FRIDAY, June 3, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — A new study of a leading cause of heart attacks in pregnant and postpartum women offers insights on when the problem strikes, how it has been treated and how survivors might weigh the risks of becoming pregnant again. The condition – pregnancy-associated spontaneous coronary artery dissection,…  read on >  read on >

If you’re taller than average, your genes may affect your risk for a variety of diseases, a new study suggests. These include a higher risk for the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation and varicose veins, but a lower risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Other investigators have reported similar findings…  read on >  read on >

Adults who get COVID-19 could have antibodies circulating in their blood for nearly 500 days after infection, new research suggests. “We now have a good estimate of how long antibodies last after a COVID-19 infection,” said study author Michael Swartz, an associate professor and vice chair of biostatistics at the University of Texas Health Science…  read on >  read on >

Vaccination played a crucial role when Americans were deciding whether to have surgery during the pandemic, a new study finds. “It’s critical to understand what factors affect a patient’s decision to have surgery during an infectious pandemic if we want to help reduce deaths and illness. These factors include vaccination status of the patient and…  read on >  read on >

Kids who play team sports may win some mental health benefits, but the same may not hold true for those in solo sports, a large, new study suggests. A number of previous studies have linked team sports to better mental well-being for children and teenagers, and the new research is no exception: Overall, it found,…  read on >  read on >

THURSDAY, June 2, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — Gender gaps in blood pressure, physical activity and smoking have widened among young adults in the United States, new research finds, suggesting that prevention approaches should be carefully tailored to help people achieve ideal lifelong cardiovascular health. Overall heart health stayed about the same among more…  read on >  read on >

An elevator encounter that happened to Laurie Waters highlights the daily plight faced by early-onset Alzheimer’s patients like her. Waters, 57, was stuck in an elevator at an Alzheimer’s convention with other folks who were growing loud and excited — and the situation was getting to her. “I was starting to get panic-stricken, being in…  read on >  read on >