Search Results for: blog risk factors for heart disease

Men Can Inherit Heart Disease From Their Father

You may have heard that heart disease is something that can run in families. A new study shows that there is a form of heart disease that a father can give to his son via the Y chromosome. Genealogists who are putting together a medical family tree might want to make a note of this discovery. Heart disease can run in families. Does it run in yours? Your parents might know the answer to that question. Genealogists can ask family members if any relatives have been diagnosed with heart disease. Ask if anyone was diabetic, or had high blood pressure, … Continue reading →

Family History and Heart Disease

Heart disease is a very scary thing. It is important for people to know whether they are at a higher risk for developing heart disease than other people so that they can take steps to decrease that risk as much as possible. Fortunately, you can find out about your personal heart disease risk by doing some family history research and sharing your findings with your doctor. In order to get an idea of whether heart disease runs in your family, ask your parents. If at all possible, find out whether your parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and great grandparents had … Continue reading →

Midlife Fitness Level May Predict Future Heart Health

What if there was a way to predict what your future heart health might look like? Well there just may be and it’s done by measuring your fitness level mid-life, starting in your 40’s. Two studies were done…one by the Cooper Institute in Dallas and another by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. The results of both indicated that potential heart problems could be predicted by determining your level of fitness. We already know that certain risk factors can also indicate whether or not you are more likely to have future heart problems, such as smoking and obesity. But … Continue reading →

Stocks, Weather, and Heart Attacks

Is there a link between the stock market and heart health? Researchers from Duke University think there might be. Researchers studied heart attack treatment data from Duke University’s hospital. They started with December 2007 — the beginning of the current recession — and stopped with the signs of economic recovery in July 2009. As Nasdaq stock market numbers sank, the number of heart attacks treated tended to rise. During the period studied, close to one thousand people suffered heart attacks and were treated at Duke University. Researchers found that when the stock market recovered, the number of heart attacks went … Continue reading →

Mild Glucose Intolerance and Heart Disease

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All pregnant women are screened for gestational diabetes. It’s a simple test that involves drinking a sugary drink, waiting about an hour and having your blood drawn to test your sugar levels. If test results come up abnormal, meaning elevated results, the patient will be asked to return for a second glucose tolerance test. Not all women who have abnormal test results actually have gestational diabetes. There are other factors that may affect the test results. Eating sugary foods before the test may result in a “failed test.” Usually a second test confirms normal glucose levels. Women with abnormal test … Continue reading →

Four Months without a Heart

A fourteen year old South Carolina girl survived for more than one hundred days without a heart in her chest. Since July 2008, D’Zhana Simmons had two heart transplants — and survived with artificial heart pumps instead of a heart between the two surgeries. That’s a total of one hundred and eighteen days without an actual heart in her chest. When the Simmons family found out that D’Zhana had an enlarged heart that was too weak to pump blood properly, they traveled to Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami for a transplant. The heart she received in July 2008 didn’t work … Continue reading →

Three Major Indicators of Heart Attack

The signs of a heart attack can be subtle. Remember my friend who didn’t realize he had a heart attack? Not everyone experiences the same symptoms in the same way when they’re having a heart attack. Knowing yourself is a great way to start. Are you familiar with your risk factors? Have you had your cholesterol levels and blood pressure tested within the last year? If you aren’t at high risk for a heart attack, that chest pain might be gas or heartburn. That pain in your arm might be from rearranging the furniture. But if you are at risk, … Continue reading →

Tips for Reducing Your Stroke Risk

A stroke can strike at any age — it isn’t just a problem for senior citizens. Women between the ages of forty-five and fifty-four are at especially high risk of a stroke. What can you do to protect yourself? Here are some tips from the American Stroke Association. Manage blood pressure. High blood pressure encourages plaque build-up… plaque can form clots that cause stroke. Get your blood pressure levels checked at least every other year. Manage cholesterol. High cholesterol also encourages plaque build-up… plaque can form clots. Get your cholesterol levels checked at least every five years. Quit smoking! Lighting … Continue reading →

Can Calcium Prevent Disease?

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Calcium is essential for the body’s bones. But this mineral has a big role in preventing other health problems, too! Calcium has been associated with lowering blood pressure (and the risk of high blood pressure). Researchers have noted that a vegetarian diet that is high in minerals (including calcium, magnesium, and potassium), high in fiber, and low in fat tends to lead to lower blood pressure levels. Clinical studies have also looked at the effect of an increased calcium intake on blood pressure. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health tested different types of … Continue reading →

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Risks and Precautions

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Considering hormone replacement therapy? Here are some things to think about. The FDA recommends that certain women do not use hormone replacement therapy: Women who might be pregnant Women with a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer Women with a personal history of certain forms of endometrial cancer Women with a personal history of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, or stroke Women who have active liver disease. (Though women with liver disease may be able to use hormone replacement therapy in patch form.) If you fall into those categories, talk to your doctors about alternative, non-hormonal treatments … Continue reading →