CardioExchange Archive

May 8th, 2012

In AF, Women Have a Higher Stroke Risk Than Men

Larry Husten, PHD

In an elderly population, when compared to men with atrial fibrillation, women with AF have a significantly elevated risk for stroke. This increased risk occurs regardless of warfarin use.

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March 13th, 2012

Cause for Concern: Heart Disease and Breast Cancer in Young Women

Aakriti Gupta, MD

For ages, myocardial infarction (MI) has been dismissed as an ‘old man’s disease’. However, not only is it one of the leading causes of mortality in old women, it also afflicts a sizeable proportion of young women. Data from the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that more than 10,000 […]

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February 23rd, 2012

Reality Check: Do 42% of Women with AMI Present Without Chest Pain?

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

I am reading the new paper from NRMI in JAMA on the association of age and sex with AMI symptom presentation and am struck by the finding that 35% of the patients did not present with chest pain. This percentage is higher than I have seen elsewhere. In our recent studies, spanning many sites, we have […]

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February 15th, 2012

AHA Scientific Statement Spotlights Peripheral Artery Disease in Women

Larry Husten, PHD

Although peripheral artery disease (PAD) raises the risk for heart disease and stroke, it often goes undiagnosed and untreated, especially in women, according to a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and published in Circulation. Here are a few highlights of the statement: Although women develop PAD later than men, the total number of women with PAD […]

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February 6th, 2012

Women and ICDs: More Complications, Fewer Benefits

Larry Husten, PHD

After consulting an electrophysiologist, women are just as likely as men to receive an ICD but they suffer more complications and are less likely to benefit from the device, according to a new study from Canada published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Derek MacFadden and colleagues analyzed data from 6021 patients treated at 18 ICD […]

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February 1st, 2012

Meta-Analysis Confirms Benefits of Statins in Women

Larry Husten, PHD

Although clinical trials have consistently found a beneficial effects for statins, some critics have questioned the strength of the evidence in women, who are often under-represented in clinical trials.  A large new meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides the best evidence yet that the relative reductions in events observed in men […]

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January 9th, 2012

Statins Elevate Diabetes Risk in Postmenopausal Women

Larry Husten, PHD

Statins increase the risk for developing diabetes in postmenopausal women, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study provides more evidence and details about the previously reported link between statins and diabetes development. Using data from more than 153,000 postmenopausal women who were participating in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and did […]

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November 15th, 2011

Go Red: Highlights from the Women and Heart Disease Session

Reva Balakrishnan, MD, MPH

Fascinating data on clinical and psychosocial aspects of heart disease in women

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July 6th, 2011

Lower Sudden Cardiac Death Rates Observed in Women with Healthy Lifestyles

Larry Husten, PHD

It probably won’t come as a big surprise, but a new study finds that women who live a healthy lifestyle have a lower risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). In a paper published in JAMA, Stephanie Chiuve and colleagues analyzed data from 81,722 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study. They used 4 factors to […]

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March 1st, 2011

CV Device Trials Still Fail To Include More Women

Larry Husten, PHD

Women continue to be significantly underrepresented in trials of cardiovascular devices, according to a study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Sanket Dhruva and colleagues performed a systematic review of the PMA applications for 78 high-risk cardiovascular medical devices submitted to the FDA from 2000 to 2007. Despite repeated attempts to call attention to the issue […]

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