A US comparative effectiveness study suggests that, given the up-front perioperative risks associated with carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and the reduced benefit derived from revascularization, initial medical therapy may be an acceptable treatment strategy for asymptomatic carotid stenosis. The study included 5221 patients who received carotid imaging between January 1, 2005, […]
A cohort study in Taiwan suggested that among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) with prior ICH, non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) use was associated with lower rates of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and major bleeding compared with warfarin use, whereas the rate of ischemic stroke was similar. The study included […]
A prospective cohort study in England found that the prevalence ofasymptomatic intracranial stenosis (ICS) increased with age in patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke, but did not increase the short- or medium-term risk of distal recurrent ischemic stroke in patients receiving standard medical treatment. The study included […]
A US retrospective cohort study found no association between angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) use and COVID-19 test positivity. The study included 18 472 patients tested for COVID-19 (mean age 49 years, 40% male, and 69% white), 12.4% were taking either ACEIs or ARBs. A positive […]
A retrospective cohort study in the US suggested that myocardial injury was prevalent among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, and was associated with higher risk of mortality. The study included 2736 patients (median age 66.4 years, 59.6% men) with COVID-19 admitted between February 27th and April 12th, 2020 with troponin-I (normal […]
International cohort studies suggest that adding azithromycin to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) treatment may increase heart failure and cardiovascular mortality, potentially due to synergistic effects on QT length of ECG. Severe adverse events associated with HCQ-azithromycin were compared to HCQ-amoxicillin in rheumatoid arthritis patients aged 18+ and followed up over 30 days. […]
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials concluded that the magnitude of blood pressure (BP) lowering achieved with sodium reduction showed a dose-response relation and was greater for older populations, non-white populations, and those with higher BP. Short term studies underestimate the effect of sodium reduction on BP. The […]
A US prospective nested case-control study revealed that long-term increases in a gut-microbial metabolite, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) were associated with higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), and repeated assessment of TMAO over 10 years improved the identification of people with a higher CHD risk. The study included 760 healthy […]
A randomized controlled trial in Australia suggested that a low dose metoprolol and aspirin for 6 weeks reduces physiological and psychological surrogate measures of cardiovascular risk in early bereavement. After assessment within 2 weeks of bereavement, spouses (n = 73) or parents (n = 12) of deceased (aged 66.1 ± 9.4 years, 55 females) were randomized […]
A cohort study suggests that higher intake of processed meat, unprocessed red meat, or poultry, was significantly associated with an increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), whereas higher intake of processed meat or unprocessed red meat, was significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. The study analyzed […]