Cardiovascular Diseases


Sleep Irregularity Linked to Subclinical Atherosclerosis

A US cross sectional and observational cohort study indicated that sleep irregularity was associated with several markers of subclinical atherosclerosis. The study included 2032 participants (mean age, 68.6±9.2 years; White 37.9%, Chinese 11.1%, Black 27.6%, Hispanic 23.4%) underwent assessments of coronary artery calcium, carotid plaque presence, carotid intima‐media thickness, and the […]


Free Sugar Intake Linked to Higher CVD Risks

A prospective UK cohort study suggested that higher free sugar intake was associated with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and higher triglyceride concentrations within all lipoproteins. Higher fiber intake and replacement of refined grain starch and free sugars with wholegrain starch and non-free sugars, respectively, may be protective for incident […]


Thrombectomy Benefits Extended to Large Ischemic Stroke

Three trials have shown remarkable benefits of thrombectomy in patients with large ischemic strokes in countries with different medical systems. The benefits of thrombectomy were consistent across age, degree of neurologic deficit, imaging characteristics, time of treatment, and geographic location. Thrombectomy resulted in significantly better functional outcomes than medical care […]


Premature CVD Linked to Worse Midlife Brain Health

A prospective US cohort study indicated that premature cardiovascular disease (CVD before 60 years) is associated with worse midlife cognition and white matter health, which is not entirely driven by stroke/TIA and even independent of CVD risk factors. The study included 3,146 participants, who were 18-30 years at baseline (1985-86, […]


Antihypertensives Stimulate Type 2 and 4 Angiotensin II Receptors Linked to Lower Dementia Risk

A US cohort study suggested that initiation of medications for high blood pressure that stimulate vs inhibit type 2 and 4 angiotensin II receptors may result in a lower risk of incident dementia. The study included 57 773 patients aged 65 years or older with incident high blood pressure from January […]


Polygenic Risk Score’s Predictive Value in CAD

A UK longitudinal cohort study suggested that the predictive ability of a polygenic risk score (PRS) for coronary artery disease (CAD) was greater in younger individuals and could be used to better identify patients with borderline and intermediate clinical risk who should initiate statin therapy. Polygenic risk for CAD was […]


Troponin and Natriuretic Peptide Change with Intensive BP Control

A US study showed that intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowering increased hs-cTnT (high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T), mediated by reduced kidney filtration; and decreased NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), mediated by the drop in SBP. The observed changes in hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP levels with intensive SBP lowering were associated with […]


Extreme Temperatures Linked to CVD Mortality

A global study concluded that exposure to extreme hot and cold temperatures was associated with a higher mortality from multiple common cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The study used data of daily counts of specific CVD death from 567 cities in 27 countries across 5 continents in overlapping periods ranging from 1979 […]


Micronutrient Supplementation and CVD Risk

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled intervention trials of micronutrients on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and clinical events concluded that some but not all micronutrients may be beneficial. The analysis identified a total of 884 randomized controlled intervention trials evaluating 27 types of micronutrients among 883,627 participants (4,895,544 person-years). […]


No Survival Benefit for Invasive Management of Stable CAD

An interim report of a US randomized trial in patients with stable coronary disease and moderate or severe ischemia concluded that there was no difference in all-cause mortality for an initial invasive strategy compared with an initial conservative strategy, with lower risk of cardiovascular mortality but higher risk of non-cardiovascular […]