Cardiovascular Diseases


Statin Benefits Modest

A systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that the absolute benefits of statins are modest and may not be strongly mediated through the degree of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction. The analysis included 21 randomized clinical trials that examined the effectiveness of statins in reducing total mortality and cardiovascular outcomes with […]


Intensive BP Control Increased Brain Blood Flow

A substudy of the randomized clinical trial compared intensive vs standard systolic blood pressure (SBP) control revealed that the intensive BP treatment was associated with increased, rather than decreased, cerebral perfusion. The substudy included 547 participants (mean age 67.5 years, 40.0% women) with whole-brain cerebral blood flow (CBF) measured at […]


Sodium-containing Acetaminophen Linked to CVD Risk

Two UK cohort studies among individuals with and without high blood pressure (HBP) found that the initiation of sodium-containing acetaminophen was associated with a significant higher risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure) and all-cause mortality than non-sodium-containing acetaminophen. The studies used marginal structural […]


Leg Muscle Preactivation and Tensing Mitigate initial Orthostatic Hypotension

A Canadian study demonstrated that preactivating lower body muscle (PREACT) and leg crossing with muscle tensing (TENSE) after standing attenuates symptoms and blood pressure (BP) drop of initial orthostatic hypotension (IOH) upon standing. The study included 24 female IOH participants (mean ± SD: 32 ± 8 years) completed 3 sit-to-stand […]


Acetaminophen Increases BP

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial concluded that regular daily intake of 4 g acetaminophen increases systolic blood pressure (BP) in individuals with hypertension by ≈5 mm Hg when compared with placebo. The trial randomized 110 patients of high BP to receive 1 g acetaminophen 4× daily or matched placebo for 2 […]


Certain BP Medications May Prevent Dementia

A secondary analysis of a randomized blood pressure (BP) intervention trial suggested that certain BP medications could be used to prevent the development of cognitive decline. The analysis (April 2011 to July 2018) included 8685 patients of high BP 50 years or older with increased cardiovascular risk but without a […]


Lifestyle Intervention Effective in Preventing CVD

A multi-domain lifestyle intervention among older Finnish adults was effective in preventing cerebrovascular events and total cardiovascular disease (CVD) events among those with a history of CVD. A total of 1259 individuals aged 60–77 years with elevated risk for dementia were randomized (1:1) to a 2-year multi-domain intervention with diet, […]


Resting Heart Rate Linked to Dementia

A Swedish population-based cohort study suggested that higher resting heart rate (RHR) was associated with increased risk for dementia and faster cognitive decline independent of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a general population of elderly people. The study included 2147 participants (age≥60) who were free of dementia and regularly followed from […]


Exercise-Induced Premature Ventricular Contractions Prognostic

A retrospective cohort study concluded that high-grade exercise-induced premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) occurring during recovery were associated with long-term risk of cardiovascular mortality in asymptomatic individuals, but not PVCs occurring only during exercise. The study included a total of 5,486 asymptomatic individuals with a mean age of 45.4 years and […]


Sodium and Potassium Intakes Linked to Cardiovascular Risk

Higher sodium and lower potassium intakes, as measured in multiple 24-hour urine samples, were associated in a dose–response manner with a higher cardiovascular risk in a pooled random-effects meta-analysis of individual-participant data from six prospective cohorts of generally healthy adults in the US. The analysis included 10,709 participants, mean age […]