosting Patient Outcomes

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• March 2, 2021
• Full Page

You've had a stroke and arrive at a hospital, but the stroke specialist is off-duty. Never fear: Telemedicine may help save your life.

Especially during the COVID-19 crisis, so-called 'telestroke' services -- where health workers use video to consult with a stroke specia...

AHA News: Finally Getting Around to That Annual Physical? Here's What You Might Find

• American Heart Association News
• March 1, 2021
• Full Page

Some patients looking to reschedule annual physicals, wellness visits or other routine medical appointments long delayed by COVID-19 first may need to make time to find a new doctor.

Thousands of practices have closed because of the pandemic, a recent survey shows, with ...

AHA News: Which Blood Pressure Number Matters Most Might Depend on Your Age

• American Heart Association News
• March 1, 2021
• Full Page

Systolic blood pressure is the best way to predict future cardiovascular events and death, irrespective of age, according to new research. But in younger people, diastolic blood pressure could still be important.

Systolic pressure – the upper number in a blood pressure...

AHA News: From Mild COVID-19 to Heart Failure in 4 Weeks – at Age 20

• American Heart Association News
• February 26, 2021
• Full Page

Madeline Neville tried her best to avoid catching COVID-19 while attending Temple University in Philadelphia.

In late October, she was visiting her parents near Scranton, Pennsylvania, when she learned one of her roommates had been exposed to the virus.

Madeline pa...

AHA News: Why Experts Say a Good Mood Can Lead to Good Health

• American Heart Association News
• February 25, 2021
• Full Page

It doesn't take a scientist to understand that laughter feels good, while anger feels awful.

But it does take one to explain why one of these feelings can boost the immune system, while the other can wear it down, damage the heart and increase the risk for dementia.

AHA News: What's Safe Once You've Had Your COVID-19 Vaccine?

• American Heart Association News
• February 24, 2021
• Full Page

Carl Bradford's life got upended by the pandemic.

The Vacaville, California, artist lost chances to exhibit at galleries. He's been unable to see his far-flung family or go to the gym. The 65-year-old steps out to volunteer with his church's food pantry but stays careful...

AHA News: Black, Hispanic Families Hit Hardest by Dementia

• American Heart Association News
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

It can begin with the occasional missed bill payment. An inability to remember names. Telling the same story repeatedly. There may be personality changes or mood swings. Confusion. Over time, it's as if the person who once was slowly disappears.

Dementia. As the populati...

AHA News: Identical in Nearly Every Way, These Twins Even Had the Same Kind of Heart Attack

• American Heart Association News
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

As identical twins who look alike, sound alike and even have the same mannerisms, Patricia Wood and Pamela Smith are used to people mistaking them for one another. Even before birth, their heartbeats were so perfectly synchronized that doctors didn't realize there were two unt...

'What's Wrong With Me?' Young COVID Survivors Battle Long-Haul Symptoms

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

It's been nearly a year since David Speal, 38, first fell ill with COVID-19, but a racing heartbeat remains a regular reminder of his brush with the new coronavirus.

Even the littlest thing -- not eating at the right time, not drinking enough water, too much exercise, a ...

Even for Preschoolers, Healthier Hearts May Mean Healthier Brains

• Robert Preidt
• February 23, 2021
• Full Page

The link between heart-lung fitness and brain health may begin at an early age, new research shows.

The study revealed that 4- to 6-year-olds who could walk farther during a timed test also scored higher on tests of thinking abilities and other measures of brain function...

AHA News: Lifelong Discrimination Linked to High Blood Pressure in Black People

• American Heart Association News
• February 22, 2021
• Full Page

Enduring a lifetime of discrimination may increase the risk of high blood pressure in Black people but not in Hispanic, Chinese or white people, a new study suggests.

Previous research has linked lifelong discrimination to the development of high blood pressure, also kno...

Even Low Levels of Air Pollution Harm Heart, Lungs

• Robert Preidt
• February 22, 2021
• Full Page

Breathing in air that has even low levels of pollution poses a threat to older adults' heart and lungs, a new study warns.

Researchers analyzed medical records of more than 63 million Medicare patients from 2000 to 2016. They found that long-term exposure to low levels o...

AHA News: Months of Warning Signs Finally Lead Former Basketball Star to ER

• American Heart Association News
• February 19, 2021
• Full Page

For a couple of months, Ralph Lee wasn't feeling quite right. His wife, Janelle, urged him to see a doctor. His company-scheduled physical for executives was set for shortly after their upcoming vacation.

On the trip, Ralph – once a star Division I basketball player in...

Heart Damage Seen in Many Hospitalized COVID Patients: Study

• Robert Preidt
• February 19, 2021
• Full Page

Heart damage was found in more than half of a group of hospitalized COVID-19 patients after they were discharged, according to a new British study.

The study included 148 patients who were treated for severe COVID-19 at six hospitals in London. The patients all had raise...

CPAP Mask for Sleep Apnea May Boost Daytime Activity Levels

• Robert Preidt
• February 19, 2021
• Full Page

CPAP therapy for sleep apnea may do more than help people sleep better. A new study finds use of the therapy is also associated with increased physical activity in people with heart disease.

The international study included more than 2,600 participants, ages 45-75. They ...

AHA News: Why Less Noise During the Pandemic Might Help Our Ears But Not Our Hearts or Brains

• American Heart Association News
• February 18, 2021
• Full Page

Jack hammers. Buzz saws. Screaming toddlers. Barking dogs. Horns blaring from incessant traffic jams. Any of these can set nerves on edge, especially if you are subjected to the noise for hours, days or weeks on end.

It's more than aggravating. Studies show noise-generat...

AHA News: Black Health Activists Gain Momentum From Pandemic and Build on History

• American Heart Association News
• February 17, 2021
• Full Page

When Khadijah Ameen and her fellow health activists gather in community groups in Martin Luther King Jr.'s hometown of Atlanta, everyone is in a circle. It connects to their central message: Achieving a society in which all Black lives matter means Black health must matter, to...

AHA News: 33 Weeks Pregnant, an Emergency Delivery and Heart Failure

• American Heart Association News
• February 16, 2021
• Full Page

About 33 weeks into her pregnancy, Lupita Garcia struggled to breathe so much that she slept sitting up. Three days later, she awoke with heart palpitations and chest discomfort.

Garcia's doctor suggested she get evaluated at the hospital. She left work early that day in...

AHA News: Lower Your Sodium, and Blood Pressure Will Follow

• American Heart Association News HealthDay Reporter
• February 15, 2021
• Full Page

Reducing sodium intake by any amount can lower blood pressure over the long term -- and may benefit everyone, including people with normal blood pressure, new research shows.

While the link between consuming less-salty foods and lower blood pressure is well establis...

AHA News: Here's What Heart Patients Need to Know About COVID-19 in 2021

• American Heart Association News
• February 11, 2021
• Full Page

When COVID-19 was first seen in the United States, now more than a year ago, doctors considered it a respiratory ailment. But that didn't last long.

Researchers have linked the disease caused by the coronavirus directly to multiple heart-related issues. And it has contri...

AHA News: Watch Your Heart Rate, But Don't Obsess About It

• American Heart Association News
• February 10, 2021
• Full Page

Keeping track of your heart rate is probably a good thing. Obsessing about it probably isn't.

That's one drawback of the increasing popularity of wearable devices that constantly monitor heart rates, said Dr. Tracy Stevens, a cardiologist at Saint Luke's Mid America Hear...

AHA News: Heart Defect Survivor Has the Scars and Attitude to Prove It

• American Heart Association News
• February 9, 2021
• Full Page

From the day Kristin VanSingel was born until now, 38 years later, her heart has set her life's course.

That path started less than 24 hours after being born when she was diagnosed with aortic stenosis and had her first open-heart surgery. Doctors performed a valvotomy, ...

Daily Coffee Tied to Lower Risk for Heart Failure

• Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
• February 9, 2021
• Full Page

Fill up that mug: Having one or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day may reduce your risk of heart failure, new research suggests.

There was one caveat, however: Decaffeinated coffee doesn't appear to provide the same protection as caffeine-rich blends.

"The asso...

AHA News: Resilience and Quality of Life Go Hand in Hand for Heart Defect Survivors

• American Heart Association News HealthDay Reporter
• February 8, 2021
• Full Page

Melissa Jeng had her first surgery when she was 3 days old -- and the first of four open-heart surgeries at 8. Since then, she's also had over a dozen heart procedures.

"I got to the point where I would call them tune-ups," the 52-year-old from Seattle said. "None of it ...

Diabetes While Pregnant Ups Odds for Heart Disease Later

• Robert Preidt
• February 8, 2021
• Full Page

Developing diabetes during pregnancy may increase a woman's risk for heart disease later in life, according to a new study.

It included about 1,100 women without type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Those who developed diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) were twice as...

Whole Wheat Better for You Than White Bread, Study Confirms

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• February 4, 2021
• Full Page

New research reinforces advice to include more whole grains in your diet.

A diet heavy in "refined" grains (such as white bread, cookies and muffins) may increase your risk for heart disease and early death, while whole grains may lower it, according to the study.

...

AHA News: Surviving COVID-19 Survivor's Guilt

• American Heart Association News
• February 4, 2021
• Full Page

COVID-19 has been cruel to Michelle Smith.

Smith, a gym owner in Colorado Springs, Colorado, got sick in early November. "I've never felt so ill," she said. "It was pretty horrific."

The 38-year-old mother of two went from being a model of physical fitness -- she w...

Daily Green Tea, Coffee Tied to Lower Risk for 2nd Heart Attack, Stroke

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• February 4, 2021
• Full Page

If you have had a heart attack and a stroke, you might want to stock up on green tea.

New research from Japan finds survivors who drink plenty of green tea may live longer lives.

Stroke survivors who drank at least seven cups per day were 62% less likely to die dur...

AHA News: Ideas for a Safe, Healthy Valentine's Day Everyone Can Love

• American Heart Association News
• February 3, 2021
• Full Page

"Valentine's Day in a Pandemic" sounds like the title of a terrible album, or maybe the least-romantic date night movie ever. Unfortunately, it's also reality in 2021.

That doesn't mean the day can't be fun, said experts who suggested ways to stay safe while celebrating....

AHA News: The Night Before a Big Presentation, Lawyer-Mother Has a Heart Attack

• American Heart Association News
• February 2, 2021
• Full Page

About every other month for nearly a year, Cherée Johnson would wake up in the middle of the night with a sharp pain in her chest. Sometimes it lasted a couple of minutes, sometimes as long as 20 minutes.

She was by all accounts healthy. A petite woman, Cherée was stil...

Heart Patients Avoiding Care During Pandemic: Survey

• Steven Reinberg
• February 1, 2021
• Full Page

Many Americans with heart disease are avoiding medical care during the pandemic, a new survey finds.

Only 52% of Americans sought medical care for a concerning health problem during the pandemic, according to the survey conducted by the Cleveland Clinic. Among patie...

Exercise Rehab Should Include Stroke Survivors, Study Suggests

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• January 27, 2021
• Full Page

Exercise programs that are standard for heart attack survivors can also benefit people who've suffered a stroke, a new pilot study suggests.

Researchers found that a three-month cardiac rehabilitation program improved fitness levels and muscle strength in 24 stroke survi...

Heart Disease Remains No. 1 Killer, But COVID Will Have Big Impact

• Robert Preidt
• January 27, 2021
• Full Page

Heart disease is likely to remain the world's leading cause of death for years to come, partially due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, an American Heart Association report predicts.

Heart disease deaths worldwide rose 17.1% over the past decade, with nearly 18.6 mill...

High Blood Pressure Often Mistaken for Menopausal Symptoms in Women

• Robert Preidt
• January 27, 2021
• Full Page

High blood pressure is often dismissed as part of menopausal symptoms in older women, experts say. And that could raise a woman's risk for heart trouble, European experts warn.

That warning, along with recommendations on how doctors can help middle-aged women av...

AHA News: Reversing Prediabetes Linked to Fewer Heart Attacks, Strokes

• American Heart Association News
• January 26, 2021
• Full Page

People who reverse their prediabetes may lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and death, a new study suggests.

With prediabetes, a person has blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but lower than the threshold for a diabetes diagnosis. Even so, people with pred...

AHA News: Hospice Candidate at 2, She's Now 13 and Thriving

• American Heart Association News
• January 25, 2021
• Full Page

Rosemary "Rosie" Veltz was "medically maxed out." That was the term the doctors used six months after a third surgery to correct a heart defect that left her struggling to breathe while her lungs continued to fill with fluid.

A doctor suggested hospice. Rosie was 2.

AHA News: The Head Is Connected to the Heart -- and Can Influence Health

• American Heart Association News
• January 25, 2021
• Full Page

MONDAY, Jan. 25, 2021 (American Heart Association News) --A growing body of research shows good mental health can improve heart health and reduce cardiovascular risks, while poor mental health can increase the risk of heart disease, according to a new scientific report.

...

AHA News: Anxiety Is Linked With Smoking -- But How Is Still Hazy

• American Heart Association News
• January 22, 2021
• Full Page

In these stressful pandemic times, health experts have more reason to circle back to the link between anxiety and smoking: Does anxiety cause people to smoke? Or does smoking cause anxiety?

Like many other aspects of mental health and addiction, there are no cut-and-drie...

Exercise Doesn't Boost Health If You Stay Obese, Study Finds

• Robert Preidt
• January 22, 2021
• Full Page

The harmful effects of obesity on the heart can't be undone by exercise, and it's not possible to be "fat but healthy," Spanish researchers warn.

"Exercise does not seem to compensate for the negative effects of excess weight," said study author Alejandro Lucia, a profes...

AHA News: Keeping Your Brain Sharp Isn't About Working More Puzzles

• American Heart Association News
• January 21, 2021
• Full Page

Mental decline is one of the most feared aspects of growing older. People will do just about anything to prevent it, from swallowing supplements touted as memory boosters to spending hours solving Sudoku and crossword puzzles.

But do these things really keep the aging br...

Stressed Out By the News? Here's Tips to Help Cope

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• January 20, 2021
• Full Page

Be kind to your heart and health and turn off the news, doctors say.

Northwestern University experts suggest checking in on current events a couple of times a day and no more. Constant updates can fuel anxiety and depression, they warn.

"As a practicing preventive ...

Fried Food a Big Factor in Heart Disease, Stroke

• Steven Reinberg
• January 19, 2021
• Full Page

Delicious but deadly: Eating fried food is tied to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study suggests.

The risk rises with each additional 4-ounce serving per week, a research team in China found.

For the study, the investigators analyzed 19 prev...

AHA News: What Heart and Stroke Patients Should Know About COVID-19 Vaccines

• American Heart Association News
• January 15, 2021
• Full Page

Experts have a simple answer for heart and stroke patients questioning whether they need a COVID-19 vaccination. That answer: yes.

"People with all kinds of cardiovascular risk factors and disease should definitely get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families ...

Time to Angioplasty Is Crucial for Better Heart Attack Outcomes

• Steven Reinberg
• January 14, 2021
• Full Page

When a heart attack begins, the time it takes until the blockage in a coronary artery is cleared is critical in preventing further damage to the heart, a new study warns.

The amount of damage is directly related to how long it takes from the start of a heart attack to wh...

Even 1 Drink a Day May Raise Your Odds for A-Fib

• Amy Norton
• January 14, 2021
• Full Page

Moderate drinking is often touted as heart-healthy, but a large new study finds that even one drink a day might raise the risk of an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, is a common heart arrhythmia where the upper chambers of ...