Older Women On Statins Have Higher Risk Of Diabetes
According to a study published Online First in the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, using statins in postmenopausal women, is linked to an increased risk of diabetes. However, researchers point out that statins address the cardiovascular consequences of diabetes, and that the latest American Diabetes Association guidelines for primary and secondary prevention should not change. The authors advise not changing guidelines for statin use in nondiabetic populations.
Two-Arm Blood Pressure Checks May Spot Silent Risks
A new study appears to support the idea that blood pressure checks should be done in both arms. Researchers at the University of Exeter Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) in the UK reviewed evidence covering differences in systolic blood pressure between arms and found it could be a useful way to spot elevated risk of vascular disease and even death in cases that might otherwise be "clinically silent". Findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis are published online in The Lancet on 30 January.
ESC Cardiologists 'Intrigued' By Novel Approach To Heart Failure
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) welcomes an "intriguing" study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, featuring a completely novel approach for improving endothelial function in heart failureВ. In the "hypothesis generating" study, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) delivered significant improvements in peak post ischemic blood flow in the arm, a trend for improvement in peak post ischemic blood flow in the leg, but failed to show benefits in exercise capacity and several inflammatory markers.