Increase In Cardiac Problems During Pregnancy: New ESC Guidelines Emphasise The Importance Of Screening And Risk Assessment
Pre-existing heart disease is rarely a contraindication to pregnancy - indeed, many women with heart disorders tolerate pregnancy well - but it remains a "major concern" that complications are frequent and in some cases may be life-threatening for both the mother and her child. In Europe maternal heart disease has now become the major cause of maternal death during pregnancy. New ESC Guidelines on the management of cardiovascular disease in pregnancy are published in the European Heart Journal.
Leisure-Time Physical Activity Increases The Risk Of Atrial Fibrillation In Men
A Norwegian survey carried out between 1974 and 2003 showed that there was a graded independent increase in the risk of AF with increasing levels of physical activity in a population-based study among men with ostensibly no other heart disease. In women the data were inconclusive. Speaking at a press conference at the ESC Congress in Paris, Prof Knut Gjesdal from Oslo University Hospital, said that competing athletes seem to be at higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) than their sedentary mates.
Differences In Cell Response Could Explain Higher Rates Of Hypertension In African Americans
A key difference in the way that cells from African-Americans respond to inflammation could be an answer to why this group is disproportionately affected by hypertension, something that has eluded scientists for many years. In a study published this month in Vascular Health and Risk Management, lead author Michael Brown and his team tested the effects of TNF-, a protein that causes inflammation when cells are damaged, on endothelial cells which line blood vessels in both African-Americans and Caucasians, to determine whether the inflammation affected the cells differently.