Harvard Heart Letter articles from August 2005

Harvard Heart Letter archives from August 2005

Bypass surgery and memory.
August 1, 2005... Temporary changes in memory and thinking skills are common after bypass surgery. Don't blame the heart-lung bypass pump. Coronary artery bypass surgery offers a new lease on life for upwards of half a million Americans a year. Rerouting...

Benefits, risks of heart failure drug questioned.
August 1, 2005... The jury is still out on who needs nesiritide, a heart failure drug, as well as what its risks are. A drug designed to ease heart failure flare-ups has come under fire because it may harm the kidneys and cause premature death. The drug,...

Air pollution: Particularly offensive to the heart.
August 1, 2005... Tiny particles from traffic and industry, along with other pollutants, can trigger heart attacks and spur the development of heart disease. Air pollution isn't just a problem for the lungs. It turns out to be just as bad -- if not worse --...

Type "D" for distressed.
August 1, 2005... A newly coined personality type could signal a higher risk for heart disease. Do you sweat the small stuff, see the glass as half empty, have trouble making friends, and keep your feelings bottled up inside? That combination could be...

Heart Beat; Antidepressants boost bleeding risk.
August 1, 2005... A note of caution to people taking Paxil, Prozac, and similar antidepressants: Research finds that these and related drugs, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can cause serious bleeding problems. SSRIs rebalance...

Heart beat; Gallstones and heart disease.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A gallstone attack, with its knife-like pain suddenly piercing the upper abdomen and lower chest and gradually growing more intense, is one of many things that mimics a heart attack. It turns out there's another connection between the two:...

Heart beat; Make it a bean burger with that beer.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... For many people, the recipe for a successful summer cookout includes a sizzling burger and an ice-cold beer. Routinely combining red meat and alcohol, though, may not be so good for your heart. Instead, try a bean burger. The difference...

Ask the doctor; Preventive stress tests?(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Q. I haven't had such good luck with my heart -- a heart attack ten years ago and angioplasty with two stents inserted last year. Would it make sense for me to have a yearly stress test? If I had been doing that after my heart attack, maybe my...

Ask the doctor; Is cholesterol-lowering therapy hurting my sex life?
August 1, 2005... Q. Since I started taking Zocor a few years ago for my high cholesterol, my sex drive seems to have dwindled. My wife and I are wondering if there is a connection. A. Cholesterol has several important functions in the body. It is an...