Heart Health Special Weekly Update

Can Your Heart Really Break?

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, yes it can. Broken heart syndrome seems to especially affect patients who have recently lost a spouse or other family member. It appears to have little to do with coronary artery disease, rather it is typically triggered by acute emotion or physical trauma that releases a surge of adrenaline that overwhelms the heart. The effect is to freeze much of the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, disrupting its ability to contract and effectively pump blood. Formally known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy, it mostly afflicts women after menopause, possibly because lower levels of the hormone estrogen make heart cells in some women more vulnerable to an adrenaline rush. It can be fatal on occasion, but for the most part patients recover quickly, with no lasting damage to their hearts. Doctors don’t yet understand the mechanism that causes broken-heart syndrome. Nor are there any established ways to identify people who might be susceptible or known strategies to reduce risk.

Click here to read the full Wall Street Journal article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703615904575053443911673752.html

Heart Attacks are on the Rise Among Middle Aged Women

This rise in heart attacks among women may be due to higher rates of smoking and an uptick in diabetes (most likely because of obesity). It also may be due to the fact that doctors are getting better at diagnosing heart attacks. However, a study published in Circulation showed that female heart attack patients may not suffer the typical symptom of acute chest pain. Instead, they were more likely to have weakness, breathlessness, and fatigue. Nausea, dizziness, feelings of indigestion, and back pain were also linked to women’s heart attacks. This is a problem, because many women are less likely to recognize that they’re having a heart attack and seek care. Another threat to middle-aged women’s hearts is a gender gap in recognizing and addressing risk factors that can be prevented, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and smoking. Here are five things women can do to avoid a middle-aged heart attack:

1. Recognize your risk. Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death among U.S. women.
2. Know your numbers. BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, as  well as your family history.
3. Consider getting an ECG. People with one or more heart disease risk factors—such as family history of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, abnormal  cholesterol readings, tobacco use, excess weight, poor diet, and physical inactivity—should get an electrocardiogram (ECG) in their 40s.
4. Upgrade your health habits. Eat right, exercise regularly, and don’t smoke.
5. Take a holistic approach.  Pay attention to your overall health.

Click here to read the full WebMD article: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/heart-attacks-hit-middle-aged-women

Risk of Heart Attack Is Greater Among Women with Gout Than Men

In a new study to be published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, research has found that women with gout are at greater risk of a heart attack than men with the disease. A fairly common disease, gout is caused by inflammation in the joints as a result of excess uric acid deposits from the breakdown of purines. Purines are part of all human tissue and found in many foods, including beer, yeast, organ meats, meat gravies, and anchovies, among others. It is generally precipitated by obesity, weight gain, high alcohol intake, high blood pressure, poorly functioning kidneys and certain drugs. Gout is known to increase the risk of heart attack in men, but little has been known about its impact on women’s cardiovascular health. This study, which included more than 9,500 gout patients and 48, 000 people without the disease, aged 65 and older, found that compared with women without gout, those who did were 39% more likely to have a heart attack of any kind and 41% more likely to have a non-fatal heart attack. The risks were significantly higher among the women than among the men who were only 11% more likely than those without the disease to have a heart attack.

Click here to read the full Science Daily story: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100207214124.htm

Seven Steps for Heart Health

The American Heart Association (AHA) has just published its National Goals for Cardiovascular Health Promotion and Disease Reduction in a recent issue of Circulation. In it, the AHA claims that most 50-year-olds who adhere to their 7 factors for heart health can live another 40 years free of stroke and heart disease. These 7 factors include not smoking, keeping a slender physique, exercising, eating a healthy diet, and keeping cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar in check. And while many of us may believe we’re doing all, or many of these things, a recent survey by the AHA showed that 39% of Americans thought they had ideal heart health, yet 54% of those had been told they had either a heart disease risk factor or needed to make a lifestyle change to improve heart health, or both. So, the AHA has introduced an online quiz to gauge how close we are to that ideal. The site also offers tips for improvement. Doctors say the quiz is a good way for people to get a handle on how they’re doing, especially since people often think they’re doing better than they actually are.

Click here to read the full MSNBC story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34953484/ns/health-heart_health/

Six Unexpected Heart Attack Triggers

If you or someone you know has a history of heart trouble, there are some surprising situations to be aware of. A recent article on MSNBC.com says that according to Harvard researchers, the risk of heart attack increases 40% in the morning. As you awaken, your body secretes adrenaline and other hormones, increasing blood pressure and a demand for oxygen. Your blood is also thicker and harder to pump because you’re partially dehydrated. And 20% more heart attacks occur on Monday mornings, probably due in part to the stress of a new work week. Public speaking engagements are not surprisingly, next on the list as extreme nervousness raises blood pressure, heart rate, and adrenaline levels. Also, apparently after eating a high-fat, high-carb meal the risk is greater, because those foods constrict blood vessels, making blood more prone to clot. The strain during a bowel movement increases pressure in the chest, slowing the return of blood to the heart and can lead to a heart attack. And last on the list is vigorous exercise, where a heart attack can occur if you’re not accustomed to that kind of effort causing stress hormones to rise, along with blood pressure and heart rate.

Click here to read the full MSNBC story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34092793/ns/health-heart_health/

Can Bad Cholesterol Levels Get Too Low?

According to recent research, few if any problems resulted from the reduction of LDL levels below the usual guidelines. For patients who are at very high risk for cardiac disease, updated guidelines endorsed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute say that LDL-lowering treatment to get levels below 70 milligrams is an option. Even those who argued against drastic reduction goals said the most valuable therapeutic results were achieved with an LDL reduction of 30% to 40% in high-risk patients, regardless of the original level.

A little bit about cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as “bad” cholesterol; high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is known as “good” cholesterol. Too much bad cholesterol can lead to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, which can then lead to heart attack or stroke. High levels of good cholesterol, on the other hand, seem to protect against heart attack. According to the Mayo Clinic there are 5 top foods that can lower your cholesterol and protect your heart. They are: oatmeal and oat bran; walnuts almonds, and other nuts; fish and omega-3 fatty acids; olive oil; and foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols. Read more about these foods at MayoClinic.com.

Click here to read the full New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/science/09qna.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y