Heart Disease Archive

TV medical dramas often portray treatments for heart attacks and cardiac arrest. While the timelines are often accelerated and certain aspects may be dramatized to engage viewers, the medical details are, for the most part, factual and authentic. Writers and producers routinely rely on health care experts — including Harvard doctors — to make sure the information is accurate. For people with heart disease, seeing how emergency physicians treat urgent conditions may show them what to expect.

A free online database provides nutrition facts, ingredient information, and a score that reflects the level of processing for more than 50,000 products at three major supermarkets.

Cancer survivors are more likely to die of heart disease than from cancer-related complications. One reason is that certain cancer treatments can cause cardiovascular complications. But the two diseases share many root causes, including tobacco use and obesity, as well as diabetes and high cholesterol. Growing evidence suggests that people with heart disease may be more likely to develop cancer.

The approach to certain blood tests appears to be shifting. Doctors might stop ordering routine vitamin D screenings for healthy people younger than 75; they might order a one-time combination of lipoprotein(a), C-reactive protein, and LDL (bad) cholesterol tests as a way to predict future heart problems; and they might rely less on standard ranges designated as "normal" in a complete blood count (CBC) test, and instead focus more on comparing someone's latest CBC results to previous CBC tests.

For people who have both heart disease and arthritis, two of the main treatments—exercise and medications—require careful planning and attention. Joint pain makes certain types of exercise difficult, and commonly used drugs for both conditions can have potentially serious interactions.

People who follow a healthy lifestyle can still have the early stages of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease. There are many ways people can find out if they have CAD. This includes paying attention to whether exercise causes discomfort, doing a 10-year heart risk assessment, and seeing their doctor for diagnostic testing, such as a coronary artery calcium scan, a resting electrocardiogram, a walking stress test, or an echocardiogram. A doctor uses this information to determine the best treatment path.

A condition caused by spontaneous genetic mutations in bone marrow cells, known as clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate significance (CHIP), is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Some of these mutations are clearly related to inflammation, a well-known contributor to the buildup of fatty plaque inside arteries. Experts hope that future research on CHIP will eventually lead to genetically directed therapies to address the condition.

People with type 2 diabetes may have greater protection from cardiovascular problems if they keep their systolic blood pressure (the first number in a reading) to 120 mm Hg or lower, according to a 2024 study.

A 2024 study found that people who follow a diet with a higher ratio of plant-based protein to animal-based protein may have a lower risk for cardiovascular disease and coronary artery disease compared with individuals who eat a lower plant-to-animal protein ratio.

Having type 2 diabetes doubles a person's odds of heart disease, and this risk may be present as early as 30 years prior to the diabetes diagnosis, according to a 2024 study. The findings support the long-held observation of the shared underlying causes of diabetes and heart disease. These include factors that contribute to both conditions, especially the tendency to accumulate fat in the middle of the body, known as abdominal obesity. This problem tends to occur in tandem with high blood pressure, unhealthy lipid levels, and elevated blood sugar—a cluster of signs and symptoms called metabolic syndrome.