Breathing in air that has even low levels of pollution poses a threat to older adults' heart and lungs, a new study warns.

Researchers analyzed medical records of more than 63 million Medicare patients from 2000 to 2016. They found that long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution could increase the risk of pneumonia, heart attack, stroke and the irregular heart rhythm known as atria...

A heart attack and a panic attack share many similar symptoms, so it's crucial to determine which one it is, experts say.

Chest pain, racing heart, shortness of breath and sweating can occur with both, but only a heart attack can be fatal, according to a team at Penn State Health.

A heart attack occurs when a blockage in an artery restricts blood flow to the heart muscle. Symptoms c...

Heart attack patients are less likely to die on the spot if they have been physically active, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 28,000 people in Europe who suffered a heart attack in order to see how active or more 'couch potato' lifestyles affected their risk of death.

They found that about 18% of patients died within 28 days of their heart attack. ...

The toll of America's obesity epidemic is showing up in younger women, as a new study shows that deaths from heart disease in this unlikely group have increased in the past decade.

The likely culprits along with obesity? Type 2 diabetes, along with diseases of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia and preterm delivery, researchers said.

"Cardiovascular disease mortality is going up in you...

Reducing sodium intake by any amount can lower blood pressure over the long term -- and may benefit everyone, including people with normal blood pressure, new research shows.

While the link between consuming less-salty foods and lower blood pressure is well established, researchers wanted to understand the exact nature of the link over a range of daily sodium amounts, not simply the ...

David Soares finished a set of weightlifting during an early morning workout at a friend's home gym in Albany, New York, when he found himself unable to catch his breath. He sat down but it didn't help, so he stretched out on the ground.

The day before, he'd taken a red-eye flight home from his honeymoon. So he figured he just needed a nap. His host, Michael Castellana, wasn't ready to di...

If you have had a heart attack and a stroke, you might want to stock up on green tea.

New research from Japan finds survivors who drink plenty of green tea may live longer lives.

Stroke survivors who drank at least seven cups per day were 62% less likely to die during the study period, versus non-drinkers. Similarly, the risk was cut by 53% among heart attack survivors who downed th...

There has been a sharp decline in heart surgeries and an increase in heart surgery patient deaths in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers say.

An analysis of national data revealed a 53% decrease in all adult heart surgeries, including a 40% decline in non-elective heart surgeries and a 65% drop in elective heart surgeries during the pandemic, compared to 2019.

THURSDAY, Jan. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) - - With rising obesity rates, more young women American women are developing type 2 diabetes, putting them at hugely increased risk for heart disease, new research shows.

In fact, the study found that women under 55 with type 2 diabetes had a tenfold greater risk of having heart disease over the next two decades compared to their non-diabetic peer...

Delicious but deadly: Eating fried food is tied to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study suggests.

The risk rises with each additional 4-ounce serving per week, a research team in China found.

For the study, the investigators analyzed 19 previously published studies. They combined data from 17 studies, involving more than 560,000 people with nearly 37,000 major...

When a heart attack begins, the time it takes until the blockage in a coronary artery is cleared is critical in preventing further damage to the heart, a new study warns.

The amount of damage is directly related to how long it takes from the start of a heart attack to when patients receive an artery-clearing procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention, or angioplasty. The biggest ...

People with metabolic syndrome and the skin condition psoriasis are at especially high risk for heart attack and stroke, a new study warns.

Psoriasis has been known to increase the risk of heart disease, but researchers have now pegged metabolic syndrome as a key reason.

Metabolic syndrome is a condition that includes obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure -- al...

THURSDAY, Dec. 31, 2020 -- Even the most privileged people in the United States with the best access to health care are sicker and more likely to die than average folks in other developed nations, a new study finds.

People living in the highest-income counties in the United States are, on average, more likely to die from a heart attack or cancer, during childbirth, or to lose an infant th...

Weight-loss surgery significantly reduces the risk of heart problems in obese teens with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.

Teens who have the surgery can see their long-term risk for heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke and coronary death lowered nearly threefold, compared with obese teens whose diabetes is medically managed, researchers say.

"The mitigation in risk does...

Although heart problems are rare complications of pregnancy, Black women face a heightened risk -- even if they have comfortable incomes and health insurance, a new study finds.

It's well established that the United States has a higher maternal mortality rate than other wealthy nations, and Black women are at greater risk than white women.

Less has been known about whether Black wom...

A potentially deadly condition that plagued soldiers in the First World War is showing up in homeless people, Canadian researchers report.

They document the case of a 48-year-old man in Winnipeg, Manitoba, who was diagnosed with trench fever, which is caused by Bartonella quintana bacteria that's transmitted by body lice.

The condition can lead to an infection of the heart ...

Here's a good reason for women to take a heart attack more seriously than they might: A new study shows that women are more likely to develop heart failure or die within five years of their first severe heart attack than men are.

Though the gender gap was narrower for a less severe type of heart attack, that wasn't true with a more severe type, according to Canadian researchers who d...

Heart disease and depression are interwoven, and a new study is helping unravel that connection by linking depression with poorer scores on seven important measures of heart health.

The research included more than 4,000 people taking part in a national survey who had been screened for depression using a basic questionnaire. Participants were evaluated for weight, smoking, diet, physical a...

Does high-strength fish oil help the heart or doesn't it?

Prior research into a prescription medicine derived from fish called Vascepa, announced earlier this year, suggested it might be of real value for heart patients.

But the results from a trial of another such drug called Epanova, released Sunday, are disappointing: Researchers found no benefit from taking the medicine for a w...

An experimental drug might improve heart function for people with a condition called obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a new study finds.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a thickening of heart muscle that can obstruct blood flow. The new drug, mavacamten, improves heart structure, reduces stiffness of the heart muscle and restores normal mitral valve motion, researchers said. The mit...

Election Day 2020 saw marijuana legalization continue its march across the United States, but a pair of new studies warn that smoking pot could increase risk for heart patients.

Marijuana smokers are more likely to suffer complications like excess bleeding or stroke if they undergo angioplasty to reopen clogged arteries, a University of Michigan-led study found.

Pot smokers who've h...

It's a triple health threat faced by tens of millions of Americans. But few think about it until they're forced to.

Even then, the interplay between diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease can be a challenge for people to grasp. But doctors say having an understanding is key for anybody who wants to reduce their risk or already has the conditions, or who helps a family member wit...

Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) is less common in COVID-19 patients than previously thought, according to a new study.

Previously reported rates of myocarditis in COVID-19 patients ranged from 14% among recovered athletes to 60% in middle-aged and older recovered patients.

"Although it is clear that COVID-19 impacts the heart and blood vessels, to date, it has been di...

You might assume that portraying video games as bad for your health would be as easy as shooting ducks on an old Nintendo.

Even a professional gamer like Noah "Nifty" Francis, 22, admits players aren't known for having great habits. Francis, who plays Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for the Dallas-based Team Envy, knows people who play 14 hours at a time, so focused on the game that they...

Replacing sugary drinks with diet versions may not be any healthier for the heart, a large, new study suggests.

French researchers found that people who regularly drank artificially sweetened beverages had a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, versus people who avoided those beverages. In fact, they were no less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people who regularly d...

Homeless people are three times more likely to die after a heart attack than other patients, a new study finds.

"Our study shows a dramatically higher rate of mortality after heart attacks in people experiencing homelessness compared to non-homeless patients," said researcher Dr. Samantha Liauw of the University of Toronto. "More research is needed to discover the reasons for this di...

Younger women who suffer a heart attack are more likely than men to die in the decade after surgery, a new study finds.

It included more than 400 women and nearly 1,700 men, average age 45, who had a first heart attack between 2000 and 2016.

During an average follow-up of more than 11 years, there were no statistically significant differences between men and women for deaths...

Heart patients may face a greater chance of cardiovascular complications after having major surgery that doesn't involve the heart, new research suggests.

Twenty percent of these patients experienced heart troubles within a year of such surgery, the researchers found.

"Our study reveals a greater likelihood of having heart problems or dying after noncardiac surgery than has ...

The coronavirus pandemic and flu season pose a double risk for heart disease patients, so they need to be extra vigilant about their health, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) says.

"Heart disease patients bear a greater burden during the pandemic since they are having to navigate managing their heart health while also protecting themselves from COVID-19, as they are at increase...

If your husband or wife is hospitalized in intensive care, you're more likely to have a heart attack or other serious heart problem in the next few weeks, a new study warns.

"Spouses of ICU patients should pay attention to their own physical health, especially in terms of cardiovascular disease," said senior author Dr. Hiroyuki Ohbe, a Ph.D. student in the School of Public Health at t...

As if the misery of hot flashes, night sweats and sleep troubles weren't enough, now new research suggests that women who routinely experience moderate to severe menopausal symptoms have a higher risk of stroke and heart disease.

"This analysis assessed various menopausal symptoms and their association with health outcomes. Women with two or more moderate to severe menopausal symptom...

Young women who suffer a particularly deadly condition after a heart attack are 11% more likely to die from it than men, a new study finds.

Not only that, women aged 18 to 55 are less likely to receive the tests and aggressive treatment that men routinely receive, and are more likely to die in the hospital, the researchers added.

"It's very difficult to understand exac...

Fewer U.S. heart attack survivors are having another heart attack within a year, a new study finds.

Rates of recurrent heart attacks, hospitalization for heart failure and deaths within a year have gone down in heart attack survivors, according to the study published Sept. 21 in the journal Circulation. However, the rates are still high, researchers said.

The study an...

Many heart attack survivors worry that resuming sex too soon afterwards might trigger another attack. But new research suggests the opposite may be true.

Research out of Israel finds that resuming a normal sex life in the months after a heart attack may actually boost survival.

Lead researcher Yariv Gerber believes part of the benefit could lie in a person's mindset.

Most people now know that COVID-19 can cause blood clots, potentially leading to paralysis, stroke, heart attack and death.

While it's not clear precisely how SARS-CoV-2 causes clots, a new study suggests that the amount of a particular protein -- called factor V -- in a patient's blood may have something to do with it.

In March, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospit...

If you have experienced a heart attack and you have an adversarial personality, new research suggests you might want to consider an attitude adjustment.

An angry outlook may make you vulnerable to a second heart attack, the new study found.

The study included more than 2,300 heart attack survivors, average age 67, who were followed for 24 months. Men accounted for 68% of...

Uncontrolled high blood pressure is becoming more common among Americans, putting them at increased risk for heart attack and stroke, a new study shows.

Previous research showed that in 1999-2000, 32.2% of Americans maintained blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg, but the rate rose to 54.5% in 2013-2014. However, the rate fell to 48% in 2015-2016.

Unfortunately,...

Heart attack survivors are more likely to lose weight if their spouses join them in shedding excess pounds, new research shows.

"Lifestyle improvement after a heart attack is a crucial part of preventing repeat events," said study author Lotte Verweij, a registered nurse and Ph.D. student at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, in the Netherlands. "Our study shows that when spous...

Middle-aged men who were anxious or depressed teens are at increased risk for heart attack, according to a large, long-term study.

It included more than 238,000 men born between 1952 and 1956 who underwent extensive exams when they were 18 or 19 years old and were followed to age 58.

Men diagnosed with anxiety or depression in their late teens had a 20% higher risk of he...

A growing number of older people are turning to the vitamin biotin to fortify their aging skin, hair and nails.

But a new study shows how large doses of it can interfere with some vital medical tests.

Biotin, or vitamin B7, is an essential nutrient. And there is no issue with the lower doses found in multivitamins, said study author Danni Li, an associate professor of labora...

As marijuana use becomes more common, could heart troubles follow?

Yes, warns a new statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).

A full understanding of how marijuana affects the heart and blood vessels remains limited by a lack of adequate research, but some chemicals in cannabis -- particularly THC, the chemical behind marijuana's "high" -- have been linked to an i...