Blood pressure (BP)-lowering treatment significantly reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) across all stages, with effects comparable to those without CKD, although benefits are diminished in patients with coexisting diabetes. This one-stage individual-participant meta-analysis included 52 randomized controlled trials, of which 46 […]
While myocardial infarction (MI) accounts for a substantial proportion of sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs), most arrhythmic SCDs occur in individuals without previously diagnosed risk factors, often due to occult cardiac disease such as silent MI or dilated cardiomyopathy. In the 12-year US countywide POST SCD autopsy study, 943 presumed sudden […]
In patients with prior intracerebral hemorrhage, adding a single pill combining three low-dose antihypertensive agents to standard care significantly reduced recurrent stroke and major cardiovascular events compared with placebo. In this multinational, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of 1,670 clinically stable patients with baseline systolic blood pressure (BP) of 130–160 mm […]
In patients with established cardiovascular disease (CVD), calcium supplementation was associated with an increased risk of recurrent CVD events and related hospitalizations, particularly with calcium-only use and among men. In this large retrospective population-based study from Hong Kong, 17,720 matched patients receiving calcium supplements were compared with an equal number […]
Recent recommendations of US guidelines highlight the importance of treating dyslipidemia earlier in life, refining cardiovascular risk assessment, and adopting lower LDL cholesterol targets to reduce long-term exposure to atherogenic lipoproteins and prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Lifestyle counseling should begin in youth, with early pharmacologic therapy considered for individuals […]
In high-risk patients with diabetes but no known significant atherosclerosis, treatment with evolocumab significantly reduced the risk of a first major cardiovascular event compared with placebo when added to statin therapy. This prespecified subgroup analysis of the VESALIUS-CV randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 3,655 participants from 774 sites across 33 […]
A prospective US cohort study leveraging data from 3,477 participants (mean age 74.8 years; 61.5% female) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study has found that higher aldosterone-renin ratio (ARR) is independently associated with increased cardiovascular risk over nearly a decade of follow-up. Researchers measured serum aldosterone and renin […]
To address uncertainties in statin safety profiles, which are often based on observational data susceptible to bias, researchers conducted a definitive meta-analysis of individual participant data from major double-blind, randomized controlled trials. The study first identified all undesirable effects listed in the official Summaries of Product Characteristics (SmPCs) for five […]
Recent US stroke guidelines incorporate significant advances across the care continuum. Mobile Stroke Units (MSUs) are now recommended for their ability to accelerate thrombolysis. For suspected large vessel occlusion, bypassing to an endovascular thrombectomy (EVT)-capable center is endorsed when efficient. Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) guidelines now include tenecteplase as non-inferior to […]
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 27 observational studies, encompassing over 74,000 participants from 7 countries, indicates that consuming water with higher salinity is associated with increased blood pressure and hypertension risk. The analysis found that higher drinking water salinity was linked to average increases of 3.22 mm Hg in […]