Tag Archives: heart

Recent older immigrants at higher risk of heart disease

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Photo Adam Jones via Flickr

An increasing number of uninsured, older immigrants are going to emergency rooms with strokes, heart attacks and other serious but preventable complications of cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study. Lack of health insurance may be to blame.

Older immigrants’ risk for cardiovascular disease may be higher among those who recently arrived in the United States, according to researchers contributing to the study published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. Continue reading →

Liz Seegert is an independent health journalist and AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. She covers older adults, baby boomers, health policy, and social determinants of health, as well as many other health issues. Her bylines include stories for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Health, Medscape, Consumer Reports, and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.

An aspirin a day for your heart? Maybe not

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Photo: Curtis Perry via Flickr

New guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association say healthy adults without known heart disease should no longer take an aspirin a day to prevent a heart attack. It could actually do more harm than good.

The revised guidelines come in the wake of several major studies published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine which showed that low-dose aspirin did not extend life in otherwise healthy older adults and any preventive benefits were offset by the danger of internal bleeding and other side effects in people considered to be at low or moderate risk for heart disease. Continue reading →

Liz Seegert is an independent health journalist and AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. She covers older adults, baby boomers, health policy, and social determinants of health, as well as many other health issues. Her bylines include stories for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Health, Medscape, Consumer Reports, and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.

New tip sheet helps clear confusion about hypertension

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Photo: Bryan Costin via Flickr

If you’re confused about standards for managing hypertension in older adults, you’re not alone. When the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology updated the guidelines in November 2017,  millions of adults suddenly faced a new diagnosis of high blood pressure. Adding to the confusion: some medical organizations disagreed with the revisions, opting instead to manage their older patients according to prior standards. Continue reading →

Liz Seegert is an independent health journalist and AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. She covers older adults, baby boomers, health policy, and social determinants of health, as well as many other health issues. Her bylines include stories for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Health, Medscape, Consumer Reports, and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.

New blood pressure guidelines for older adults stir controversy

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Photo: Jasleen Kaur via Flickr

Photo: Jasleen Kaur via Flickr

Adults age 60 and older often struggle to keep their blood pressure in check. Revised guidelines from two leading medical groups may make it a little easier, but not without drawing fire from other health professionals.

Critics argue that the new target for adults over age 60 is too high, and delayed treatment could put more people at risk. Continue reading →

Liz Seegert is an independent health journalist and AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. She covers older adults, baby boomers, health policy, and social determinants of health, as well as many other health issues. Her bylines include stories for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Health, Medscape, Consumer Reports, and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.

Adding context to studies on sex and aging adults

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Photo: Patrick via Flickr

Photo: Patrick via Flickr

Sex.

Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about it. There’s good news and bad news on the older adult sexual health front.

First the good news, at least if you’re an older woman. Frequent, enjoyable sex can lower risk of hypertension according to a new study by researchers at Michigan State University. Continue reading →

Liz Seegert is an independent health journalist and AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. She covers older adults, baby boomers, health policy, and social determinants of health, as well as many other health issues. Her bylines include stories for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Health, Medscape, Consumer Reports, and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.