Heart Failure

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, with causes that include genetic mutations and myofiber disarray (an abnormal heart muscle cell arrangement). Individuals who have this condition are prone to obesity (body mass index, 25 to

Diabetes Can Break Your Heart is an important initiative that highlights the vital need for heightened education on the link between diabetes and heart failure, especially with American Heart Month looming, said Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, professor of physiology and chairman for the Department of Medicine at the University of Mississippi.

Since 2016, racial and ethnic healthcare disparities have not improved; a new method of "reanimating" hearts from recently deceased donors for transplants is being tested; the new decade prompts concerns about an aging population.

While the number of survivors who had cardiotoxic treatments increased, the doses they received decreased. Radiation exposure fell from 77% in the 1970s to 40% in the 1990s.

The median time to first intravenous therapy for acute heart failure (AHF) is 3.0 hours in North America compared with 1.2 hours in all other regions, in the International Registry to Assess Medical Practice with Longitudinal Observation for Treatment of Heart Failure. Treatment timing and differences may affect outcomes in patients with AHF.

There are multiple ways in which people with diabetes can develop heart failure, which is why heightened awareness through the initiative Diabetes Can Break Your Heart is warranted, said Javed Butler, MD, MPH, MBA, professor of physiology and chairman for the Department of Medicine at the University of Mississippi.

Hospitalizations due to heart failure (HF) were associated with a risk for kidney failure (KF) that was 11.4-times greater compared with patients who did not have cardiovascular disease (CVD). Among a group of CVDs that also included atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, and stroke, HF was associated with the highest risk of developing subsequent KF.

Priority review was based on phase 3 results from DAPA-HF, presented in Paris at the European Society of Cardiology and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In a statement published today by he American Heart Association, researchers provide key resources needed to diagnose and treat fulminant myocarditis successfully.

Patients with acute heart failure often require immediate treatment to restore optimal heart function. The 2 primary methods of revascularization are coronary artery bypass graft and percutaneous coronary intervention, but the preferred strategy for use in these patients requires clarification due to risk.

Social inequalities are created before the onset of the illness, rather than after it, according to researchers.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inherited condition in which mutations in genes that encode the sarcomere proteins in the heart cause an abnormal thickening of that muscle, with no known cure. In black patients, HCM is usually diagnosed at a younger age and accompanied by a greater burden of symptomatic heart failure. These patients, however, are not well represented in surveys of the condition, which tend to focus on white patients.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are lymphocytes genetically engineered to recognize and bind to specific proteins on cancer cells. Studies are currently underway for applications in other fields.

The results are sure to generate interest as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction lacks treatment options, but that could change as results are expected in outcomes trials that are studying sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in heart failure, both with preserved and reduced ejection fraction.

Cost-effectiveness analyses have not been conducted on the DAPA-HF trial as of yet, but in healthcare systems in which dapagliflozin is not particularly expensive, results are likely to be favorable, said John McMurray, MD, FRCP, FESC, professor of medical cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

Although the study did not pinpoint the exact mechanism behind the link, the authors wrote that the presence of plaque below the gumline can allow oral bacteria to reach the circulatory system. Certain bacteria that reach the gut can trigger inflammation.

Dapagliflozin was shown to not only benefit patients at risk of heart failure, both with and without diabetes, but treat patients with established heart failure as well, said John McMurray, MD, FRCP, FESC, professor of medical cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

A new study says that more than 1 in 10 of the 17 million cancer survivors in the United States will die from cardiovascular disease (CVD).

In patients with heart failure, both with and without diabetes, dapagliflozin was shown to provide identical efficacy and possibly beneficial effects on the heart, said John McMurray, MD, FRCP, FESC, professor of medical cardiology in the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences at the University of Glasgow.

This week, the top managed care news included research that shows stents may offer no more value than drugs for some heart patients; a ban on flavored tobacco products gains momentum; a survey finds most American families struggle with social factors that impact health.

Quality of life and 6-minute walk test also improve with this treatment combination.

Called Diabetes Can Break Your Heart, the initiative seeks to get doctors and patients talking about the connection between diabetes and heart failure, so that symptoms are not missed and treatment that could prevent heart failure occurs early. A Diabetes Heartbreaker tour, which will feature a virtual reality experience with immersive technology, will kick off this weekend at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often an inherited condition and patients may not show symptoms, or those symptoms may be vague, such as fatigue or shortness of breath. The condition can cause varied levels of risk and can result in sudden cardiac death.

The rate of decrease in deaths from heart disease (HD) slowed between 2011 and 2014 versus 2000 and 2011, while the population above 65 years jumped 22.9% and there was a concurrent 38% rise in deaths from HD among this patient population.

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham first isolated the kinase HIPK2 from among hundreds of potential targets by using bioinformatics to hone in on the protein kinase as a target for study.

The number of uninsured children in the United States rose by more than 400,000 between 2016 and 2018 and now stands at over 4 million; mortality from heart failure rose 20.7% between 2011 and 2017 and is likely to keep climbing sharply; US District Judge Myron Thompson issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking Alabama from enforcing a near-total abortion ban.

Results are based on the DECLARE-TIMI 58 cardiovascular outcomes trial, presented last year at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

The new indication is based on results of the CREDENCE trial, which found that canagliflozin reduced the risk of renal failure or death by 30% in those that had both type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease.

This week, the top managed care stories included Purdue Pharma filing for bankruptcy; new data showing the number of people who get screened for HIV at least once falls far short of what CDC recommends; findings that most US hospital markets are now highly concentrated.

The FDA grants fast track designation of AstraZeneca's dapagliflozin; California to conduct public awareness campaign against vaping; no new US measles cases.