Cardiovascular - October 2013 Archives

Early menopause is risk factor, research presented at American College of Rheumatology meeting shows SAN DIEGO — Oct. 26, 2013 — People with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions are at higher risk of heart disease. Who is in the most danger, why and how best to prevent and detect cardiovascular complications are important questions for physicians and researchers. Mayo Clinic studies presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting shed new light on this connection, in part by revealing factors that seem to put some rheumatoid arthritis patients in greater jeopardy of heart problems: early menopause, more severe rheumatoid arthritis and immunity to a common virus, cytomegalovirus, among others. MULTIMEDIA ALERT: Video of Dr. Matteson is available for download from the Mayo Clinic News Network. In one study, Mayo researchers discovered that patients whose rheumatoid arthritis is more severe are likelier to have heart problems. That becomes true soon after rheumatoid arthritis strikes, making early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis important, says co-author Eric Matteson, M.D., chair of rheumatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Early menopause is risk factor, research presented at American College of Rheumatology meeting shows People with rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions are ...

A heart attack typically occurs unexpectedly, it often causes chest pain, and it is diagnosed by recording the electrical activity of the heart (electrocardiogram) and by measurement of a heart muscle protein in the blood (troponin or CK-MB). All doctors agree that this kind of “heart attack” negatively impacts patients’ lives and they all agree how to diagnosis and treat these patients. There is another kind of heart attack, that may occur as a complication of coronary angioplasty and coronary bypass surgery (procedures used to open clogged coronary arteries). Until recently, patients were labeled to have a heart attack after these procedures if they have a miniscule rise in the blood levels of a heart muscle protein (troponin) without any known effect on their prognosis. As a result, many patients stayed longer in the hospital than was necessary, and occasionally underwent repeat imaging tests and other procedures. “If you tell a patient, ‘You have had a heart attack,’ it should mean something about prognosis and clinical outcomes, not only an abnormal blood test,” says Issam Moussa, M.D., FSCAI, chair of the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic Florida in Jacksonville, who was part of a panel established by The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) tasked with finding a better way to diagnose post-angioplasty heart attacks to improve patient care and quality outcomes.  The panel’s consensus document is e-published today in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions (CCI) and Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUEnQesu6Bo Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Moussa are available in the downloads.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Oct. 14, 2013 — Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at an increased risk of stroke and heart attack according to a new study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers at the American College of Gastroenterology's Annual Scientific Meeting, Oct. 11–16, in San Diego. More than 1.5 million Americans have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis , the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Both conditions inflame the lining of the intestine, leading to bouts of watery diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal cramps and pain, fever and weight loss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q7oFzeLfRE Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at an increased risk of stroke and heart attack according to a new study presented by Mayo Clinic researchers. In an analysis of over 150,000 patients with IBD in nine studies, researchers estimated the risk of stroke and heart disease in patients with IBD, as compared to the general population. The results of the comparison pointed to a 10-25 percent increased risk of stoke and heart attacks in patients with IBD. The increased risk was especially more prominent in women. “Gastroenterologists should be cognizant of this relationship and should focus on better management of conventional risk factors, such as smoking cessation, recognition and control of hypertension and diabetes,” says Siddharth Singh, M.B.B.S., a study author and Mayo Clinic researcher. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Siddarth Singh are available in the downloads.