Heart Disease Archive

Naps can be healthy for adults who need to catch up on sleep or work odd hours, but they can also make it more difficult to sleep at night and be a sign of a sleep disorder. Naps should be short and limited to the early afternoon to prevent them from interfering with nighttime sleep. People who have the urge to nap daily should consider whether they need to improve their nighttime sleep habits.

Following a vegetarian or vegan diet may help lower levels of total and LDL cholesterol, according to a 2023 review of studies published over four decades.

People with autoimmune diseases may be up to three times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without an autoimmune disease. Among the most common autoimmune diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and lupus. Awareness of this elevated risk is especially important because autoimmune disease typically strikes when people are in their 20s or 30s. In turn, heart problems may develop up to a decade earlier than in people without an autoimmune disease. A calcium scan, which detects early signs of atherosclerosis, can help assess a person's risk and guide treatment advice.

Pregnancy and reproductive complications, including high blood pressure, diabetes, pre-eclampsia, infertility, and stillbirth, are linked with higher cardiovascular risks in affected women many years later. Such complications affect 5% to 10% of pregnancies and are rising as obesity rates increase and more women postpone pregnancy. Ongoing preventive care and screenings are crucial for women who experienced pregnancy complications to monitor blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels and treat any irregularities aggressively.

There are two different mechanisms by which most heart attacks happen. Both are related to insufficient blood flow to an area of the heart, most often secondary to fatty plaque buildup in coronary arteries. Chest pain remains the most common heart attack symptom, but others are often subtle, and the underlying process causing the heart attack can differ. It's important for people to recognize the different signs of heart attacks, so they know when to seek immediate medical care.

A 2023 review of 70 studies found that both unprocessed and processed red meat are linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, with no apparent difference in risk between men and women.