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June 24, 2024
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Top in cardiology: Serious health effects of ‘heat dome,’ air pollution

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A “heat dome” like the one that descended over the Northeast and Midwest United States may increase cardiovascular risk, especially in vulnerable populations, according to Jonathan Newman, MD, MPH.

Newman, a cardiologist at the NYU Langone’s Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, said older and younger people, as well as pregnant women, are at especially high risk during periods of intense heat. Further, patients using medication such as diuretics and ACE inhibitors to manage preexisting heart conditions such as heart failure and CVD may have increased cardiovascular risk under the heat dome.

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An expert told Healio that extreme temperatures in the “heat dome” that descended over the Midwest and Northeast U.S. can pose a serious cardiovascular risk to vulnerable populations. Image: Adobe Stock

“During the heat dome periods, avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the really hot hours of the day, if you can,” Newman told Healio. “Stay in an air-conditioned environment if you have access to one. Visit a cooling center in urban environments in New York and New Jersey, including libraries.”

The interview with Newman was the top story in cardiology last week.

In another top story, air pollution may contribute to increased cardiovascular and cancer risk by causing systematic inflammation and oxidative stress, according to data from a state-of-the-art review.

Read these and more top stories in cardiology below:

Q&A: Extreme temperature within ‘heat dome’ poses harm to vulnerable populations

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Air pollution linked to heart disease, cancer risk, likely via shared risk factors

Air pollution exposure may contribute to both cardiovascular and cancer risk by interacting with various common risk factors such as inflammation, oxidative stress and epigenetic modifications, according to a state-of-the-art review. Read more.

Liraglutide better at preventing heart outcomes vs. three other glucose-lowering therapies

In the cardiovascular outcomes analysis of the GRADE trial, liraglutide was linked to lower risk for certain outcomes compared with other glucose-lowering therapies, researchers reported at the Heart in Diabetes CME Conference. Read more.

Black Americans had nearly 800,000 excess cardiovascular deaths from 2000 to 2022

Reflecting disparities in cardiovascular care, there were nearly 800,000 excess cardiovascular deaths among Black Americans between 2000 and 2022, according to a “report card” published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Read more.

‘A giant in the metabolic and hypertension field’: A tribute to George L. Bakris, MD

Hypertension expert and longtime editorial board member of Healio | Cardiology and Healio | Endocrinology George L. Bakris, MD, died June 15, 2024, at the age of 72. Read more.