Moderate-to-high TV viewing in midlife linked to later cognitive and brain health decline
Research Highlights:
- Television viewing is a type of sedentary behavior that is cognitively passive or does not require much thought.
- Moderate-to-high amounts of television viewing during midlife are associated with greater declines in cognitive function and lower gray matter volumes in the brain.
- Higher amounts […]
U.S. CVD death rate drops overall, county-level data signals ongoing regional disparities
Research Highlights:
- Nationwide, death rates from cardiovascular disease have declined over the past few decades.
- A new county-by-county analysis reveals that despite the overall improvement, the counties with the lowest and highest death rates have, for the most part, maintained those rankings.
- The researchers found […]
2016 U.S. presidential election skewed BP, heart rhythms in those with existing conditions
Research Highlights:
- Two new studies examined the possible heart health impact of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The uncertainty and divisiveness of elections can often cause stress for many people, similar to heightened stress associated with natural disasters, during which raised blood pressures […]
Prenatal detection of heart defects lower in rural, poor areas and among Hispanic women
Research Highlights:
- Living in rural areas, neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic levels or being of Hispanic ethnicity are associated with lower prenatal detection and later diagnosis of a congenital heart defect known as transposition of the great arteries.
- Similarly, living in neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic […]
Updated guidance issued for maintaining ethics and professionalism in cardiovascular care
Embargoed until 1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET Tuesday, May 11, 2021
DALLAS and Washington, D.C., May 11, 2021 – Issued today, a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) on medical ethics and […]
Undetected early heart damage raises risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Research Highlights:
- First-phase ejection fraction, a possible indicator of heart failure, is a strong predictor of survival in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
- Hospitalized patients who had impaired first-phase ejection fraction were nearly 5 times more likely to die from COVID-19 compared to patients with normal […]
Managing children’s weight, blood pressure & cholesterol protects brain function mid-life
Research Highlights:
- Having high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or obesity from childhood through middle age were linked to poorer brain function by middle age.
- These cardiovascular risk factors were linked with low memory, learning, visual processing, attention span, and reaction and movement time.
- Strategies to […]
Small study shows heart damage after COVID-19 uncommon in college athletes
Research Highlights:
- In a small study, 82% of the college athletes with COVID-19 had symptoms, of which the majority were mild and did not require treatment.
- Further screening via cardiac MRI of the 4% of athletes identified with heart abnormalities found no heart damage […]
Air pollution linked to high blood pressure in children; other studies address air quality and the heart
Research Highlights:
- A meta-analysis of 14 air pollution studies from around the world found that exposure to high levels of air pollutants during childhood increases the likelihood of high blood pressure in children and adolescents, and the risk of hypertension later in life.
- A […]
Close monitoring for heart risk needed if breast, prostate cancer treatment includes hormones
Statement Highlights:
- Patients with breast and prostate cancers who are treated with hormonal therapies have an increased risk of heart attack and/or stroke as they age.
- The increased likelihood of a heart attack or stroke is greater in patients who already have two or […]