Too much exercise can be bad for you too!
Filed under: Research, Exercise
Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. But in individuals with heart troubles, too much exercise can be a bad thing too -- it can speed up heart failure ... in rats, at least. These findings are in direct opposition to what researchers thought they would find -- that the more they exercised, the healthier rats are. But don't use these findings as an excuse to skip the gym for the next few decades -- it's still thought that a reasonable amount of exercise is better than a sedentary lifestyle. Excessive exercise might be a problem, but a daily walk will not kill you.
Adrenal gland's role in heart failure examined
Filed under: Prevention, Research
Your heart is racing, to the point where it is at risk of failing. But, in a countermeasure atypical of the almost always smart-functioning human body, the adrenal gland responds with an excessive output of fight of flight hormones such as epinephrine and norepindephrine. In effect, the body mistakenly responds by making the heart beat even faster -- clearly a problem. Researchers from the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia are examining this cause and effect relationship, and hope that targeting the adrenal gland may help stave off heart failure altogether.
By blocking an important regulatory enzyme called GRK2, the researchers prevented the hormone production that causes the heart to pump in overdrive, which is what ultimately leads to heart failure. While previous examination of heart failure has targeted the heart alone as the source for failure, this supplementary look into the role of the adrenal gland may be an effective new prevention strategy.
In the past, doctors have used beta-blockers to block the hormones that force the heart to go berserk and beat like you ate a few handfulls of espresso beans and chased them with a twelve-pack of Red Bull. Researchers involved in this new study instead focused on the adrenal gland, and were able to prevent heart failure in laboratory animals. The researchers are hopeful that their findings will lead to a new class of medication.
Test for congenital heart disease used immediately
Filed under: Research
The application of research into actual everyday practice is typically something that takes years to happen. Scientific findings are tested, re-tested, scrutinized, re-scrutinized, etc. But, a new diagnostic test to predict heart failure has gone into immediate clinical practice. This new test, which can help doctors evaluate cardiac function, looks for B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in patients, thereby giving doctors diagnose and treat congestive heart failure.
Published as an article in the February 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch, the information contained therein highlights the family of hormones to which BNP belongs, usually called natriuretic peptides. These particular type of peptides are the heart's natural line of defense that blocks stress, and also plays a crucial role in promoting proper circulation. They also lower blood pressure, promote urine excretion, relax blood vessels, and reduce the heart's workload. All in all, these peptides are a very good thing to have working.
What the doctors discovered during their most recent study of BNP is that an overload of this peptide in the blood stream could signal the early stages of congestive heart failure. This is because when people have congestive heart failure, they are often unable to pump blood efficiently, causing the heart chambers to swell with blood. As the heart cells are pushed past their normal size by the swelling, they produce extra BNP.
Scientists are now looking into the possible role of BNP in coronary artery disease. If a link is found, it will be interesting to find out if a related diagnostic test will be utilized as immediately as the test for congestive heart failure has been.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | CommentsWearble device text messages hospital during heart attack
Filed under: Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health
Technology, especially medical technology, is constantly amazing me. Take, for instance, this device, which uses Bluetooth technology. It takes periodic ECG readings of the heart, and if it detects imminent heart failure, it will transmit that information to a user's cell phone. The cell phone then text messages the nearest medical center. The device is meant to be used by patients who have already suffered a cardiovascular event, and was created to help those patients get medical help more quickly in the event of a second attack.The Wearable Cardiac Telemedicine System will hopefully ease the minds of patients and help them to lead a more mobile life. It appears to still be in the development stages, but heart patients may soon have it available to them for use.
Double the heart risk for Avandia and Actos
Filed under: Type 2, Childhood, Adult Onset, Drugs, Research, Daily News
More negative news on Avandia, and this time Actos is implicated, too. Avandia and Actos are thiazolinediones, oral meds used to treat people with type 2 diabetes. A new study by US and UK researchers examining research and case reports on over 78,000 takers of thiazolinediones reveals double the risk of heart failure.
Here is the statistic that struck me, especially when you consider the millions of people taking these drugs. Study authors stated there is one extra heart failure for every 50 type 2s taking thiazolinediones over a 26-month period. Chilling. Lead author, Dr. Sonal Singh, stated more than 3 million take these drugs in the US, which equates to several thousand potentially harmed. More fire for the growing pool of litigation.
Interestingly, the amount of the drug does not seem to play a role -- the study found risk occurred equally at low or high doses, with an average of 24 weeks from starting a prescription to heart failure. Men and women are at equal risk, and 25 percent of cases affected people under the age of 60. The study points toward fluid retention as the possible cause of heart failure in Avandia or Actos-takers, as both cause retention of fluid. Co-researcher, Dr. Curt Furburg, stated the findings support a black box warning on both Avandia and Actos. Read more on this research in Medical News Today. The study will appear in the August print issue of Diabetes Care.
An outside advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration is meeting Monday, July 30 to address GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia mess. Perhaps a similar panel will be meeting in the future to discuss Takeda's Actos, too. Check out the FDA's briefing document for Monday's meeting. Keep in mind, it is 436 pages. See page two -- I wonder what the panel's answer will be to Draft Question #4?
"Mission Lifeline" to battle the deadliest heart attacks
Filed under: American Heart Association
The deadliest form of heart attack, which involves total blockage of a heart artery and is called an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), is hopefully about to get a little less deadly. The American Heart Association is planning to launch a new community-based program called "Mission Lifeline" specifically designed to improve treatment times for patients suffering from this type of heart attack. The plan will focus both on teaching patients to recognize the symptoms of a heart attack sooner and call 911, and on establishing reliable speedy systems to transport the patients in need to appropriately equipped hospitals.
Popular diabetes drug Avandia poses heart attack risk for type 2 diabetics
Filed under: Type 2, Adult Onset, Drugs
When my mom was first diagnosed with diabetes in the late 1990s, her internist prescribed Rezulin, a popular diabetes drug approved in 1997. Then one day the phone rang. Her internist called to alert her Rezulin was causing fatal liver failure and he wanted her off the drug immediately.
Now Avandia, a popular diabetes drug which helps sensitize the body to insulin, is on the hotseat. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine by Dr. Steven Nissen and statistician Kathy Wolski at the Cleveland Clinic suggests Avandia significantly raises the risk of heart attack for type 2 diabetics.
Nissen pooled results of nearly 28,000 people across dozens of studies, revealing a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack for Avandia users compared to diabetics prescribed different drugs or no diabetes medication at all. Two-thirds of type 2 diabetics die of heart problems. With a 43 percent higher risk, Avandia may be downright dangerous.
GlaxoSmithKline PLC, maker of Avandia, disputes Nissen's analysis, but admitted a similar review revealed a 30 percent increased risk. I don't know about you, but a 30 percent higher risk of heart attack frightens me. Glaxo did say further rigorous studies did not confirm an excess risk.
I suspect the phones will soon be ringing in the homes of Avandia-prescribed type 2 diabetics. And it's not good news.
Rats it's a Virus
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Lifestyle, Drugs, Research
No kidding! The rats are leading researchers to triggering events causing diabetes. The new findings suggest that there is, indeed, a genetic susceptibility to diabetes, but that the precipitating event is a viral infection.
The virus in question is the Ljungan virus. Previous reports indicate that infections with the Ljungan virus can induce diabetes in laboratory rats, and that the diabetes can be reversed if the animals are treated with antiviral drugs before the destruction of insulin-secreting islet cells becomes widespread.
I'm not sure how everybody else out there got their D-card. My diagnosing event happened shortly after I had the chicken pox, back in '85. The childhood christening event apparently left me out in the cold and caused the love-hate relationship between my islets and my insulin autoantibodies. Lucky me. Thanks to all the readers out there who have already shared their sequence of diagnosis with me. What's your story? Please, share with us.
10 things you need to know about your heart problems
Filed under: Drugs, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health, Aging Heart Health, Surgery
You've been diagnosed with a heart problem. You have a lot of questions but you can't seem to get your head around this, this thing that's just been dropped on you like bomb. You probably feel very alone but believe it or not, situations like this are pretty common so WebMD has come up with this handy list of things you should ask your doctor about your heart condition. You need to know the facts, what can be done and where you'll end up on this roller coaster of life--and you might not know which questions to ask. Either that or you're too overwhelmed to think it through. You can even print the list out and take it to your doctor.
If you've gone through this before, what information did you find the most useful?
What you need to know about coronary heart disease
Filed under: Prevention, Research, Women Heart Health, Men Heart Health
How much do you know about coronary heart disease? I'll admit that I don't know much -- afterall, I'm young and healthy and far from heart problems ... at least I hope I am. But everyone should be informed about their health. We don't need medical degrees but we should know what risks we face and what arising symptoms could mean.Dr. Naidu of Heart Matters recently posted this info on coronary heart disease, including the risk factors and prevention methods. By living a healthy lifestyle, not smoking, being active and managing my stress, I'm doing pretty well at preventing coronary heart disease, and it's good to know what I'm doing right. Don't you think?