People whose “bad” cholesterol and risk of future heart disease stay too high despite cholesterol-lowering statin therapy can safely lower it by adding a drug that mimics the action of thyroid hormone. In a report published in the Mar. 11, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Johns Hopkins and Swedish researchers say an experimental drug called eprotirome lowered cholesterol up to 32 percent in those already on statins, an effect equal to that expected from doubling the statin drug doses, without harmful side effects…

Enhance National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported research to improve health, spur economic growth and innovation and science. American Heart Association patient advocates and researchers today delivered that message to members of Congress during the association’s Research Saves Lives Fly-In Lobby Day. Many heart disease and stroke survivors have benefited from advances as a result of NIH-supported research. However, despite progress and promising research opportunities, there is still no cure for heart disease or stroke…

Diabetes affects approximately 8 percent of the people in the United States and adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates two to four times higher than adults without diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. A new study shows that primary care physicians believe the barriers that put patients with uncontrolled diabetes at risk for cardiovascular disease as being patient-related or system-related…

A study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers found that obese children as young as 3 years old have elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that in adults is considered an early warning sign for possible future heart disease. In addition, the study found elevated levels of two other inflammatory markers - the ratio of ferritin/transferrin saturation (F/T) and the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) - in obese children. Elevated F/T levels started at age 6 and elevated ANC levels were found starting at age 9…

A study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers found that obese children as young as 3 years old have elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that in adults is considered an early warning sign for possible future heart disease. In addition, the study found elevated levels of two other inflammatory markers - the ratio of ferritin/transferrin saturation (F/T) and the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) - in obese children. Elevated F/T levels started at age 6 and elevated ANC levels were found starting at age 9…

With the realization that half of the people experiencing a sudden mortal heart attack were taking aspirin on the day of their demise, researchers have begun to search for a more reliable alternative, and they may have found it in a red wine molecule called resveratrol (rez-vair-ah-trawl). Researchers at the University of Connecticut induced heart attacks in animals and found resveratrol significantly reduces damage to heart muscle. Scarring and fibrosis were limited and the animals survived an otherwise mortal event. Dipak Das, Ph.D., Sc.D…

Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not approve the additional indication for Bystolic(R) (nebivolol) tablets as a treatment for stable chronic heart failure (CHF) as requested in the company’s Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA). Bystolic is currently approved in the US for the treatment of hypertension…

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) can be difficult to accurately diagnose and equally difficult to effectively treat. To overcome the many obstacles to managing the care of patients with HAE, healthcare professionals must be aware of the most up-to-date clinical data regarding HAE diagnosis and treatment. To address the need for current education on HAE, Robert Michael Educational Institute LLC (RMEI) and Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) are jointly sponsoring a complimentary continuing education virtual lecture titled Hereditary Angioedema: Viewpoints From the Experts…

Single or unhappily married men may have an elevated risk of fatal stroke in the coming decades, according to a large study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2010. The findings are based on earlier work in which researchers examined 10,059 civil servants and municipal workers (average age 49) who participated in the Israeli Ischemic Heart Disease Study in 1963. Using the national death registry and other records, researchers tracked the fate of the men through 1997, the last year for which underlying causes of death had been coded…

As we continue to watch heart disease, stroke and other chronic illnesses drain the lifeblood from too many of our communities, we all must resolve and commit to an even greater and more integrated approach to combating risk factors and promoting good health through policy and environmental change. This is why the American Heart Association is excited by the release of the new, landmark report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranking the health of counties across the U.S…