People with atrial fibrillation have a reduced risk of dementia if they undergo a procedure called catheter ablation to restore the normal rhythm of their heart, according to a new study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Previous work, published last year in the EHJ, by the same group of researchers showed that atrial […]
Category: Cardiology
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease in women treated for breast cancer can be predicted with computer analysis of routine scans
Automated analysis of breast cancer patients’ routine scans can predict which women have a greater than one in four risk of going on to develop cardiovascular disease, according to research presented at the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference. Women who have been treated for breast cancer may have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease […]
‘Selfies’ could be used to detect heart disease: new research uses artificial intelligence to analyse facial photos
Sending a “selfie” to the doctor could be a cheap and simple way of detecting heart disease, according to the authors of a new study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. The study is the first to show that it’s possible to use a deep learning computer algorithm to detect coronary artery disease (CAD) […]
First comparison of dangers of tobacco cigarettes, e-cigarettes and water pipes
Any smoking and vaping technique may increase risk of COVID-19 infection and death Smoking and vaping, whether by means of tobacco cigarettes, e-cigarettes or waterpipes, stiffens the arteries, causes inflammation and damages DNA, leading to a variety of health problems, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. In addition, smoking and […]
High blood pressure linked to increased risk of dying from COVID-19
Patients with raised blood pressure have a two-fold increased risk of dying from the coronavirus COVID-19 compared to patients without high blood pressure, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal [1]. In addition, the study found that patients with high blood pressure who were not taking medication to control the condition were […]
Men’s blood contains greater concentrations of enzyme that helps COVID-19 infect cells
Finding may explain why men with heart failure suffer more from the coronavirus than women Evidence from a large study of several thousand patients shows that men have higher concentrations of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in their blood than women. Since ACE2 enables the coronavirus to infect healthy cells, this may help to explain why […]
Bariatric surgery is linked to significantly fewer heart attacks and strokes
A nationwide study of nearly 7,500 people who are obese or severely obese has found that bariatric surgery is linked to significantly fewer heart attacks and strokes. The study, which is published in the European Heart Journal [1], found there were 60% fewer fatal and non-fatal heart attacks and stroke among 3,701 men and women […]
The world faces an air pollution ‘pandemic’. Researchers say people’s lives are shortened by an average of nearly three years worldwide from different sources of air pollution
Air pollution is responsible for shortening people’s lives worldwide on a scale far greater than wars and other forms of violence, parasitic and vector-born diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and smoking, according to a study published in Cardiovascular Research [1]. Professors Jos Lelieveld and Thomas Münzel, of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the […]
Study of 418,000 Europeans finds different foods linked to different types of stroke
Different types of food are linked to risks of different types of stroke, according to the largest study to investigate this, published in the European Heart Journal [1]. Until now, most studies have looked at the association between food and total stroke (all types of stroke combined), or focused on ischaemic stroke only. However, the […]
Bleeding may be a sign of bowel cancer not just a side-effect of blood-thinning drugs: study of 125,500 atrial fibrillation patients
Patients who are being treated with blood-thinning drugs for irregular heart beat should always be investigated for bowel cancer if they experience gastrointestinal bleeding, say the authors of a study published in the European Heart Journal [1]. If doctors see bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation, they may assume that it is due to oral […]