Statins 'prevent artery ageing'

"Drugs given to heart patients to lower cholesterol may have an additional benefit - keeping their blood vessels feeling younger. Advanced heart disease patients have arteries which have effectively aged faster than the rest of their bodies. University of Cambridge...

US "Call to Action" against deep vein thrombosis

The US surgeon general has released a rare call to action against DVT, or deep vein thrombosis (blood clotting).  This condition is responsible for over 100,000 deaths a year in America alone, and affects hundreds of thousands more.  DVT can become deadly if a...

Tampa General starts procedure on wrong patient

"TAMPA -- Staff at Tampa General Hospital mistakenly started performing a cardiac catheterization last week on the wrong patient, hospital officials said Wednesday evening.The man was not harmed, and the hospital is conducting an internal investigation. Staff members failed...

Women tea-drinkers have less plaque in arteries

"Women who drink tea may be protecting themselves from a build-up of artery-clogging plaque, so lowering their risk for heart disease and stroke, findings from a French study suggest. Dr. Mahmoud Zureik and colleagues found that older women who reported drinking at least...

FDA Says antiepileptic drugs patients have twice the risk of suicidal behavior

"Defective Drug News, Recall Information, and FDA Warnings January 31, 2008 FDA Analysis shows patients receiving antiepileptic drugs have twice the risk of suicidal behavior. The FDA announced today that is has completed review of reports of suicidal behavior from its...

Paul McCartney has secret heart operation

"Music legend Sir Paul McCartney underwent secret heart surgery last autumn, it was revealed last night. The 65-year-old former Beatle reportedly had a coronary angioplasty - a procedure that opens up arteries and allows a greater flow of blood. A source told British...

Study links birth control pill to arterial plaque

"ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A European study released on Tuesday has raised new concerns about the safety of women's long-term use of the birth control pill, suggesting increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Women who had used oral contraceptives were more likely than...

Left-handed women may have a shorter life-span

A study suggests that women who are left-handed have a higher risk of dying, particularly from cancer and cerebrovascular disease - damage to an artery in the brain or an artery that supplies blood to the brain. While it could be a chance finding and the evidence is far from...

Scientists discover genius gene

COKE STROKE: Using drugs such as cocaine can increase the risk of torn arteries and strokes, researchers say. Two women suffered severe strokes and a major tear in the neck artery after taking the drug methamphetamine, which is toxic to large arteries. 'Since cocaine has...

Pinochet undergoes emergency angioplasty

"Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator whose regime was responsible for widespread killings and other abuses, suffered a heart attack Sunday and underwent an emergency angioplasty that his son said "virtually rescued him from death." A spokesman for Pinochet said he...