An ICD (Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator) is an electronic device that is implanted into the chest cavity in order to prevent the person dying from a cardiac arrest that is caused by an abnormally rapid heart rate or tachycardia.

Thus, a claimant with a working implanted defibrillator may still be found disabled due to what Social Security calls “psychological distress” which may be evaluated under Listing 12 (mental health disorders).

Now comes word that many implanted defibrillators may not have been necessary after all.  Medical News Today, the online health news site, published information regarding a study that was done at Duke University between 2006 and 2009 about cardiac defibrillator implants and some 112,000 patients that received them.  Cardiac defibrillator implants are performed on individuals who have critical heart conditions and are designed to prevent the sudden death of a person suffering with advanced heart failure.  Although that sounds like a positive procedure, there was one glaring statistic that stood out regarding this issue.

The study revealed that 22% of the 112,000 patients mentioned above really didn’t need the implants.  The implants were either recommended for reasons that fell outside of the standard medical guidelines or were completely unnecessary.  As a result, it’s going to be difficult to determine whether or not these unnecessary implants will ever prove to be beneficial for the persons receiving them.  And it is very likely that some of those with unnecessary implants may end up on disability because of psychological distress.

Among their concerns is that aspirin can produce dangerous side effects, such as bleeding ulcers, which can far outweigh any small impact it may provide in the way of health care.  This is especially troubling when otherwise healthy individuals take aspirin to ward off heart attacks and begin to develop other gastrointestinal problems because of the aspirin.  The medical community, therefore, is beginning to recommend that taking the drug on a daily basis only be recommended to those who are at high risk for stroke or heart disease, or who have already experienced a heart attack or stroke.  The new guidelines suggest that men, ages forty-five to seventy-nine, take aspirin if they have increased heart disease risk because of smoking or high cholesterol levels.  Further, it is suggested that women, ages fifty-five to seventy-nine, take aspirin if they are at risk for having a stroke due to high blood pressure or diabetes.  In both circumstances, individuals should be evaluated for ulcers and bleeding problems, and if either exists, aspirin should not be recommended.  Additionally, the drug is not recommended for those over the age of eighty or younger than the aforementioned age groups.

The reason that aspirin is championed as a protector against heart disease is because it acts as a blood thinner, which guards against clots that cause strokes or heart attacks.  This same thinning action, however, can also affect the stomach’s lining, causing bleeding.  Although the chances of developing these conditions are relatively low, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force is asking doctors to evaluate patients individually, and if a person is otherwise healthy and does not present other risk factors, to not prescribe aspirin as part of a treatment regimen.

Although these recommendations are contrary to what many people have believed for a number of years and different from what other countries recommend, one thing is clear.  Not all individuals should be treated in a similar fashion for heart disease.  If you have been prescribed an aspirin regimen, but don’t have any of the risk factors listed above, have never experienced a heart attack or stroke, or are out of the age range, discuss alternative options with your physician.  If, on the other hand, you are at risk for heart disease and have experienced a heart attack or stroke, you should talk with your doctor about beginning an aspirin regimen if you do not take the drug already.  It many case it has been shown to be a lifesaver….literally.

Inflammation seems to be a leading cause of heart and blood vessel disease, and the buildup of plaques is another big problem. Both of these can contribute to atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries formed by plaque gathering on artery walls. When this plaque breaks away from the vessel wall it can become very dangerous. Traveling plaques can cause vision loss, strokes, and more severely a heart attack!

When people were having their plaques surgically removed, they were also being analyzed for signs of inflammation and for fatty acids. People with symptoms of vision loss and stroke had a higher inflammation levels than those who didn’t have any symptoms. The people that didn’t suffer any such symptoms also had higher levels of EPA and DHA which are the two major omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.

Long story short, the results taken from the 40 people who underwent surgery suggest that omega-3 fatty acids from fish may prevent stroke. The American Heart Association recommends eating two 3 oz. servings of fatty fish per week. Some examples of fatty fish include salmon, tuna, herring, and mackerel. These fatty acids are also found in some plant sources too, like walnuts, oils from soy, canola, and flaxseed. The benefit of the plant sources is that they do not contain heavy metals like fish often do.
Also, even if you have heart disease or at risk for heart disease, you should consider taking a daily fish oil supplement which provides at least 1-1.8 grams of omega-3 fatty acids.

Previous research shows that women who breastfeed lower their chances of developing metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease. Blood levels of glucose and fats in these breastfeeding women were improved per the results of the study.

More recently, a 20-year study was conducted with over 700 women between the ages of 18 and 30 for the sake of documenting additional research on the positive effects of breastfeeding. Only about 120 of them got post-pregnancy metabolic syndrome, which can serve as a predictor for heart disease as well as early death in women. The majority of women were not effected by the condition, which was seen as good news for those who choose to breastfeed.

The leader of this study, Dr. Erica Gunderson from Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, concluded hat breastfeeding a child could have lasting positive effects on a woman by reducing the risk of diabetes or heart disease.

The results of the research will appear in the journal Diabetes in February.

According to the research, the type of alcohol men drink doesn’t matter, and over a period of 10 years, moderate drinkers to those who drank high levels of alcohol had a lower risk of coronary heart disease than those who drank little to no alcohol.

Interesting enough, former drinkers lowered their risk by 10 percent and people that drink about 0-5 grams a day lowered their risk by 35 percent! The drinkers who consumed between 5 and 30 grams a day reduced their risk by 54 percent.

Globally, Spain is ranked third in beer and wine production and sixth in alcohol consumption, but they have one the lowest death rate from coronary heart disease.

22 mummies were examined for calcium buildup, which is a marker for vascular disease. The researchers were able to identify the hearts and arteries in 16 of them; 9 had calcium deposits. An analysis showed the deposits were probable evidence of atherosclerosis, which leads to heart attacks and strokes.

Heart Disease is actually the world’s leading killer and is growing in developing countries such as China and India. The disease is often linked to urbanization and the modern lifestyle, so that’s why researchers are shocked with their findings in these ancient mummies. After doing research to see how common atherosclerosis was in people from earlier times, researchers found that modern-day atherosclerosis was identical to the evidence found in the mummies.

When trying to discover how the mummies got the disease, they could not exactly tell how, but what is interesting is that they were all of an elite class. Some researchers are suggesting that since refrigeration was not in existence at the time, and because salt was thus used to preserve meat, these factors may have contributed to this observation.

The research conducted was done in France over a span of five years. It was used to test whether those who walked slower were more likely to die from heart disease than those who walked more quickly. The study included 3,208 people from ages 65 to 85, and each participant’s walking speed was recorded and then followed up on every couple of years.

After five years, the results showed that 209 people died: 99 from cancer, 59 from heart disease, and 51 from other complications. The results also revealed that the slowest walkers were four times more likely to die during the study than the faster walkers. None of the people in the study had Parkinson’s disease or dementia and the researchers even looked at high risk factors for heart disease, but those who walked the slowest still had an apparent higher risk of dying from heart disease during the course of the study.

This study was the first large study to look at the link between slow walking and heart disease. It is hoped that this study will be very helpful for doctors, and researchers are even suggesting that doctors check walking speed routinely.

The results from those studies found out that poor kidney function can raise risks for cardiovascular issues. So, not only is it important for physicians to know the current level of kidney function, but they should also monitor any changes in kidney function as time elapses.

Those who have chronic kidney disease have an increased risk of developing heart disease and dying from it, but how this works is still a bit misunderstood. However, there is a blood test (cystatin C) that can identify changes in kidney function over time as well as the incidence of heart complications in a patient. By using cystatin C, researchers discovered an association between the decline of the kidney function and the incidence of heart problems like heart failure, heart attack and stroke. Those patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) had a greater incidence of these heart problems than those without it.

Another study monitored the kidney function of patients in a span of about 20 years. According to the study, those who suffered from decreased kidney function over the course of the study also suffered from a greater incidence of heart problems.

From the results of these studies, researchers cannot reinforce the importance of routine kidney check-ups enough.

So how does it work? The Endo-Pat is made of two thimble-sized sensors that are placed over the fingers and designed to test your blood vessel lining (also called the endothelium). The endothelium is where these early warning signs of heart disease first appear, so it is the appropriate starting point. The Endo-Pat is designed to find irregularities in blood flow and other signs of cardiovascular problems.

Another interesting point about the endothelium: it regulates nitric oxide levels in the blood, which is important in maintaining blood pressure, stopping excessive clotting and fighting fat build-up. Thus, the endothelium serves an important purpose and its health should be a priority.

Next to poor diets, smoking, and lack of fitness, there are other causes found to blame for poor endothelium function. Mental stress and infectious diseases like gum disease can lead to endothelium dysfunction – the very thing being detected by the Endo-Pat.

Prior to the Endo-Pat, ultrasounds were used to measure endothelial function, but these are now seen as less effective than the new improvement.

The Endo-Pat is made in Israel and is being used in more than 40 countries in research centers at this point. It is also approved in Japan’s national health insurance plan and is even being used in the Mayo Clinic right here in the U.S.

The benefits of patients taking the test is that doctors can tell if they need treatment or not. However, researchers still believe the Endo-Pat’s reliability still needs to be tested, and are finding other ways to repair the endothelium. Some things they are looking at are ‘joyful’ music, statins, hypertension drugs, and L-arginine.

At the beginning, out of those 900 adults, 28 percent of them had CAC. Six years later, another 33 percent showed signs of CAC, and the levels of those who already had it had also increased. The researchers were able to attribute this increase in CAC to increases in phosphorus blood levels in the participants. The researchers found out that the association between phosphorous levels in the blood and the occurrence of CAC is strong; even small increases of phosphorous predicted risks of CAC.

Something else the study covered was the link between kidney health and the occurrence of CAC. Researchers found out that people with lower kidney function are more likely to have progressive CAC. The researchers hope that their results can help explain why early-stage chronic kidney disease is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, a link which has not yet been explained by traditional risk factors.