Heart Attack Archive

Don't get scared. Be proactive by improving diet, exercising, and tracking your symptoms.

German researchers have found a way, in mice, to slow the death of heart cells that occurs in the aging heart and following a heart attack. They identified a gene called PNUTS that has lower activity in older mice, and also is less active after a heart attack. By increasing the activity of the PNUTS gene, the research team slowed the aging of the heart muscle and also reduced the damage to heart muscle following an experimentally caused heart attack in the mice. The work was published in the journal Nature.

In a commentary on this work, Dr. Richard Lee (former co-editor of the Harvard Heart Letter) and colleagues say this finding could open the door to new treatments in humans that might limit the damage caused by heart attacks.

Know when difficulty breathing is an emergency.

Shortness of breath can occur after climbing stairs or running after a child. It can be caused by anxiety. And it can also be evidence of a serious heart or lung condition. That's the problem: when is shortness of breath the sign of a serious problem?

"If you have a serious illness and delay getting care, the consequences can be life-threatening. That's why you should call your doctor," says Dr. Lee, who advises against sending an email that might not be read for hours.

A heart attack can be a frightening wake-up call with long-lasting aftereffects. It’s no surprise that women often tread gently after having a heart attack—and many don’t tread back into the bedroom for sex. Up to 60% of women are less sexually active after a heart attack, often due to worries that sex could trigger a repeat heart attack. A new study suggests that although women believe sex is important for resuming a sense of normalcy and intimacy with their partners, many are fearful that it would be too much for their hearts to take. Reassurance from a doctor is sometimes all that’s needed to ease those fears. How does a woman know if she’s physically ready for sex after a heart attack? It’s safe to have sex if you can work up a light sweat without triggering symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath.

Q. A friend with heart disease was doing fine until he underwent an operation for colon cancer. He got through the first few days without any problems, but then had a heart attack on the fourth day and nearly died. Why would he have had a heart attack after an operation? I need to have surgery and am wondering how dangerous it will be.

A. A major operation isn't like an exercise test, where the stress ends as soon as you stop walking on the treadmill. After an operation, the body has to repair the damage that was done. Inflammation created during the repair process increases the tendency of blood to clot, not only at the site of the surgical wound, but also in the arteries of the heart. Thus, the risk of heart problems after surgery continues for several days after the operation is over.

If you toss and turn at night or rattle the windows with your snores, you may be headed for heart trouble.

Sleep, Shakespeare knew, is the chief nourisher in life's feast. Without restful sleep, your heart health deteriorates.

A new app can be customized with personal data to show heart risk and what you can do about it.

It isn't necessary to provide mouth-to-mouth breathing when doing CPR for someone who suddenly collapses. Chest compression alone may be better.

The surgery can be a better option for some with this condition.

For people who have both diabetes and several blocked heart arteries, bypass surgery (rerouting blood flow around a clogged artery) may have a better result than stenting (widening a heart artery by inserting a wire mesh tube called a stent near the blockage). A study published in a recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine found that bypass surgery resulted in fewer heart attacks and deaths than stenting. Bypass also reduced the likelihood of return trips to the hospital to fix new blockages.

Wire tubes that prop open arteries continue to be refined.

Small metal cylinders called stents have helped revolutionize the treatment of heart disease. In an angioplasty procedure, a narrowed or blocked artery is opened with a balloon. A stent is then inserted to hold the artery open—all without the trauma of open-heart surgery.