Cardiovascular Diseases

Incidental Coronary Calcium on Routine Chest CT Predicts Future Cardiovascular Risk as Well as Dedicated Heart Scans

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged CAC CHD CT Scan CVD Non-Gated Risk on

Incidental coronary artery calcium (CAC) identified on routine nongated chest CT scans predicts future coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events with prognostic performance comparable to dedicated gated cardiac CT, supporting its incorporation into routine clinical practice for cardiovascular risk assessment. This study included 2,472 participants from the […]

Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors Linked to More Vulnerable Coronary Plaques

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged Atherosclerosis; Risk Factors CHD Coronary Plaques on

The burden of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors—not just the total number of risk factors—is strongly associated with greater coronary plaque vulnerability, suggesting that controlling these risk factors may help reduce the development of high-risk plaques. In this US study of 131 patients who underwent 3-vessel optical coherence tomography imaging, researchers […]

Higher TMAO Levels Linked to Greater Risk of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Gut Microbiome Older Adults Risk on

Higher blood levels of the gut microbiome-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) were independently associated with an increased risk of developing abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) and experiencing serious AAA-related events in apparently healthy older adults. Researchers measured plasma TMAO levels in 4,442 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older from the […]

Moderate Coffee Consumption May Benefit the Cardiovascular System, but High Doses Caffeine Can Be Harmful

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged Caffeine Intake Coffee Consumption CVD T2D on

Moderate consumption of naturally caffeinated beverages, particularly coffee, is generally associated with a lower risk of several cardiovascular diseases, whereas high doses of caffeine—such as those found in many energy drinks—may increase cardiovascular risk. Caffeine is one of the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substances, and its cardiovascular effects vary […]

Testosterone Therapy Without Hypogonadism Linked to Higher Long-Term Cardiovascular Risk

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged CVD Mortality Risk Testosterone Therapy on

Men who started testosterone therapy (TT) without evidence of hypogonadism had significantly higher long-term risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke, cardiac arrest, and heart failure than men with documented hypogonadism. In this global retrospective real-world study of 358,957 men aged 30–75 years initiating TT, 35.4% […]

Early Mild Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy May Still Carry Significant Cardiovascular Risk

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Natural History Prognosis on

Approximately 21% of patients with phenotypically mild hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) experienced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during a mean follow-up of seven years, highlighting that even apparently mild disease requires careful long-term monitoring. In this prospective analysis of 2,500 patients from the Sarcomeric Human Cardiomyopathy Registry, 21% developed MACE, including […]

Obesity’s Cardiovascular Risk Gap Is Narrowing in Older Adults—But Not in the Young

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged Obesity Older Adults Risk Factors Younger Adults on

An international analysis of nearly 1 million adults found that the long-standing differences in blood pressure and non-HDL cholesterol between older adults with obesity and those of normal weight have narrowed substantially over the past three decades, largely alongside increased use of antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering medications. Researchers analyzed data from […]

IL-6 Linked to Coronary Artery Disease Risk Associated With Elevated Lipoprotein(a)

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged CAD IL-6 Lipoprotein (a) Risk on

Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] was associated with a substantially higher risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) when accompanied by higher levels of the inflammatory biomarker interleukin-6 (IL-6), highlighting the important role of inflammation in modifying cardiovascular risk. In this UK Biobank study of 43,512 adults without preexisting CAD or aortic […]

2026 Second Universal Definition of Heart Failure

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged Definition Heart Failure on

The Second Universal Definition of Heart Failure (HF) introduces a standardized global framework that updates how HF is defined, classified, prevented, and managed, with the goal of improving patient care and cardiovascular health worldwide. Recognizing the growing burden of HF and the limitations of previous definitions, international cardiac societies and […]

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Fruit Juice in Youth Linked to Higher Risk of High BP Later in Life

This entry was posted in Cardiovascular Diseases and tagged Fruit Juice High Blood Pressure Risk Sugar-Sweetened Beverages on

Children and adolescents who regularly consume sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and fruit juice may face a significantly higher risk of developing high blood pressure (BP) in adulthood, whereas whole fruit consumption does not appear to increase risk. In the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS), which followed 25,749 participants from a mean […]