More coronary heart disease in shorter people, but why?
There is a well established link between shorter adult height and higher risk of coronary heart disease and coronary risk factors, but the underlying mechanisms for this association are not fully...
View ArticleStatins stabilize coronary atheroma by promoting plaque calcification
It is known that statins can regress atherosclerosis and reduce cardiovascular events. The most recent American guidelines (J Am Coll Cardiol 2014; 63: 2889–934) recommend the use of high-intensity...
View ArticleCoronary patients on statin therapy: LDL-C variability is a predictor of poor...
It is widely established that statins significantly reduce cardiovascular risk, in parallel to reducing LDL-C levels (low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol), especially in high risk patients, i.e. those...
View Article3-year mortality after stroke: the Brazilian experience
Considering that stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide, it is interesting to compare stroke data from different countries since this may help to improve patient care by drawing on...
View ArticleTraumatic experiences in childhood could lead to increased blood pressure in...
The autonomic nervous system, particularly the sympathetic branch, plays a pivotal role in regulating blood pressure (BP). Stress induces bursts of adrenaline, the fight or flight response. But from...
View ArticleRead the future in a handshake?
All practitioners intuitively draw a link between the physical strength of their patients and their state of health. This feeling is supported by a number of observational epidemiological studies...
View ArticleOne year later, still no proof of efficacy of renal denervation for resistant HT
Renal sympathetic denervation has been proposed as a treatment for resistant hypertension (HT) (defined as systolic blood pressure [SBP] ≥ 160 mmHg despite concomitant use of at least three...
View ArticleCoronary calcium scan for every hypertensive patient?
Much has been written about the coronary calcium score (CCS) since its introduction into routine medical practice. The CCS gives an idea of the extent of calcified atheromatous plaque within the...
View ArticleShould butter intake be reduced to a minimum in case of hypercholesterolemia?
Butter is especially rich in saturated fats, particularly palmitic and myristic acids which are known for their hypercholesterolemic effects. This is the main reason behind the recommendation to limit...
View ArticlePainless myocardial infarction: at very high risk
A very interesting study on painless ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) was presented by a multidisciplinary team composed of emergency doctors from Singapore General Hospital and physicians...
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