Health Articles & News » heart attack

Diabetes and Heart Attack! Can We Catch It Before It’s Too Late?

blogger1 — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:30:58 +0000

Type 2 diabetes (also known as adult-onset diabetes and non-insulin-dependent diabetes) usually develops gradually in adulthood and is caused by delayed or impaired insulin secretion, impaired insulin action, or excessive glucose output by the liver. Now insulin is a hormone that regulates the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood and is required for the body to function normally. Cells in the pancreas, called the islets of Langerhans, produce insulin. These cells continuously release a small amount of insulin into the body, but they release surges of the hormone in response to a rise in the blood glucose level. However this function is lost in diabetes. It is important for glucose to be under control as an elevated level results in diabetes and subsequent damage to the eyes, kidneys, feet and can even result in death if not treated.

The leading cause of type 2 diabetes is cardiovascular disease (CVD), the most common of which is a heart attack. Yet the problem for us lies in detecting those patients with type 2 diabetes that are actually at high risk of having a heart attack. In a recent trial published by ‘The Danish Diabetes Association’ and ‘The Danish Heart Foundation’ efforts were made to try and identify a system whereby this was achievable. They had a look at how common heart attacks were in patients with type 2 diabetes and tried to establish an algorithm to identify the ‘at risk’ patients.

Methods included referring patients with type 2 diabetes and no known or suspected CVD to the diabetes clinic for the first time. Here they were categorized based on traditional risk factors for heart attack. These included; chest pain, obesity, blood pressure, blood sugar level, cardiac enzyme markers (for indication of damage to the heart muscle), output of blood from the heart and presence of disease in the arteries in the legs or neck.

With the information above an algorithm was created to stratify patient risk according to low, medium and high risk. All patients were then given a myocardial perfusion scintigraphy scan (MPS) which is basically just a fancy machine that detects if there has been any previous damage to the heart. Information gained from this scan therefore showed if all patients had been categorized to the correct group or not. The results of this showed that the algorithm was able to stratify which patients had a low, intermediate or high risk of heart attack based on MPS. However, the algorithm had low sensitivity and specificity, which means that some will be put in the high risk group when they are low or intermediate risk and vice versa. This algorithm is also associated with high cost and time requirements. However this is only the first attempt and no doubt with further research the algorithm will become more and more effective, watch this space!!!

Mediterranean Diet Reduces Disease Risk

Editor — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:47:02 +0000

Taking statins like Lipitor and Zocor or antidiabetic medications such as Actos and Avandia is not the only way to help deal with metabolic risk factors. The traditional Mediterranean diet plus a daily dose of nuts may help conquer metabolic syndrome, a condition defined by the presence of several risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Read on…Go Nuts with the Mediterranean Diet to Reduce Disease Risk

Drug Treatment Of Hypertension. Does The Drug Matter?

Editor — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:29:26 +0000

Many types of drugs are available for the treatment of hypertension,and for a long time there was debate about whether the benefits of treatment were related to the quality of blood pressure control orwhether the type of drug used might also be important. This is a key question because the difference in cost between “older” drugs (thiazides like chlorothizide or Beta blockers such as Toprol and Inderal) and “newer” drugs(such as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors like Accupril and Benicar or calciumchannel blockers such as Norvasc and Adalat) is large.

It is now clear that what matters most is getting blood pressure controlled, and that this is overwhelminglymore important than the drug used to achieve the reduction. Read on…Drug treatment of hypertension

New Benefits Of Lipitor And Zocor Recognized.

Editor — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 04:02:20 +0000

Liptor and Zocor lower cholesterol and heart attack risk and may hold promise against other diseases, including cancer. Evidence is mounting that statin drugs like Lipitor and Zocor reduce heart disease risk through more than just their cholesterol-lowering effects. Read on…Statins For All?

New Evidence For Statins And Zetia In Atherosclerosis

Editor — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:33:29 +0000

A recent study showed significant reductions in atherosclerosis with the use of statins (eg Lipitor and Zocor) along with Zetia in patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes. Read on…Statins, Zetia reverse atherosclerosis in study

Plavix Helps Prevent Heart Attacks And Stroke

Editor — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:35:05 +0000

Heart attacks and strokes are down due to the use of drugs like Plavix which improve circulation. Read on….Heart Attack Deaths Drop in US as Smoking, Diet, Drugs Help