New analyses of a large trial presented at the European Congress on Obesity showed the clear benefits of the popular weight-loss drug. The weight-loss drug semaglutide - commonly sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy - reduced cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack in adults with preexisting disease independent of weight loss Continue reading →

image: Jessica Pfleger, assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, was recently awarded a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to investigate the role of a certain protein in the connection between high fat diet and heart disease in Type 2 diabetes. Credit: Clayton Metz/Virginia Tech The relationship between a high-fat diet and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease is well-known Continue reading →

May 16, 2024 Timely diagnosis and proper management of peripheral artery disease (PAD), including coordinated care from a multispecialty team, are essential to help prevent amputation and other cardiovascular complications and to allow patients with PAD to live longer lives with better physical function and improved quality of life, according to a new joint guideline published May 14 in the American Heart Associations (AHA) flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation and simultaneously in JACC, Journal of the American College of Cardiology(ACC). The 2024 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines provides the latest, evidence-based recommendations to guide clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of lower extremity PAD across its four clinical presentation subsets: asymptomatic disease, chronic symptomatic PAD, and the more severe subsets of chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) and acute limb ischemia (ALI). Continue reading →

image: Vegetarian and vegan diets are generally associated with better status on various medical factors linked to cardiovascular health and cancer risk, as well as lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and death. Continue reading →

By Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Hypertension, in the words of the World Hypertension League (WHL), is a driving force in the global epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the leading risk factor for death and disability globally. World Hypertension Day, initiated by WHL in 2005, aims to increase awareness of this silent killer, and galvanise global action to combat high blood pressure. Continue reading →

Tariq Shafi, MD, MHS Credit: LinkedIn Finerenone (Kerendia) may help reduce the decline in estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who have been hospitalized due to heart failure (HF). A new post hoc subgroup analysis from the pivotal phase 3 FIDELITY trial showed that CKD progression may be further limited in patients receiving the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor agonist finerenone after they had been discharged from the hospital due to HFa specific patient population at a significantly greater risk of renal disease progression and death. The findings, presented at the National Kidney Foundation 2024 Spring Clinical Meeting (SCM) in Long Beach, CA, this week, would suggest that finerenone be considered as a post-discharge prescription in relevant patients with CKD Continue reading →

The top five killers in India in 2050will be chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disease, stroke, diarrhoeal disease and lower respiratory infections Cardiovascular disease, the top killer in 2022 globally, will continue to retain its position as the leading cause of death three decades later as well, a new study published in The Lancet warned. Ischemic heart disease also called coronary heart disease is caused by narrowed heart arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, leading to a heart attack. In India, things look slightly different. Continue reading →

The medicine behind Ozempic and Wegovy, called semaglutide, could have significant benefits for heart health, reducing the risk of stroke or cardiac arrest even in those who don't lose weight. The data comes from the largest and longest clinical trial on semaglutide use amongst those without diabetes, called the Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes (SELECT) trial. This landmark study involved roughly 17,600 overweight or obese adults with pre-existing cardiovascular disease and was funded by the drug manufacturer, Novo Nordisk Continue reading →

A T makes a difference in blood clotting. High cholesterol: two screens are better than one. Continue reading →