FDA Stiffens Warning on NSAID Cardiovascular Risk | Medpage Today.
Thought I would add a link to the actual FDA alert.
NSAIDs can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke in patients with or without heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. A large number of studies support this finding, with varying estimates of how much the risk is increased, depending on the drugs and the doses studied.
Untreated Sleep Apnea Boosts Risk of Heart Disease, Stroke | Medpage Today.
Compared with OSA-negative patients, untreated OSA was associated with an 86% higher mortality risk (adjusted hazard ratio 1.86, 95% CI 1.81 to 1.91), and treated OSA was associated with a 35% higher mortality risk (aHR 1.35, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.51), wrote Miklos Z. Molnar, MD, PhD, of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, and colleagues, in the journal Thorax.
Untreated OSA also was associated with a 3.5 times higher risk of incident coronary heart disease (aHR 3.54, 95% CI 3.40 to 3.69), and a 3.5 times higher risk of incident strokes (aHR 3.48, 95% CI 3.28 to 3.64), while treated OSA was associated with a threefold higher risk of incident CHD (aHR 3.06, 95% CI 2.62 to 3.56) and 3.5-fold higher risk of incident strokes (aHR 3.50, 95% CI 2.92 to 4.19). The risk of incident kidney disease also was significantly higher in untreated (aHR 2.27, 95% CI 2.19 to 2.36) and treated OSA (aHR 2.79, 95% CI 2.48 to 3.13).
“When we see something that surprises us and flies in the face of what is understood, it requires another look — maybe a different cohort, larger numbers, longer follow-up,”
via Intensive Tx Fails to Slow Atherosclerosis | Medpage Today.
Surprised? As long as we continue to focus on pharmaceuticals as the answer, no one should be surprised.
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors experience increased risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD) for as long as 40 years after initial HL treatment, according to a Dutch study published online in JAMA Internal Medicine on April 27, 2015.
Furthermore, compared with the general population, HL patients run four- to almost seven-fold increased risks of coronary heart disease (CHD) or cardiomyopathy/congestive heart failure (HF) 35 years or more after treatment, resulting in 857 excess CV events per 10,000 person-years. More than half of patients with a CVD will experience multiple CV events over time.
via Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors Need Long-Term Follow-Up for CVD | Medpage Today.
More Bad News for Niacin: Health After 50.
Health After 50
Are you currently taking niacin to improve your cholesterol levels? If so, a conversation with your doctor may be warranted to determine whether you should continue taking niacin.
The reason for reconsidering niacin is twofold: First, a new study claims that the drug doesn’t help lower heart attack or stroke risk and may instead cause serious side effects. Second, studies haven’t been able to show that raising “good” HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol — one of the effects of niacin — has a benefit for people who already have heart disease.
For years, doctors have speculated on whether taking niacin to raise levels of HDL cholesterol could lower the risk of a heart attack, stroke or other cardiac events. The latest results from the recent HPS2-THRIVE trial, published by the New England Journal of Medicine, have answered with a resounding “no.”
This isn’t the first time niacin has been given the thumbs-down — past trials have reached similar conclusions, most notably the AIM-HIGH study of more than 3,400 patients on statin therapy. Researchers stopped that trial early in 2011 because of the apparent lack of benefit from niacin, along with reports of adverse events.
Dr. James L. Weiss, professor of cardiology at Johns Hopkins weighs in: “Higher HDL levels are associated with better heart outcomes, but that doesn’t mean they directly cause these better outcomes — an important distinction.
“Another way to look at it: Low HDL levels may be linked to an increased heart disease risk, but raising them with niacin doesn’t seem to reduce that risk. Still, it makes sense that you’d want more HDL cholesterol in your body.
“You can naturally increase levels by eating healthier foods, exercising regularly and quitting smoking. In the end, good health outcomes stem from making good lifestyle choices. For patients who stand to benefit from drug therapy, current guidelines recommend statins alone as the most effective therapy for reducing cardiovascular risk and suggest niacin for only selected high-risk patients for whom benefits outweigh risks.”
Posted in Heart Health on March 6, 2015
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Health After 50 Disclaimer
Ultrasound of the Week | UOTW #36.
Emergency physicians can be trained to identify these lesions with good accuracy. A study by Kerwin et al found that after a brief, 30 minute training module, median percentages correct improved from 67% to 87% when reviewing pre-recorded clips.
I’m at a loss to explain why I like looking at ultrasounds. I guess I’m simply fascinated that some people can actually know and understand what they’ looking at. My physician in the family says it’s a matter of numbers. The more you look at, the better you get.
Underwriters will find the answer and pearl section more useful.
Did Advice to Cut Saturated Fats Go Very Wrong? | Medpage Today.
Read this article before you order that triple stack cheeseburger with a side of drug eluding stents.
Or go ahead and order that triple stack cheeseburger and be confused along with the rest of us.
lifeunderwriter.net 
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