Death seems to haunt HIV infected people one way or the other. The latest news is that the patient taking a drug to fight the killer disease only increases the risk of another deadly disease, heart attack. ‘Antiretroviral’ drug Abacavir is used in many anti-AIDS treatments doubles the risk of heart attack in the patients. Abacavir is used in WHO approved drugs sold under the name of Ziagen, Didanosine, and Videx. In a study carried out by the University of Copenhagen over 33,000 HIV people, it was found that the patients who took drugs such as Ziagen and Videx had twice the chances of a heart attack compared to patients on other equivalent drugs.

These antiretrovirals are wonderful and lifesaving, but they do have toxicity problems. It may be that we can continue to use them, but we need to be aware of their long-term problems.

says Dr Charlie Gilks, WHO director of Aids treatment and prevention. WHO will review the implications of using these drugs on large scale and consider recommending the alternatives in case they have substantial proof of the effects of the approved drugs.

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Via: Dailymail

But now, scientists warn that early risers are at a higher risk of heart disease. Not only that, you also run a higher risk of hypertension and stroke.

Japanese physician Mayuko Kadono conducted a study over three thousand adults aged between 23 and 90 years to find out the relationship between early rising and health problems. He found that people who woke before 5.00 am were 1.7 times more prone to suffering from hypertension and twice the risk of developing hardening of arteries.

It’s a known fact that you need a good night’s sleep of 6-8 hours to be fit and healthy anything less than that invites health related problems. I am a bit perplexed though how rising early could bring in a host of health problems. And I was just reading an article on the benefits of rising early and this left me more confused! I think it is better to stick to whatever you have been doing all these days irrespective of what the study says.

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise

said Benjamin Frankiln; well, looks like he would have changed his statement had he read the report now! Set your alarm clock after 5.00 am if you are scared folks, yawn!!!

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Although the study is in its initial testing and has been found successful in mice with heart function problems, it is expected to have the same results when tested in humans. As this happens, millions of people around the globe suffering from all sorts of heart problems will be given hope with these test-tube made stem cells.

With the advent of this undertaking, the worst cases of heart diseases will surely be benefited by this discovery. What makes this study interesting is that the production of the embryonic stem cells may no longer need a living donor for possible transplants since functional heart tissues can be created in a laboratory.

According to a team of researchers from the U.S., Canada and UK spearheaded by Dr. Gordon Keller of the Department of Gene and Cell Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, they already have grown three types of human heart cells.

They have successfully created embryonic stem cells by the fusion of the essential cell types necessary and other growth factor elements. They cultured the tissues and grew them with a specified heat temperature. The experiment showed significant results when the cultured heart cells were transplanted to the mice with heart ailment.

Essentially, the heart consists of distinct cell types such as cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells. These are all important tissues in the proper functioning of the heart. When one of these is lacking or damaged, certainly the heart will not function well. With the recent findings, the researchers are crossing their fingers that the results would soon be viable once tested to humans with degenerating heart functions.

Although the study of Keller and his colleagues may sound very promising, in-depth studies should be conducted to be more specific on the stem cell preparation that each ailing patient may be needing. Everything should be precise and patients should never be guinea pigs to whatever miscalculations that these doctors might have in the process.

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Via: webmd

Is the traditional way of diagnosing heart problem is saturated with flaws?

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) has postulated that the traditional way of diagnosing heart problem is saturated with flaws and hence, it completely rejects the notion that there are 1.5 million people in danger of the disease.

The study revealed that the risk of heart disease is lower in white middle aged men than in the past but the ratio of the same disease has seen an escalating graph for the women’s section. One in three women in their 60s are at risk of heart disease, a figure previously thought to be one in four.

In order to prove this, scholars did a survey on nearly 1.28 million people to diagnose any heart relate problems. This detection was done on the basis of ’smoking, blood pressure and ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol, along with age and sex’. Since, it’s also the conventional way of identifying the problem so the researchers included other factors like, ’social deprivation, genetic factors and weight’.

Formerly, it was taken that nearly 4.7 million people are suffering from heart related problems but this study reduced the figures to 3.2 million.

Does that mean that treatment is being given to the people who are actually not in need of it? As Julia Hippisley-Cox, lead author of the study says,

We are potentially missing the right people for treatment.

Now the rhetorical question emerges, who is responsible for all this?

Is the inefficiency of doctors to be blamed or are the drug companies to be targeted as they create hype regarding diseases, which often lead doctors to over prescribe certain set of medicines.

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The heart risks from the drug has been reported to have tripled.This find is a serious issue as more than 6 million people worldwide take Avandia to control their blood sugar - i.e. Type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity! Already at higher risk for heart attacks, these people are put to greater risk, i.e by 43 percent more -this thought is particular is disturbing.

But, why the increase?

It is that the doctors and the researchers are left unaware of this serious side-effect, or that not many cases of the heart diseased diabetics are reported?

The question arises on why the potential problem from the drug went undetected before it has been on the market shelves eight years ago?

It eventually shows carelessness and flaws on the ’safety tracking system’s’ part.

Whatever be it, when the link is discovered, an immediate action is needed to be taken, both heart disease as well as diabetes being growing serious problems across the world.

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The increase or decrease of many of such heart risk factors are thus in your hand! Yes, one of those is your little pot-belly. They can eventually turn out to be serious for your little but life-regulating heart.

That little pouch of abdominal fat hanging out of your pants, besides being ugly, can ‘plaque’ your heart’s arteries or that of the aorta with calcium deposits.

Do you know you have a high waist-to-hip ratio; you’re more susceptible to heart disease?

And, to aware you, even a little pot-belly can increase the risk considerably.

James deLemos, one of the study’s researchers and the director of the Coronary Care unit at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre said,

Your chances of having buildup of plaque in the arteries of the heart or the arteries of the aorta go up with even a few inches.

So, if you don’t want that calcium to build up in the heart or aorta arteries, keep a check on that ugly pot-belly of yours - for which you have not been able to find a convincing reason to reduce to fitness.

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Contrary to popular notion, taking care of the heart and preventing heart attacks is not just about special diets.Sure,cutting down on salt and fats help, but to ensure that your heart keeps ticking away without missing a beat, you need to change your lifestyle to include a wholesome diet and regular exercise.

The key is to keep the risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure under control.To ensure that, change over to a heart-healthy diet, consisting of fruits and vegetables, whole grain high fibre foods, less salt and saturated fats,and more fish, especially oily fish.

The focus should be on eating to keep your body weight under control.This is where exercise comes in A regular exercise schedule is a must to keep one’s body weight within the ideal BMI and the heart in good shape.

And that’s not all,the big picture to heart care also includes quitting smoking, moderating alcohol consumption and reducing stress levels.

Drinking black or green tea is also a good idea.Cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center have concluded that drinking black or green tea (which contain antioxidants) may help reduce a potentially harmful constriction of blood vessels after a high-fat meal.

Despite all these measures there are genetic risk factors that may make one person more prone to heart disease than another.But taking holistic measures will ensure that your heart still goes on.

Via:UMMC

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istockphoto

However, now you won’t dare doing so because a new study in Germany reveals that faster rides on roller coasters may carry heart risks for its riders.

The latest conclusion sprang out after a team of researchers evaluated heart functioning of around 55 healthy men and women before, during and after riding a roller coaster at the Holiday Park in Hassloch, Germany. During this analysis, mean heart rate went up from 89 beats per minute before the ride to 155 beats a minute during the ride and then down to 109 beats per minute at the end of the ride.

According to experts, during roller coaster riding, participants reported mild hypertension, which experts believe is not harmful for healthy people. However, this mild hypertension is sufficient to prove fatal for people with heart diseases. As Dr. Dariusch Haghi, a co-author of the study and a cardiologist at University Hospital of Mannheim in Germany remarks:

The changes could have been fatal if the participants had underlying cardiac conditions or if the irregularities had lasted longer.

As we know that riding roller coaster is a mode of adventurous entertainment, therefore, people with nervous disorders, hypertension and heart problems should stay away from such adventurous tasks. Moreover, it is pertinent to note here that this is not the first study to expose negative effects of roller coaster over health, as arsenal is chockfull of evidences, exposing side effects of roller coaster over health. Have a glance over such evidences:

� Roller coaster rides may be the cause of unexplained head, neck and back injuries

� Roller-coasters ‘can stop hearts’

So, now you have to decide whether you want to taste adventure at the cost of your health or prefer your safety.

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The people who have the problem of high blood pressure (hypertension) should try to have a full control over their BP to remain healthy.

A latest telephonic survey of approximately 100,000 adult people disclosed that - most of the US citizens who have high blood pressure are not doing enough to control their high BP.

The people with high blood pressure were asked five question in the survey are following:

1. They are trying to change their food consumption habits to bring down their high blood pressure

2. Reducing their salt intake to lower high BP

3. Cutting down their alcohol consumption to reduce blood pressure

4. Physically active by doing exercises

5. Consuming drugs to lower their increased blood pressure.

Most of the people (nearly 98%) who took part in the survey said yes to at least one of the questions asked. Approximately 30 percent of the participants did not make any improvement in their diets or raised their physical activities, 20 percent people told that they hadn’t reduced their salt intake or alcohol consumption. And nearly 25 percent of the people told that they were not taking any drugs to lower the BP. Nearly 24,400 of the study participants told that they had been diagnosed with the disease of high BP at least twice by their doctors.

The CDC has estimated that approximately 70 percent people with problem of high BP - didn’t took any step to have proper control on this problematic disease.

If any one you have this problem and also worried about your BP, than try to have good control on your BP by making some rules and just follow it. You should also consult your doctor to drop down your BP.

The CDC reported that approximately 30 percent of adult citizens of United States had high BP in the year 2001-2004, and nearly 70 percent people’s high BP was uncontrolled.

The high BP forces the heart to function hardly. When you try to control your high blood pressure than you may be able to protect yourself from heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, kidney problem and even many other health related problems.

The high BP generally doesn’t show any symptoms that can be noticed. So everyone should at least go for a monthly checkup of his/her BP for having sound health.

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According to a recent research by the World Health Organization, noise pollution has been found to be one of triggers leading to heart disease. Are you aware that in the U.K. alone, 101,000 people died of coronary heart disease in 2006? The study suggests that 3,030 of these heart deaths were caused by chronic noise exposure.

Do you know noise pollution is classified as intrusive noise that distracts and disrupts regular functioning? In the cities, airplanes and cars are the major contributors of noise pollution. But, don’t be under the misconception that noise pollution is a problem of the big cities alone. Even in the suburbs noise pollution can be found in the form of lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and home/office construction.

As per the WHO guidelines, continual night-time exposure of 50 decibels or above is the noise threshold for cardiovascular problems.

Not just heart disease, the WHO study also suggests that noise pollution is also the cause of disturbed sleep, tinnitus, and severe irritation among people.

Research in recent years has shown that exposure to constant noise can cause an increase of the stress hormones like adrenaline, noradrenalin, and cortisol in the body. Stress, as we know can cause heart failure, immunity problems, hypertension, and strokes.
Ellen Mason, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said:

Our world is undoubtedly getting busier and noisier. Some people find noise pollution more stressful to live with than others do. Noise cannot directly kill us, but it may add to our stress. Occasionally, stressful events can trigger a heart attack in someone with underlying heart disease. We know that stressed people are more likely to eat unhealthily, exercise less and smoke more, and these can increase the risk of developing heart disease in the first place.

So, if you want to increase your longevity and quality of life, reduce your noise exposure by doing a few simple things, like, honking less while driving, installing dual-paned windows, and last but not the least by switching off the TV and not keep it constantly running.

via:guardian

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It is true that heart attack among teenagers is quite rare. Still, take it for sure that it can strike even the adolescents without heart defects. This peculiar issue gained momentum after Drs. John R. Lane and Giora Ben-Shachar came out with a case, covering eight boys and one girl between the ages 12 to 20 years, who developed severe chest pains and met the criteria for a diagnosis of heart attack.

Deep check-up of these teenagers revealed both positive as well as negative outcomes, which goes like this:

Negative:

• Eight of the patients had abnormal EKGs

• All of them had abnormal cardiac enzyme levels

• Three of the teenagers had abnormalities

Positive:

• Check-ups revealed that heart attack among these teenagers had nothing to do with drug abuse, cholesterol levels and blood coagulation.

In the present scenario, it won’t be wrong to say that chest pain among teenagers should not be taken lightly, as consequences could be hazardous. However, the latest development sets forth a new debate that how far predictions based on latest technologies could be trusted, as medical examination of these teenagers, itself shows that tests for drug abuse, cholesterol levels, and blood coagulation rate were all negative.

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As of 2007, heart disease happened to be the leading cause of death in the United States with almost 1 million Americans dying of cardio vascular disease each year - adding up to the alarming 42 percent of all deaths!

Generally, no symptoms of early cardiovascular abnormalities show up, which is a major problem that adds to the rising crises.

The relieving part of it is that heart disease’s progression can be slowed down; rather even reverse damage to the heart and blood vessels, if treated early! This new finding, in fact is a great relief-provider in itself to all the heart patients, in their early stages.

Drug blocking a hormone detrimental to the blood vessels and the heart, Valsartan is found to not just slow progression of heart disease, but also reverse early cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic patients with high risk.

This first study showing the early interference’s help in a cardiovascular abnormality’s regress can relief the society of the no. 1 killer and help organize awareness campaigns for early diagnosis of the disease to considerably lower the number of heart disease deaths.

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Researchers view, holding obesity responsible for this, sounds rational but what makes this claim somewhat dubious is their failure to answer the question that why this gender based disparity for strokes is there. Another question that remains to be answered is that why this gender-based disparity for strokes is more prevalent between the women of ages 45 to 54 while groups, 35 to 44 and 55 to 64 seem impervious to this equation.

This is quite a jumbled fact, which needs to be unriddled further, for only then experts would be in a position to carve out a more accurate remedy to this problem. High blood pressure, smoking diabetes, high blood cholesterol, fatty diet and sedentary lifestyle are some of the key factors that stir up the chances of strokes.

Therefore, it won’t be wrong to say that by adopting healthy life style that include regular exercise and healthy eating habits, this gender based disparity for strokes could be brought down to a greater extent. Towfighi of the University of California at Los Angeles, the lead author of the research is right when he says in this regard:

Aggressive control of modifiable risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol will help to mitigate the burden of stroke.

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Via: Reuters

This fact rolled out from a study, testing efficacy of nitrites against damage incurred through heart attack by mice. During the course of study, where one group of mice was given normal drinking water, other group got water laced with nitrites. And later both the groups were induced heart attack. Finally, it was concluded that group given water laced with nitrites incurred less heart damage than the other group.

Actually, leafy green vegetables contain chemical compounds nitrites, which this study depicts as heart-friendly compound. Therefore, on the basis of this study, it could certainly be said that leafy green vegetables ensure better protection against heart damage caused by heart attack.

So, I am going to have more and more veggies in my diet. Are you going to do the same?

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If you are one of those who suffer from persistent heartburn — the most common symptom of acid reflux disease or gastroespohageal reflux disease - the drugs Prilosec and Nexium may be the common answer for you.

But, although many are aware of the drugs’ side-effects like headache, diarrhea, nausea, flatulence, abdominal pain, constipation, or even dry mouth, here is a find that is sure to assure you of your safe dependence on the drugs to relief yourself of that irritating burning pain in the center of the chest - they don’t appear to spur heart problems.

Although the manufacturer AstraZeneca found the drugs’ leading to heart attacks, heart failure or heart-related sudden death, the FDA recently suggested the heart link as just a coincidence, after following up on the studies.

Health Canada informed that many of the patients using the drugs and have developed heart problems had the risk factors before starting the drugs.

So, Prilosec and Nexium can still mean complete 24-hour relief from heartburn symptoms without risking your heart.

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