News
Posted on August 10, 2026
The risk for premature death from CVD occurring from one or more complicated pregnancies may widely vary, new research in European Heart Journal shows. “Cardiovascular disease in women is underrecognized and undertreated and, as such, pregnancy complications have been proposed as a way to identify at-risk women,” Aditi Singh, a PhD candidate at University of Bergen in Norway, said in a press release. “Our earlier work found that a woman’s risk of premature cardiovascular mortality increases with the number of complicated pregnancies. However, many studies and guidelines still only ask whether
Posted on August 10, 2026
Physical activity was linked to reduced risk for stroke and all-cause mortality to a similar extent in people with and without atrial fibrillation, researchers reported. The health benefits of exercise were observed even at low levels of physical activity compared with inactivity and showed potential longevity benefits as well, according to study findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. “The results from our study indicate that physical activity was associated with a reduced risk of stroke and death in individuals with and without atrial fibrillation. So,
Posted on August 10, 2026
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Incidental qualitative coronary artery calcium findings can identify which patients with psoriatic disease need their cardiovascular risk managed, researchers reported. In a presentation that won the award for best oral abstract on the second day of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention, Brooke Bartley, MD, dermatology resident at University of Texas Medical Branch and UT Southwestern Medical Center, discussed findings from the STRATIFY-PsD project. “This is a joint initiative between cardiology and dermatology, and it explores the
Posted on August 7, 2026
Xylazine scheduling may have contributed to a substantial increase in medetomidine in the U.S. illicit drug supply, a new research paper suggests. “Although this study is the first to examine this for xylazine/medetomidine, these ‘iron law of prohibition’ patterns are not new,” David T. Zhu, an MD/PhD candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University, told Healio. “Currently, many state policymakers and legislators are still debating whether to schedule xylazine and medetomidine — our findings provide a cautionary tale against these supply-side drug control policies.” In recent years, there has
Posted on August 7, 2026
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The prevalence of genetic high cholesterol is estimated to be approximately sevenfold higher in the South Asian population compared with previous estimations in the global general population, a speaker reported. Compared with South Asian individuals without heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, those with heterozygous FH (HeFH) may have an up to twofold greater risk for major adverse CV events, premature atherosclerotic CVD, CV death and all-cause death, according to a presentation. At the American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention,
Posted on August 7, 2026
Kidney failure risk may impact treatment effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors vs. GLP-1 drugs for veterans with type 2 diabetes, according to study data published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Currently, no randomized controlled trials have compared the effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors vs. non-exendin GLP-1 receptor agonists, according to Srinivasan Beddhu, MD, scientific director at the Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism Center, Sydney E. Hartsell, MD, MPH, physician scientist in the division of nephrology and hypertension, both at University of Utah Health, and
Posted on August 7, 2026
The number of adults with elevated LDL increased from 2.5 billion in 1990 to 4.6 billion in 2023, with 6% of all global deaths attributable to high LDL in 2023, according to study findings published in JAMA. Although age-standardized deaths and disability-adjusted life-years associated with elevated LDL decreased since 1990, the LDL burden shifted and now affects more middle-income countries, researchers reported. “LDL is one of the most established, modifiable drivers of ASCVD, yet most data track population lipid trends in isolation from actual outcomes,” Christian Razo, PhD, acting assistant
Posted on August 6, 2026
Many patients report high comfort with health systems using AI-written portal messages, noting it gets them information quickly and reduces clinician workload. Their comfort comes with caveats, though. Patients want both clinician oversight and transparency that AI is being used. “Pretty much everyone in our sample recognized that this could be a helpful tool,” Kellie Owens, PhD, assistant professor in the department of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told Healio. “[However], patients were very clear that they see AI not as something they wanted to replace human judgment or
Posted on August 6, 2026
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The PREVENT equations predict risk for cardiovascular disease, atherosclerotic CVD and heart failure in Native Americans better than earlier models, researchers reported. At the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) Congress on CVD Prevention, Mohan Satish, MD, postdoctoral fellow in cardiovascular diseases at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine, presented findings validating the PREVENT equations in Native Americans, who were included in the “other” race/ethnicity category in the development of the PREVENT equations due to low
Posted on August 6, 2026
Clinicians should look for supporting evidence when answering questions about the latest nutrition trends or providing dietary recommendations, according to Michael Greger, MD, FACLM. “You don’t want to change your clinical practice based on one study,” Greger said during a Healio Community webinar. “We want overwhelming evidence of benefit before we recommend it.” In the webinar, Michelle Tollefson, MD, FACLM, an OB/GYN and professor in the department of health professions at Metropolitan State University of Denver, spoke with Greger, a founding member and fellow
Posted on August 6, 2026
Tirzepatide reduced risk for major adverse cardiovascular events among adults with type 2 diabetes and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to real-world data published in The BMJ. As Healio previously reported, the SURPASS-CVOT trial found tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Eli Lilly) conferred a similar reduction in risk for CV events as dulaglutide (Trulicity, Eli Lilly) among adults with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic CVD. In a new study using data from two national claims databases in the U.S., researchers compared CV outcomes among adults using tirzepatide with those
Posted on August 5, 2026
Not smoking, having normal BP and no diabetes may extend life without dementia by almost 13 years, a new study in Neurology Open Access shows. “Our findings support prevention of risk factors developing in midlife as a strategy for delaying the onset of dementia and maintaining brain health,” Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said in a press release. “Finding ways to prevent or delay dementia is crucial as the population ages as treatments remain limited.” Healio previously reported that addressing over a dozen risk factors, including
Posted on August 5, 2026
Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, will become the first full-time director of the CDC in nearly 1 year after senators confirmed her to the post on Wednesday, largely along party lines. Senators voted 51-44 in favor of Schwartz’s confirmation, with all Republicans voting “yea” and all Democrats except Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., voting “nay.” Five senators — two Democrats and three Republicans — did not vote. Kaine was also the only Democrat who voted in support of her nomination in committee last week. Schwartz served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first presidential term. She spent 24
Posted on August 5, 2026
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A new feasibility study found significant safety and quality gaps in AI-generated meal plans for hypertension, according to findings presented at the American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention. Vijaya Parameswaran, MS, PhD, RD, postdoctoral fellow at Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues compared the performance of three large language models (LLMs) with those of a dietitian at devising a 1-week meal plan for two hypothetical patients with hypertension, one an American omnivore and one an
Posted on August 5, 2026
The International Psoriasis Council has released a list of five recommendations for prioritized action items that will help dermatologists incorporate metabolic disease considerations into psoriasis care. Researchers attending the 2025 International Psoriasis Council Think Tank symposium identified metabolic disease management as the primary unmet need and future priority of psoriasis treatment, according to a summary paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Based on feedback from more than 150 survey responses from dermatologists, the five finalized action items
Posted on August 4, 2026
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Many individuals use AI-powered calorie-tracking apps as a tool for weight loss, but these apps may underestimate the calories in the meals, according to research presented at the annual NUTRITION meeting. “Photo-based calorie tracking apps are very popular, especially for people trying to manage their health or lose weight,” Aaron Hengist, PhD, a postdoctoral visiting fellow with the intramural program of the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said in a press release “However, the accuracy of many of these apps has not been
Posted on August 4, 2026
Rates of gestational hypertension among U.S. mothers increased from 2016 to 2024 with varying differences emerging by race, age and BMI, according to study findings published in National Vital Statistics Reports. Overall, the rate of gestational hypertension increased 73% in the U.S., and was most common in mothers of non-Hispanic Native American or Alaska Native and non-Hispanic Black race, mothers aged at least 40 years and mothers with obesity, according to Elizabeth C.W. Gregory, MPH, a health scientist at the CDC National Center for Health Statistics. “Hypertensive disorders in
Posted on August 4, 2026
Men prescribed testosterone therapy despite no symptoms of hypogonadism have higher risk for major adverse cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality than men with hypogonadism using testosterone therapy, researchers reported. In an analysis of data from the TriNetX global collaborative network published in eBioMedicine, researchers found risks for several CV events with testosterone therapy varied based on each person’s medical profile at initiation. Hatim Kerniss, MD, physician and researcher at University Hospital Frankfurt in Germany, said the findings shed light on the importance of
Posted on August 4, 2026
U.S. News & World Report released its 2026-2027 Best Hospitals rankings Tuesday. This year’s edition features 505 hospitals across 49 states and Washington, D.C. “that have demonstrated superior patient outcomes for a variety of common procedures and conditions,” according to a press release. “U.S. News’ performance-driven metrics ensure American families can confidently find and choose high-quality care, often right in their own communities,” Ben Harder, U.S. News’ chief of health analysis and managing editor, said in the release. Harder added that this edition also includes four new
Posted on August 3, 2026
Medication burden for patients on dialysis has increased significantly between 2003 and 2024, according to study data published in Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Higher medication burden is linked to increased risks for adverse drug reactions, worsened adherence and higher hospitalization and mortality rates, according to Harold J. Manley, PharmD, FASN, FCCP, senior pharmacy director at Dialysis Clinic Inc., and colleagues. Previous research on medication burden in dialysis populations has been limited by short study timeframes, the researchers wrote. “Knowledge of
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