Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is not considered a hematological condition of concern, yet it is associated with lower overall survival. VA researchers led by Lawrence Liu, MD, of the St. Louis VAMC, explored whether the reduced life expectancy arose from an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
Genetic Risk Factors Lead to Potential Therapeutic Targets for Heart Failure
Heart failure affects nearly 6.2 million adults in the United States and disproportionately impacts veterans. The long-term prognosis of heart failure is poor, with a five-year mortality rate of 50%, raising the demand for new therapeutic opportunities.
Statin, Ezetimibe Therapy Combo Shows Promise for Reducing CVD Risk
Combining two different medications used to lower high cholesterol levels, optimized statin therapy and ezetimibe, appears to be associated with reducing cardiovascular risk in U.S. military veterans with coronary artery disease, according to a new study.
Statins Affect Coronary Artery Calcium Score Used to Determine CVD Risk
A retrospective study involving more than 1,000 U.S. veterans has called into question the use of a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) to assess risk of atherosclerosis.
Disparities in Heart Failure Persist Despite MHS’s Universal Care Access
Heart failure affects an estimated 6.2 million adults in the United States and is associated with disability, diminished quality of life and a 5-year mortality of 50%.
Historical Practice of Redlining Is Linked to Adverse Cardiovascular Events
The historical practice of redlining, where neighborhoods were graded based on racial and ethnic compositions, has left a lasting impact on the health of communities across the United States.
VA Study Suggests CVD Risk Might Be Modifiable in CKD/T2D
Is chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated cardiovascular risk in Type 2 diabetes (T2D) modifiable? The answer is unclear, according to a recent study.
Transporting Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease Patients Not Always Best Course
Is it better to transport MHS pediatric patients with congenital heart disease to a high-volume center for care or treat them where they are, even if it is a rural area?
VA’s CVD Peer Health Coaching Intervention Improved Mental HRQoL
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, but CVD risk factors remain suboptimally controlled in the VHA and elsewhere.
Demographics of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients Appear to Be Changing
The typical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patient appears to have changed somewhat, according to a new study, which pointed out that “clinicians are encountering a phenotype of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy evolving from the disease recognized several years ago.”
Association Found Between Battlefield TBI, Subsequent Cardiovascular Disease
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) was common among U.S. servicemembers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, with up to 20% sustaining at least one TBI. Although the survival rate for such injury was high, research has suggested TBI is associated with a wide variety of adverse effects, including dementia, epilepsy and mental health conditions.
Diabetes Genetic Risk Score Linked to Dementia in Some Veterans
Using the VA’s Million Veteran Program data, a new study has determined that a diabetes genetic risk score is associated with all-cause dementia and clinically diagnosed vascular dementia in veterans.
Rural T2D Patients Improved With Remote VA Care
How did a novel approach to provide diabetes specialty team care to rural veterans with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) affect clinical outcomes and processes of care?
T2D Drugs Didn’t Differ in Preventing CV Complications
Not many studies have looked at the comparative effectiveness of commonly used glucose-lowering medications, when added to metformin, on preventing microvascular and cardiovascular disease outcomes in Type 2 diabetes.
Causes of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Extend Beyond Genetic Factors
BOSTON — For three decades, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has basically been considered to be a genetic disease. The cause was believed to be variants in individual genes encoding cardiac sarcomere proteins. But that is changing, however, according to a review published...
Height Might Be a Risk Factor for Several CV Conditions
Height appears to be an unrecognized non-modifiable risk factor for several common conditions in adults, according to a study using data from the VA Million Veteran Program.
Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Mortality in U.S. Veterans Linked to Over- and Under-Treatment With Thyroid Hormones
Both over-treatment and under-treatment with synthetic thyroid hormones are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in U.S. veterans, according to a new study.
Drilling Down in Past Studies Can Help Individualize Type 2 Diabetes Treatment
One size doesn’t fit all, even when it comes to deciding which Type 2 diabetes patients would derive cardiovascular benefit from intensive glycemic control.
VA’s Prescribing of Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulants Often Guideline Discordant
Since they were first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010, direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become the most commonly-prescribed anticoagulants for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) due to their predictable pharmacokinetics, few drug-drug interactions and low monitoring requirements.
VA Study Finds That Reduced Right Ventricular Ejection Fraction Can Affect Beta-Blocker Effectiveness in Some HFrEF Patients but Not Others
Beta blockers have been shown to improve outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), a complex syndrome characterized by impairment of the left ventricle resulting in a low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
Beyond SPRINT: Drug Regimen, Systolic Blood Pressure Affect CVD
The landmark Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) quickly changed the standard treatment of patients at high cardiovascular risk in the U.S.
Cardiologist Brings Novel Cardiac Mapping Technology to DCVAMC
Shortly after Christmas, while the hospital was bracing for the tidal wave that would be omicron, the DCVAMC made history, becoming the first VA in the nation to use new cardiac mapping technology to perform a cardiac ablation procedure.
Why Does Sex Make a Difference in Statin Use Among Older Veterans?
Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 cause of death for women in the United States, and female veterans are at particular risk.
VA Study: Alarming Rise in CVD Complications After Initial COVID-19 Recovery
When it comes to cardiovascular complications, the acute care of COVID-19 symptoms in veterans appears to be only the first stage for what, in some cases, turns out to be a longer-term healthcare crisis.
Conference Highlights Concerns About Increased CV Risk Factors in Veterans
New research is adding to the evidence that veterans are at increased risk for cardiometabolic conditions and poor cardiovascular outcomes.
When Is a Medication Changes Necessary in Veterans With Heart Failure?
Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays an important role in reducing morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) —one of the most common causes of hospitalization among veterans—particularly in those with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
VHA Observational Study Finds No Links Between Testosterone, CV Events
Hormone replacement therapy can have a number of beneficial effects—improving libido and sexual function, lifting energy and mood, increasing muscle mass and bone mineral density and decreasing fat mass—in men with low levels of testosterone, according to studies.
Heart Failure Complicates VA Pain Prescribing
Pain and heart failure are highly comorbid, which can create problems for clinicians attempting to control the conditions.
Navy Study Suggests Post COVID-19 Symptoms Can Affect Military Readiness
At 0.2% percent, the military’s current COVID-19 mortality rate is far lower than that of the general American public, which is just under 2%. But often those who contract and survive COVID-19 have to live with its long-term effects, regardless of the severity of their acute illness.
Pulse Wave Velocity Helps Assess Alzheimer’s Risk Factor
While arterial stiffening is increasingly considered an important risk factor for Alzheimers disease (AD) and related dementias, the mechanisms behind that have been poorly understood.