It is well known that so-called “hyperactive” blood platelets can result in abnormal blood clotting and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. But measuring the clumping tendency—called aggregometry—to develop accurate patient risk assessments is not currently possible due to broad variations in lab testing methods.…

An updated cardiovascular disease risk calculator released late last year by the American Heart Association (AHA), touted as more precise than its predecessor, could unintentionally lead to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke risk over 10 years, if current treatment guidelines for cholesterol and blood pressure therapy remain…

A recent study led by researchers at Cleveland Clinic has linked the sugar substitute xylitol to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Published in the European Heart Journal, the study found that higher levels of xylitol in the bloodstream are associated with a heightened risk of cardiovascular events,…

A retrospective study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan (U-M) Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center found that fewer than one-in-four patients who had experienced a major heart condition—such as heart attack or heart failure—received dietary counseling after the occurrence. The findings, published in the Journal of the Academy of…

An international team of researchers, led by the Medical University of Vienna and the University Hospital of Würzburg has uncovered crucial insights into the underlying mechanisms of atherosclerosis. Arterial blockage stemming from atherosclerosis remains a leading cause of heart attacks and strokes worldwide, revealing an urgent need for breakthroughs in…

Research lead by a team from Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany has shown that coronary artery calcium scoring with CT can identify patients identify which patients are at a very low risk of heart attack or stroke. The findings may one day help patients with stable chest pain, but a low risk…

A study of people with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, a rare inherited condition causing high cholesterol, shows men seem to be at higher risk of cardiac events such as heart attack as a result of their condition than women with the same disease. The research, published in JAMA Cardiology, showed that…

Biomedical engineers from Duke University report they have developed a method that combines smartwatch data with a digital twin framework that can predict a patient’s risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. The method can digitally mimic an entire week’s worth of an individual’s heartbeat, far eclipsing…

SARS-CoV-2 increases the risk of heart attack and stroke by causing fatty plaque in cardiac arteries to become highly inflamed, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings, published in the journal Nature Cardiovascular Research, may help explain why certain people who get COVID-19 have a greater chance of developing…

Women who are postmenopausal are at higher risk of heart attacks than men of similar age and levels of atherosclerosis, according to results of a large study presented at EACVI 2023, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). “Since atherosclerotic plaque burden is emerging as a target…

Women who experience pre-eclampsia have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke than their peers within just seven years after delivery. Their risk remains elevated more than 20 years later. This finding came from a study of more than one million pregnant women published this week in the European Journal…

Researchers have developed a deep learning tool that predicts a patient’s 10-year risk of death from a heart attack or stroke using a single X-ray. Results of the study were presented this week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The team’s CXR-CVD risk model performed similarly…

A simple and inexpensive blood test can predict how likely someone is to die in the three years following a heart attack, according to research led by the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is known to be a marker of inflammation, and…

A set of genes underlying coronary artery disease (CAD) and triggering heart attacks has been identified in a major new study. Researchers uncovered 162 candidate CAD genes, which affect between one to seven disease-relevant tissues/cell types, including the arterial wall, blood, liver, skeletal muscle, adipose, foam cells, and macrophages. The…

Genetic variants have been linked with a higher risk of having a heart attack, permitting the calculation of polygenic risk scores (PRS) that quantify patients’ inherited susceptibility based on the number of variants they have. A team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of Massachusetts…