Cardiology

The US Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of Entresto for the treatment of heart failure.

Researchers have found a genetic cause for the increased coronary artery disease risk experienced by some patients with migraine; however, this relationship may be limited to those who suffer from a specific kind of migraine.

A recent study assessed patients with diabetes for the effects of perceived racial discrimination encountered during care, focusing on treatment outcomes such as glycemic control, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol levels.

A 36-year-old man presents to his primary care physician's office for follow-up after being told he had an abnormal ECG at a health fair he attended. He has no complaints. He is sedentary and does not participate in any exercise or athletic activity.

While treating our patients' depression is a crucial aspect of sound pain management practice in primary care, the analgesic effects of certain antidepressants, particularly for select types of chronic pain, should also not be underestimated.

With much fanfare earlier this month, the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration endorsed approval of 2 new highly-anticipated, injectable agents for lowering cholesterol, alirocumab and evolocumab. Although the FDA is not obliged to follow these recommendations, it is a only a matter of time before these two proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 inhibitors will be available by prescription in the United States.

You see a 48-year-old white man for his annual examination. He is in good health with no major medical problems and an unremarkable medical history. He states he regularly drinks one or two beers a day on the weekend but not usually on weekdays. He denies blood transfusions, tattoos or intravenous drugs. His father had diabetes. Physical examination is notable for the patient being mildly obese with a body mass index of 32.

Dr. Arruda is a hematology researcher at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and an associate professor of Pediatrics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His laboratory focuses on gene-based strategies for the treatment of bleeding and thrombotic diseases.

There is consistent observational data that identifies concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors for gastroesophageal reflux disease and clopidogrel following acute coronary syndrome increases the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events. While a variety of theories exist (lower pH alters absorption, etc.), no clear factor has been identified.

This study was a meta-analysis that examined the association between sedentary behavior and hospitalizations, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer in adults.

This prospective epidemiological study compares the capabilities of the new 2013 American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology ASCVD risk calculator against several alternative cardiovascular risk calculators and explores the potential effect of preventive therapy on risk overestimation in the AHA-ACC-ASCVD model.

Pediatric-onset lupus erythematosus (pSLE) frequently involves care coordination between rheumatologists and nephrologists. Almost half of all patients with pSLE will develop some form of lupus nephritis, which requires prolonged (and often toxic) therapy.

Public health ad campaigns are not so prevalent as they were a few decades ago. Primary care doctors in South Carolina have taken over where Madison Avenue left off. Cardiovascular disease has since fallen.

As the US population ages, better primary care is essential to keeping costs down. But so far, the new focus on that specialty has not resulted in adequate reimbursement, said Brent Egan, MD, speaking June 27 at a meeting of primary care physicians in Charleston, SC. He believes that will change.

Researchers have shown that the tendency of atrial fibrillation to impair cognitive function stems, at least in part, from a reduction in blood flow to the brain.

The "sweet spot" where blood pressure control reduces cardiovascular risk without undue side effects may actually be a little higher than traditionally recommended for people with diabetes between ages 60 and 85.

While everyone has the fibroblast 23 hormone there has been some research into whether it can be linked to diseases and other conditions that can make some people sick.

An aging population of hemophilia patients is at risk for various cardiovascular diseases.

Mark Twain said, "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in 7 years."

What's the story with salt? Dietary guidelines for adults – especially those who are older, black, have elevated blood pressures, diabetes or chronic kidney disease – recommend consuming less than 1500 mg daily.

Colorectal surgery is often performed for inflammatory disease or malignancy-known risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Although a patient safety priority, comprehensive recommendations for these VTE patients are lacking. Most patients receive perioperative and in-hospital VTE chemoprophylaxis, but extended prophylaxis rates lag.

After 8 iterations of JNC, hypertension therapy has its very own innate complexity. It seems that some things never change-such as thiazide diuretics for hypertension-or have they?

Advanced lipid testing can be useful in predicting cardiac risk, but tests are often underutilized.

The medical world is eagerly awaiting the likely approval this summer of two new cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as PCSK9 inhibitors. But at a cost of $7,000 to $12,000 a year, they won't be for everyone.

Lipid management is a complex issue. Peter Jones, MD, a Houston, TX, internist who specializes in lipidology, offers advice to primary care physicians trying to sort out competing treatment guidelines.

Only 1 in 6 heart transplants is done in a child, which means that globally, approximately 600 children undergo this procedure annually. A paper published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease makes the case for performing pediatric heart transplants in specialized centers and addressing factors unique to the pediatric patient.

Effective clinical research into the causes and treatments associated with large vessel vasculitis can be a challenge. The rarity of the disease limits the potential for randomized, controlled trials and the paucity of generally accepted outcome measures makes it difficult to assess treatments. A study in The Journal of Rheumatology outlined a concerted effort to tackle both of these challenges.

Although a promising Ebola vaccine trial was recently closed, a different type of drug may prove to be an effective treatment for the deadly disease.

Dietary trans fatty acids have had their heyday and are fading from the American food landscape. Once ubiquitous in margarine, snack food, packaged baked goods, and fried fast food, they have been associated with adverse effects on lipid profiles, metabolic function, insulin resistance, inflammation, and cardiac and general health.