Heart Health Archive

Cancer survivors are more likely to die of heart disease than from cancer-related complications. One reason is that certain cancer treatments can cause cardiovascular complications. But the two diseases share many root causes, including tobacco use and obesity, as well as diabetes and high cholesterol. Growing evidence suggests that people with heart disease may be more likely to develop cancer.

Varicose veins are not just unsightly and uncomfortable; they can also be harbingers of more serious conditions, including deep-vein blood clots and venous ulcers. Ablation therapies to eradicate varicose veins can lower these risks. People can also try simple strategies to prevent and improve varicose veins, including doing exercises that work their calf muscles, elevating their legs, and wearing compression stockings.

Statins are among the most-prescribed drugs in the United States, but some people are concerned about side effects. Lifestyle changes involving diet and exercise can help lower cholesterol enough to take a statin break

Intensive blood pressure control that lowers systolic blood pressure (the first number in a reading) below 120 points may lower the risk of cognitive impairment or probable dementia.

Using tobacco in cigars, pipes, or smokeless products such as snuff is associated with distinct heart-related risks.

Strokes fall into two main categories: ischemic (which result from a blockage inside one of the brain's arteries and account for 87% of all strokes) and hemorrhagic (also known as bleeding strokes, usually from a ruptured blood vessel). Three main types of ischemic strokes are those that result from atherosclerosis in a large artery supplying the brain (large-artery atherothrombotic strokes); those caused by clots in the heart that travel to the brain (cardioembolic strokes); and those in the brain's smallest vessels (small-vessel strokes).