Cardiology News – Bianca Nogrady

Radiation exposure in children with heart disease highest for transplants

June 17, 2014No Comments

From Cardiology News, 9 June 2014: Children with heart disease are cumulatively exposed to relatively low levels of ionizing radiation from imaging procedures – less than the average annual background exposure in the United States – although those who have undergone more complex procedures such as heart transplants or cardiac catheterization experience significantly greater exposure, … Continue reading Radiation exposure in children with heart disease highest for transplants

Salt targets could reduce cardiovascular disease burden and health expenditures

May 6, 2014No Comments

From Cardiology News, 6 May 2014: MELBOURNE – Reducing salt intake to less than 5 g/day could reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease by 11% and significantly decrease out-of-pocket health expenditures, particularly among economically vulnerable middle-income households, according to a modeling study of South Africa’s salt reduction policy. The study used surveys and epidemiological data to … Continue reading Salt targets could reduce cardiovascular disease burden and health expenditures

Significant improvements in adherence, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol with polypill

May 6, 2014No Comments

From Cardiology News, 6 May 2014: A polypill combining aspirin, simvastatin, and two antihypertensive drugs has shown a significant improvement in adherence as well as reductions in blood pressure and LDL cholesterol in patients with existing heart disease, according to data from a large international multicenter trial. The Single Pill to Avert Cardiovascular Events (SPACE) … Continue reading Significant improvements in adherence, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol with polypill

TNF inhibitors reduce coronary artery disease risk in rheumatoid arthritis

March 7, 2014No Comments

From Cardiology News, 27 February 2014: Use of tumor necrosis factor–alpha inhibitors was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of coronary artery disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly with longer term use of the drugs, in a retrospective cohort study. The study of 2,101 patients with incident RA diagnosed during 2001-2011 showed … Continue reading TNF inhibitors reduce coronary artery disease risk in rheumatoid arthritis