CVD News Watch December 19

CDC’s Winter Tip of the Week

Cold weather puts an extra strain on the heart. If you have heart disease or high blood pressure, follow your doctor’s advice about shoveling snow or performing other strenuous work in the cold. If you have to do heavy outdoor chores, dress warmly and work slowly.

CVD gender issues watch
Number of women cardiologists doubles, but still much room for improvement
It’s a man world out there. The good news is that the number of female heart doctors has doubled during the past decade. The sad news is that two thirds of them still feel discriminated against as a consequence of their gender and their other job – motherhood. “The new survey shows that only 73% of women cardiologists are married, and a smaller fraction have children (66%), compared with 91% of male cardiologists who are married and 92% who have children”, according to heartwire.

CVD lifestyle watch

Mayo opens Center for Tobacco-Free Living
The renowned Mayo Clinic helps those who want to quit. It opened the new Center for Tobacco-Free Living last month, a new addition to Mayo’s Nicotine Dependence Center. Aside from professional counselling, the center also offers self-help tools in the form of interactive media, illustrations, computer work stations. Smoking is major risk factor in cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.

CVD stem cell research watch

Stem cells drug testing predicted to boom under Obama
American scientists are hopeful and so are their European colleagues. Dr, Christine Mummery, Professor of Developmental Biology at Leiden University Medical Centre in The Netherlands who spoke at the British Pharmacological Society’s Winter Meeting in Brighton Wednesday predicts that stem cell drug testing will boon under the new US administration and in the process will benefit European research as well. President-elect Barack Obama is a well-known supporter of stem cell research.

CVD drug watch

FDA Announces New Recommendations on Evaluating Cardiovascular Risk in Drugs Intended to Treat Type 2 Diabetes
The lesson learned from Avandia! The US FDA is tightening the guidelines for drugs indicated for type 2 diaebetes. This week, the regulatory body “recommended … that manufacturers developing new drugs and biologics for type 2 diabetes provide evidence that the therapy will not increase the risk of such cardiovascular events as a heart attack. The recommendation is part of a new guidance for industry that applies to all diabetes drugs currently under development.”

 CVD statistics watch

AHA year-end report: Mortality declines as risk factors climb
The 2008 American Heart Association report gives some good news and not-so-good news. Death rates due to heart disease and stroke are down but the risk factors which are modifiable through lifestyle changes still continue to rise, a trend that might not be sustainable. Definitely there’s a need to step up on prevention.

 It’s the weekend before Christmas. Don’t stress yourself out with last-minute Christmas shopping!

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