Heart Failure Archive

A yearly influenza vaccine may help lower the risk of serious cardiovascular complications, especially among people who've had a recent heart attack. Pneumonia and shingles vaccines also help reduce heart attack and stroke risks. Early fall is a good time to get back on track with these vaccines. Several different types of flu shots are available; experts advise getting whichever one is most readily available. For those ages 65 and older who have a choice, three vaccines (Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent, Flublock Quadrivalent recombinant, and Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted) may offer slightly better protection than the regular-dose shot and are the preferred choice.

Being self-employed can offer advantages like flexibility and autonomy in a person's work life. Now, data from a long-term health study suggests that self-employment may provide another benefit for some women: improved health outcomes.

A trial from 2019 showed a medication dramatically reduced triglyceride levels in participants, but subsequent analysis found that the placebo used in the trial may have negatively affected those assigned to take it.

Too much or too little potassium can harm the heart. Diet, medications, and kidney function can affect the body's potassium level. Dietary potassium helps keep blood pressure in a normal range, but most Americans don't consume enough of this mineral. However, people taking medications that raise potassium levels—which includes certain drugs to treat high blood pressure and heart failure—should avoid salt substitutes made with potassium chloride.

Taking an aggressive approach to lower high blood pressure with more medication can help many older adults reduce their risk for heart attacks, stroke, and heart failure. But they need to weigh the benefits with the potential side effects of extra medication.

A big, hearty salad can provide the recommended daily dose of vegetables. Adding other filling ingredients such as starches and proteins turns a salad into a healthy, satisfying meal.

Sitting too much can boost stroke risk. But adding more movement—even low-effort activity such as doing household chores—may help lower that risk.

Psychological issues such as anger, anxiety, depression, and work stress are associated with a greater likelihood of the heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation, according to a 2022 study.

Cardiovascular conditions can increase a person's risk of falling. Such falls are usually related to a lack of blood flow to the brain that causes a person to faint. The most common cause is orthostatic hypotension, but severe aortic stenosis and the heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation can also cause a person to faint. Other falls may result from cerebral microvascular disease, a type of blood vessel damage in the brain that develops over time.

Women don't fare as well as men when it comes to getting treatment for coronary artery disease. Social and cultural factors may help explain this discrepancy. Women tend to downplay their symptoms and delay seeking treatment. But health care providers may be contributing to this problem, too A major underlying issue may be the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials of heart-related conditions.