Harvard Heart Letter articles from July 2007

Harvard Heart Letter archives from July 2007

What triggers heart attacks?
July 1, 2007... Sudden stress -- whether it's from anger, a heat wave, or getting out of bed -- can be the final "insult" that sets off a heart attack, stroke, or cardiac arrest. Heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests seem like they come out of the...

Guidelines offer women a change of heart.
July 1, 2007... Focusing on prevention is the best way to halt heart disease in women. We've said this before and will, no doubt, say it again: Heart disease isn't a man's disease. It never really was, even though it has carried that reputation for years....

A road map to life in the fat lane.
July 1, 2007... The path from hamburger and French fries to artery-narrowing atherosclerotic plaque is a tortuous one with several participants and cycles. You have probably heard about the particles involved, but you may not know how they are connected or...

Heart Beat; Drive-through angioplasty?(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Given what angioplasty involves -- having your heart fixed from the inside out -- it is a remarkably safe procedure. In fact, it is getting so safe that experts are exploring whether everyone who undergoes the procedure needs to spend the night...

Heart Beat; Applying cardiac advances saves lives.(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Organizations like the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association spend a lot of time sifting through the ever-growing mountain of studies to come up with guidelines for treating cardiovascular disease. When doctors follow...

Heart Beat; Migraine, heart disease linked.(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... A migraine can cause excruciating head pain that pulses or throbs, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. Add heartache to the list, suggest researchers from Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. Their 15-year study of more than...

Ask the doctor; Is warfarin turning my toes purple?(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q. I take warfarin, between 5 and 7 milligrams a day, depending on my prothrombin-time test results. I continually have blood blisters up and down my arms and sporadically on my legs. Recently, I developed purple toes on my left foot. My...

Ask the doctor; What causes C-reactive protein levels to vary?(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q. Last year I had a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test (hsCRP) that came back at 38.6, which my doctor said was quite high. My cholesterol levels were fine; a subsequent heart scan and stress test were both normal. When my doctor...

Ask the doctor; Can you really prevent heart disease?
July 1, 2007... Q. Is the heart-health message wrong? Pretty much everyone knows by now that they can "prevent" heart disease by not smoking, losing weight, exercising, watching their cholesterol and blood pressure, and eating right. So when they do all that...

Ask the doctor; Why does my father feel wires poking him in the chest months after open-heart surgery?(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Q. My father had open-heart surgery 18 months ago. Fairly soon after the operation, he started having the feeling that wires are poking him in the chest. Is that possible? If so, is there a solution? A. The feeling your father is having...