Health News

Poor Countries More Affected by Strokes
In the United States deaths from strokes are declining, dropping from the No. 3 cause of death to No. 4. But poor countries are still reporting disproportionately higher rates of disability and fatalities from strokes.
Minimizing Adverse Reactions by Stopping the Bleeding
Patients with acute coronary syndromes often must resort to stents or balloon angioplasty to relieve artery constriction. Now the European Society of Cardiology is suggesting new strategies to minimize bleeding during such procedures.
Overweight kids develop more psoriasis
Overweight children have a significantly higher prevalence of psoriasis - and they are also at higher risk for heart disease that starts in childhood with higher cholesterol levels.
Cardiac Patients Not Getting Needed Drugs
Millions suffer some from some type of heart disease; from high cholesterol to more complicated heart issues. For many patients treatment is as easy as a simple daily medication.
Smoking Drug Chantix Risky for Heart Patients
U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials recently warned smokers with a history of heart disease that taking smoking cessation drug varenicline (Chantix) could could put them at added risk for a heart attack or peripheral vascular disease.
New Data Discovered in Blood Clot Formation
Scripps Research Institute scientists have discovered new elements of the blood clot formation process, a finding that could lead to new methods for preventing heart attacks and strokes.
Calls for Vulnerable Plaque Research
Hoping to spark action, the European Society of Cardiology Working Group of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology has published a position paper to bring fatty plaques into the forefront, as well as the need for more therapies to reduce that accumulation.
Hispanic Women Have Greater Heart Risk
With an increase in gestational diabetes in recent years, researchers had grown concerned that could spell lingering heart disease concerns for many new mothers. A recent study shows that is not the case except for certain high-risk populations.
(UPDATE 12/15) FDA Announces New Safety Recommendations For High-Dose Simvastatin
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today is announcing safety label changes for the cholesterol-lowering medication simvastatin because the highest approved dose--80 milligram (mg)--has been associated with an elevated risk of muscle injury or myopathy , particularly during the first 12 months of use.
Extinguishing Tobacco Deaths Around the World
Did you know that tobacco will kill 6 million people around the world this year? And by 2030, that number will be 8 million. The World Health Organization (WHO) is leading the fight against this epidemic.