American Heart Association says Low Social Support linked to Poor Health in Young Heart Attack Survivors

Dallas, TX – Having few friends, family and a general lack of social support is associated with poor health and quality of life and depression in young men and women a year after having a heart attack, according to new research in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Social support is the perception of having friends or family who serve as confidants and companions, offer advice and information, show emotional concern, or provide financial or material support, said Emily Bucholz, lead researcher and a student in the School of Medicine and the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology in the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut. [Read more]

American Heart Association says Young Women fare worse than Young Men after Heart Attack

Baltimore, MD – Women age 55 or younger may fare worse than their male counterparts after having a heart attack, according to new research presented at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2014.

Researchers studied records and interviews of 3,501 people (67 percent women) who had heart attacks in the United States and Spain in 2008-12.

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American Heart Association says Blood pressure control, lifestyle changes key to preventing subsequent Strokes

Saint Thomas and Vanderbilt support healthy lifestyle as key part of stroke prevention

Dallas, TX – Stroke survivors should control their blood pressure, cholesterol and weight and do moderate physical activity regularly to avoid having another stroke, according to an American Heart Association/American Stroke Association scientific statement.

They should also receive other evidence-based therapy specific to their individual health, which may include aspirin therapy or a surgical procedure to keep neck arteries open.

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American Stroke Association says Weather changes may be linked to Stroke Hospitalizations, Death Rates

San Diego, CA – Stroke hospitalization and death rates may rise and fall with outdoor temperature and dew points, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2014.

Researchers studied a sample of 134,510 people who were 18 or older when admitted to hospitals in 2009-10 for ischemic stroke — a stroke caused by a blood clot that blocks blood flow in or near the brain. They then obtained temperature and dew point data during that period. [Read more]

American Heart Association gives Six steps that could cut Heart Failure Readmissions

Reducing heart failure readmissions could save millions of dollars.

Dallas, TX – There are six procedural things hospital teams can do to help heart failure patients avoid another hospital stay in the 30 days after they’re discharged — and if all six are followed, patients are even more likely to avoid readmission, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Each step alone had some impact, but researchers discovered that if all six recommendations are followed, readmissions could drop as much as 2 percent. The study’s lead author said that may seem like a small number, but the significance is enormous. [Read more]