New directions for cardiovascular medicine (p 754)September 03, 2003Issue 6 September 2003 Embargoed 0001 h (London time) 5 September 2003. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in developed countries (over 700 000 deaths annually in the USA, 256 per 100 000 population). Worldwide, heart disease kills 15 million people a year and more than half of these deaths occur in the developing world. Today's Lancet presents six randomised controlled trials of drug interventions in heart disease, with three accompanying commentaries. All the data were presented last week at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Vienna, Austria. Such drug therapies, inevitably expensive, may well benefit patients with access to them. This week's Lancet editorial (p 753) highlights good news from the Aug 30 agreement by the World Trade Organization (WTO), where the decision was made to now allow poor countries to import low-cost generic drugs. A previous WTO declaration had been taken as being limited to infectious diseases. "A heart patient in a poor nation has just as much right to effective drug treatment as does a patient with malaria, tuberculosis, or AIDS", says the editorial. | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
Related Heart Disease Current Events and Heart Disease News Articles Apple or pear shape is not main culprit to heart woes — it's liver fat For years, pear-shaped people who carry weight in the thighs and backside have been told they are at lower risk for high blood pressure and heart disease than apple-shaped people who carry fat in the abdomen. But new findings from nutrition researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggest body-shape comparisons don't completely explain risk. Cardiovascular disease causing increasing inequity between rich and poor A new paper released today by The George Institute for International Health is warning a cardiovascular disease based epidemic is gaining pace among many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), exemplified at its worst in the world's largest populated countries - China and India. Fruit fly research may lead to better understanding of human heart disease Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have shown in both fruit flies and humans that genes involved in embryonic heart development are also integral to adult heart function. The study, led by Rolf Bodmer, Ph.D., was published in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. Presence of gum disease may help dentists and physicians identify risk for cardiovascular disease Individuals reporting a history of periodontal disease were more likely to have increased levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease, compared to those who reported no history of periodontal disease. Estrogen therapy could be dangerous for women with existing heart risk Hormone therapy could accentuate certain pre-existing heart disease risk factors and a heart health evaluation should become the norm when considering estrogen replacement, new research suggests. Researchers identify how binge drinking may drive heart disease As the holidays arrive, a group of researchers has identified the precise mechanisms by which binge drinking contributes to clogs in arteries that lead to heart attack and stroke, according to a study published today in the journal Atherosclerosis. Why women should eat less, move more and consider wearing transdermal HRT patches during menopause Weight and appetite experts from around the world met at a conference in Bangkok earlier this year to discuss sex differences in obesity. One line of discussion looked at factors leading to women's weight gain during menopause, and how it might be avoided. Mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and cancer give clues to new therapies Cardiovascular conditions leading to heart attacks and strokes are treated quite separately from common cancers of the prostate, breast or lung, but now turn out to involve some of the same critical mechanisms at the molecular level. Scientists discover 21st century plague Bacteria that can cause serious heart disease in humans are being spread by rat fleas, sparking concern that the infections could become a bigger problem in humans. MU study reveals effective anti-tobacco ads should either scare or disgust viewers Now's the perfect time to increase anti-smoking campaigns - Nov. 20 is the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout. More Heart Disease Current Events and Heart Disease News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||