http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/category/cardio.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1071454/Modern-lifestyle-puts-pregnant-women-greater-risk-heart-attack.html http://tobacco.org/news/272175.html Pregnant women may be three times more likely to have a heart attack than other women, a study has shown. Doctors blame the increased risk on the recent trend for women to wait until later in life to have children, and the fact that many work full-time until late into pregnancy. . . . Professor Arie Roth from the Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University said the risk could be cut by reducing blood pressure, stopping smoking and maintaining a healthy weight. Despite warnings around 20 per cent of women in the UK still smoke through pregnancy. The research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, looked at data collected from 103 pregnant heart attack patients. The Mail UK Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/occasional-smoking-takes-a-lasting-toll/?scp=5-b&sq=smoking&st=nyt http://tobacco.org/news/272168.html Among the 45 million smokers in the United States, about 19 percent don't smoke every day. These occasional smokers -- people who smoke only on the weekends or just a few times a week in social situations -- often believe they are avoiding the health worries typically associated with smoking. But new research shows that even occasional cigarette smoking can impair artery function, a sign of looming heart disease. In a small study, researchers at the University of Georgia recruited 18 healthy college students, half of whom were nonsmokers. The other half were occasional smokers, puffing less than a pack a week and had not smoked for at least two days before undergoing testing. The study, published online in the journal Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, used ultrasound scans to measure how the students' arteries responded to changes in blood flow. . . . The study found that the arteries of occasional smokers were 36 percent less responsive to changes in blood flow than nonsmokers. And after the occasional smokers underwent the initial test, they smoked two cigarettes and had their arteries re-examined. The study showed that arterial responsiveness dropped by another 24 percent compared to before they smoked. New York Times Blogs well@nytimes.com (KENNETH CHANG) Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/books/08wright.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=smoking&st=nyt&oref=slogin http://tobacco.org/news/272152.html Charles Wright, who wrote three autobiographical novels about black street life in New York City between 1963 and 1973 that seemed to herald the rise of an important literary talent but who vanished into alcoholism and despair and never published another book, died on Oct. 1 in Manhattan. He was 76 and lived in the East Village. The cause was heart failure . . . Mr. Wright's three books were "The Messenger" (1963), "The Wig" (1966) and "Absolutely Nothing to Get Alarmed About" (1973), all published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. . . . Mr. Wright served in the Army during the Korean War and moved to New York in his 20s. An early novel was rejected by Farrar, Straus, but an editor there encouraged him to write his own story, which became "The Messenger." Over the next decade, his profligate habits -- he told one interviewer his hobbies were smoking and drinking -- seized hold of him. New York Times Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.physorg.com/news142596152.html http://tobacco.org/news/272118.html Even occasional cigarette smoking can impair the functioning of your arteries, according to a new University of Georgia study that used ultrasound to measure how the arteries of young, healthy adults respond to changes in blood flow. "Most people know that if they have a cigarette or two over the weekend that it's not good for their arteries," said study co-author Kevin McCully, a professor of kinesiology in the UGA College of Education, "but what they may not be aware of—and what our study shows—is that the decrease in function persists into the next week, if not longer." Previous studies have shown reductions in the arterial health of people who smoke regularly, McCully said, but what's surprising about his finding is that the study subjects were occasional smokers (less than a pack a week) who had not smoked for at least two days before their ultrasound. physorg.com Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922174632.htm http://tobacco.org/news/271803.html Secondhand smoke significantly increased the risk of women developing peripheral artery disease (PAD) in a Chinese study, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. In a population-based study of 1,209 women in Beijing, China, researchers found a 67 percent increased risk of PAD in those exposed to secondhand smoke compared to those who were not exposed. The women were 60 years and older and had never smoked. Of these women, 39.5 percent were exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the workplace. Secondhand smoke exposure was defined as exposure to another person's tobacco smoke for at least 15 minutes daily for more than one day every week for at least two years during the past 10 years. ScienceDaily Magazine editor@sciencedaily.com China Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/esoc-whd092608.php http://tobacco.org/news/271763.html The European Society of Cardiology (ESC)(3) is taking the opportunity of this special day to reiterate its strong commitment in the field of prevention, one of its leading year- round activities. By "knowing our risks" - this year's World Heart Day theme - and suitably managing them, we stand a chance to tackle the threatening CVD pandemic. . . . ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines on CVD Prevention(9) were rewritten in 2007 to put a stronger emphasis on exercise, weight, lifestyle and smoking cessation. The increased involvement of other specialties such as General Practice and Cardiovascular Nursing was instrumental. EurekAlert press@escardio.org Europe Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/123207.php http://tobacco.org/news/271755.html The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published new public health guidance on reducing the rate of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other smoking-related diseases. The guidance is designed to help tackle health inequalities by making recommendations about the best ways to identify and support those most at risk and improve access to services.These recommendations are intended to complement existing initiatives and wider health promoting policies aimed at reducing health inequalities. The Guidance has been developed specifically for smoking cessation services and the provision of statins and is aimed at general practices, PCTs, community services and local authorities with a remit for tackling health inequalities. . . . 2. Smoking cessation and statin interventions were used as the basis of the recommendations because: -- Methods of identifying and supporting adults and improving their access to services need to be assessed using interventions which have already been established as effective and cost effective. Smoking cessation services and the provision of statins are both generally agreed to be effective and cost effective. -- Epidemiological data show a clear socioeconomic gradient for smoking and CVD. Tackling smoking and providing statins, as recommended, should make a significant contribution to reducing health inequalities. Medical News TODAY UK Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4702422a7144.html http://tobacco.org/news/271499.html Quitting smoking decreases the risk of stroke and heart attack, but the benefits of just cutting down are less clearcut, according to study results published in the medical journal Stroke. Dr Hong-Jun Cho, of the Asian Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, and colleagues assessed the effects of smoking reduction and cessation on the risk of fatal and nonfatal stroke and heart attack in 475,734 Korean men between the ages of 30 and 58 years who were enrolled in the Korean National Health Insurance System. Reuters Korea - South Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=619559 http://tobacco.org/news/271470.html Women exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the workplace had a 67 percent increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared to women who weren't exposed, a new study says. "This is the first study to show the adverse effects of secondhand smoke on peripheral artery disease in women," lead author Yao He, a professor of epidemiology at the Chinese PLA General Hospital in Beijing, said in an American Heart Association news release. The researchers, who examined 1,209 Chinese women 60 years and older who'd never smoked HealthDay [HealthScout] editors@healthday.com China Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080922/nymv025.html?.v=1 http://tobacco.org/news/271449.html "Knowing your cardiovascular risk and taking appropriate steps to lower it can decrease the number of heart attacks and strokes suffered in this country every year," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, clinical associate professor of medicine and medical director of New York University's Women's Heart Program and author of Dr. Nieca Goldberg's Complete Guide to Women's Health. "Patients need to talk to their doctor about proven simple prevention strategies, like taking daily low-dose aspirin, diet and exercise. If more at-risk adults were on an aspirin regimen, along with improved diet and exercise the incidence of heart disease in this country would be greatly reduced." In fact, according to a report issued by the AHA and two other major health organizations and published in recent issues of Circulation(i) and Diabetes Care, greater appropriate use of preventive measures that include aspirin therapy, weight loss, cholesterol and blood pressure reduction, and smoking cessation would reduce heart attacks by 36 percent over the next three decades(ii). . . . When it comes to activities or behaviors related to health risks, even though 92 percent feel smoking or using tobacco is moderately to highly risky, 22 percent of respondents still use tobacco regularly (with an additional five percent occasionally). PR Newswire Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=11a12f0d-dd3b-484d-a04e-3de4fc2dd670 http://tobacco.org/news/271440.html Heart attacks are hitting the overweight more than a decade sooner than "normal" weight people, researchers are reporting. A study of more than 111,000 people is one of the first to put real numbers to the risk of obesity and suggests "excess adiposity" - fat tissue - is more dangerous to the heart than smoking. "The leading theory in cardiology right now is that the fat tissue is actually producing factors that precipitate heart attacks," says lead author Dr. Peter McCullough, consultant cardiologist and chief of nutrition and prevention medicine at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. . . . His team analyzed data from a nationwide U.S. registry of people hospitalized for heart attack and unstable angina, or chest pain, from 2001 to 2007. . . . The study appears in the most recent issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. CanWest News Services hayden@aviarts.com (Sharon Kirkey ,� Canwest News Service ) Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.medwire-news.md/38/77486/Cardiology/Smoking_cessation_may_add_3_years_to_post-CABG_survival.html http://tobacco.org/news/270921.html Coronary patients who smoke can potentially add 3 years to their life expectancy after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABP) by quitting the habit, research suggests. "Smoking cessation turned out to have a greater effect on reducing the risk of mortality after CABG than any other intervention or treatment," say Ron van Domburg (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and colleagues. The team identified 551 (53%) smokers among 1041 patients who underwent CABG between 1971 and 1980, at an average age of 51 years. Of the smokers, 43% quit after CABG and sustained this through the first year. The 10-, 20-, and 30-year survival rates were 88%, 49%, and 19%, respectively, among smokers who quit; but the corresponding rates among persistent smokers were just 77%, 36%, and 11% (p<0.0001 for overall survival difference). Cumulative survival was similar among persistent smokers and nonsmokers. MedWire News Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120458.php http://tobacco.org/news/270788.html Nearly 47.5 million Americans currently smoke, and the habit is one that increases the risk and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Patients with CKD also develop cardiovascular issues as the disease worsens, and researchers are calling for more studies that will help reduce cardiovascular mortality in this patient group. Smoking cessation may decrease cardiovascular disease as well as slow the progression of CKD. In the July-August 2008 issue of Nephrology Nursing Journal, Harold J. Manley and Nicole M. Stack describe smoking cessation therapies for the CKD population, an area in which little guidance exists. Medical News TODAY Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MED_WOMEN_SMOKERS?SITE=CAWOO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://tobacco.org/news/270706.html Women typically get heart disease much later than men, but not if they smoke, researchers said Tuesday. In fact, women who smoke have heart attacks more than a dozen years earlier than women who don't smoke, Norwegian doctors reported in a study presented to the European Society of Cardiology. For men, the gap is not so dramatic; male smokers have heart attacks about six years earlier than men who don't smoke. "This is not a minor difference," said Dr. Silvia Priori, a cardiologist at the Scientific Institute in Pavia, Italy. "Women need to realize they are losing much more than men when they smoke," she said. Priori was not connected to the research. AP Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1051492/Patients-high-risk-stroke-heart-attack-ignoring-doctors-advice.html http://tobacco.org/news/270616.html Britons at high risk of heart attack and stroke are ignoring doctors' advice to change their lifestyle, says a new survey. More than three-quarters are obese or overweight, with dangerously big stomachs, and most smokers have refused to give up. More than half have out-of-control blood pressure and 40 per cent have high cholesterol levels. . . . The findings from a major European survey were released today at the European Society for Cardiology congress in Munich. . . . The new survey of 12 countries looked in detail at 381 patients in the UK, who had been diagnosed as 'high risk' at least six months earlier by their GPs. . . . Almost 80 per cent of those who were smokers at the time had not given up The Mail UK Europe Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT