Category Archives: Risk Factors

November 14, 2012 · 12:05 am

Today is World Diabetes Day!

World Diabetes DayWorld Diabetes Day (WDD) is celebrated every year on November 14. The World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.

World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nations Resolution 61/225. Continue reading →

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September 15, 2012 · 7:46 pm

Patient Alert: Don’t Take NSAIDs After a Heart Attack

NSAID tabletsA study from Denmark of almost 100,000 patients over a 12-year period has concluded that:

The use of NSAIDs is associated with persistently increased coronary risk regardless of time elapsed after first-time MI. We advise long-term caution in using NSAIDs for patients after MI.

The study, published online before print in Circulation is titled, “Long-Term Cardiovascular Risk of NSAID Use According to Time Passed After First-Time Myocardial Infarction: A Nationwide Cohort Study.”  The researchers looked at the nationwide registries of hospitalization and drug dispensing from pharmacies in Denmark for the years 1997-2009 and calculated the incidence of death and heart attack associated with NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug) use up to five years after a heart attack (in one-year increments). Continue reading →

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Filed under Heart Attack, Patient Alert, Patient Empowerment, Patients, Risk Factors

November 19, 2010 · 8:50 pm

The Gene of Damocles — Assessing Heart Disease Risk

Sword of DamoclesA study from the Mayo Clinic presented at this week’s American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago caught my eye. Researchers looked at the medical records of 1,262 people who had no history of heart disease. Using the standard Framingham Risk Score (FRS) which factors in age, sex, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, diabetes and smoking status, they calculated the ten-year probability of heart attack.

They then performed genetic tests on these patients’ existing blood samples to find if any of 11 genetic variants were present. Called single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) these variants have been found to be potential risk factors for heart attack. Continue reading →

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Filed under Clinical Trials / Studies, Compliance, Heart Attack, Meetings & Conferences, Risk Factors