CardioExchange Archive

August 29th, 2011

Shortfalls in Secondary Prevention Particularly Acute in Poor Countries

Larry Husten, PHD

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but an international epidemiological study shows large shortfalls in the use of established drugs for secondary prevention. The shortfalls are dramatically acute in poor countries, said Salim Yusuf, who presented the results of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study at the ESC in Paris on Sunday. The paper […]

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August 26th, 2011

The Power of Zero on JUPITER

Anita Vashi, MD, MPH

This voluntary contribution from Dr. Nasir, the principal investigator of a recent study published in the Lancet, is an extension of his remarks in a recent panel discussion Background: The study showed that people with low LDL levels and high C-reactive protein levels may benefit from coronary artery calcium scans to identify the folks who are most likely to […]

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August 24th, 2011

Ambulatory BP Monitoring Gains NICE Recommendation in UK

Larry Husten, PHD

Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring is receiving a strong endorsement in the UK from NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence). The recommendation is based on a cost-effectiveness study published in the Lancet. Kate Lovibond and colleagues found that compared with additional measurements in the clinic or home measurements, ABP monitoring was highly cost-effective in patients 40 […]

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August 23rd, 2011

William Kannel, Former Framingham Heart Study Director, Dead at 87

Larry Husten, PHD

William Kannel, the cardiovascular epidemiologist who helped find most of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease during his lifelong association with the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), died on Saturday at the age of 87. Indeed, Kannel coined the term “risk factor” in a 1961 article in Annals of Internal Medicine. Kannel “made the courageous decision […]

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August 22nd, 2011

CNN, ABC, and NBC Dumb Down the News About CV Screening

Larry Husten, PHD

An analysis of recent health news coverage in the mainstream media: “Exit complexity. Enter stupidity.”

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August 22nd, 2011

Panel: Coronary Calcium vs. CRP for Predicting Cardiovascular Events

CardioExchange Editors, Staff

Drs. Paul Ridker and Sanjay Kaul offer their perspectives on a new coronary artery calcium/C-reactive protein study, published in the Lancet, and three of the study authors respond. The study showed that people with low LDL levels and high CRP levels may benefit from CAC scans to identify the folks who are most likely to […]

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August 19th, 2011

Is Coronary Calcium Better Than CRP for Predicting CV Events?

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study suggests that people with low LDL levels and high CRP levels may benefit from coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans to identify those who are most likely to benefit from statin therapy. In a paper published in the Lancet, Michael Blaha and colleagues analyzed data from 950 people enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study […]

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August 11th, 2011

Danger of Cigarettes Greater in Women Than in Men

Larry Husten, PHD

Compared with men, women have a significant 25% increase in risk for coronary heart disease caused by cigarettes, according to a large meta-analysis published in the Lancet. Rachel Huxley and Mark Woodward analyzed data from 2.4 million participants in studies that adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors and found that the female-to-male relative risk ratio (RRR) of […]

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August 10th, 2011

Rethinking Trilipix — And the Process for Approving Lipid-Modifying Drugs

Sanjay Kaul, MD

Editor’s Note: In an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, three members of the FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (Allison Goldfine, Sanjay Kaul, and William Hiatt) offer their perspective on the May 19 committee meeting to review the controversial ACCORD-Lipid Study. Here, one of those authors, Sanjay Kaul, provides his […]

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August 4th, 2011

Pfizer Wants to Market OTC Atorvastatin (Lipitor)

Larry Husten, PHD

Pfizer will attempt to gain FDA approval to sell atorvastatin (Lipitor) over-the-counter, according to a report by Peter Loftus in the Wall Street Journal. In the past, the FDA has turned down requests to market other statins over-the-counter. Lipitor is scheduled to go off patent in November, well before an OTC version of the drug […]

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