Latest news with #cardiovascular
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Mended Hearts International Foundation Will Be Launched to Empower Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases Worldwide
GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 27, 2025-- For more than seven decades, patients with cardiovascular diseases have found hope through a simple but powerful concept: peer-to-peer support from those who have walked the same journey. Now, the mission of The Mended Hearts, Inc. (MHI) will expand globally with the establishment of the Mended Hearts International Foundation (MHIF). This independent, endowed, nonprofit foundation will be based in Geneva, Switzerland, and will work with national and international decision and policymakers — including politicians, legislators, professionals and associations — to develop healthcare policies and regulatory frameworks that support patient-centered care across multiple disease states, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney diseases, cancers, sleep apnea and depression. The Foundation will participate in the Mended Hearts International Network (MHIN), which will include The Mended Hearts, Inc. (USA), Mended Hearts Europe (MHE) and Mended Hearts University, Inc. (MHU). Additional nonprofits are expected to join the MHIF, including Mended Little Hearts, Inc., Mended Hearts Asia and other nonprofit organizations. Overall, the MHIF will have four main mandates: Building on the success of MHI, the world's largest peer-to-peer cardiovascular patient support network, the MHIF will represent the natural evolution of expanding resources to support the 523 million patients, according to the CDC, who suffer with cardiovascular diseases worldwide. 'The MHIF believes in a world where every patient with cardiovascular disease is empowered with the resources and support needed to make better decisions about their healthcare and live a healthy life,' said A.R. Voss, Founder. 'Through our networked organizations, we will inspire hope and improve the quality of life of patients, their families and their caregivers through ongoing support, education and advocacy.' MHIF's advocacy efforts will focus on monitoring national and international legislative and regulatory changes, supporting ethical and legal reforms, backing alternate funding programs and organizing conferences to educate patient communities about healthcare policy changes. The Foundation will also build coalitions to help patients become empowered advocates for change. The Foundation will be governed by a Board of Directors with at least three members, along with auditors, the Mended Hearts International Advisory Committee and any other body designated by the MHIF Board. The Advisory Committee will include two representatives from each MHIN entity, one staff member serving as secretary and all MHIF Board members. For more information about the Mended Hearts International Foundation, contact [email protected]. Additionally, MHIF will develop educational research projects, create educational resources and support patients and their families by creating an inclusive and compassionate community. It will also oversee the Mended Hearts International Network, which includes entities across multiple countries dedicated to providing peer-to-peer support, patient education and advocacy for cardiovascular patients worldwide. MHI's three programs — Mended Little Hearts ®, Young Mended Hearts ®, and Mended Hearts ® — make MHI the only organization in the world that supports patients with all forms of cardiovascular diseases throughout a patient's entire lifespan. MHI volunteers personally inspire, educate and empower nearly 400,000 patients and family members in-person each year through a robust network of members who provide services and outreach in 643 hospitals, plus cardiology offices, clinics, cardiac rehab centers and local communities. MHI's support reaches another 7+ million individuals each year through social media channels, blogs, web pages and outreach. Beyond peer support, MHI serves as a trusted provider of patient education and resources, including HeartGuide ® patient and parent resource guides, interactive GoToGuides, trifold discussion guides, videos, webinars, Heartbeat ® magazine, and regional meetings and educational conferences. The MHI ACTION NETWORK™ brings together a community of patients, families, caregivers and researchers dedicated to advocating for those living with cardiovascular disease. For more information, visit View source version on CONTACT: Media Contact: A.R. Voss Founder, Mended Hearts International Foundation +1 888 432 7899 [email protected] KEYWORD: SWITZERLAND EUROPE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MANAGED CARE PHILANTHROPY ONCOLOGY MENTAL HEALTH HEALTHCARE REFORM HOSPITALS FOUNDATION CARDIOLOGY PRACTICE MANAGEMENT HEALTH DIABETES PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT SOURCE: Mended Hearts, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 06/27/2025 11:59 PM/DISC: 06/27/2025 11:59 PM
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mended Hearts International Foundation Will Be Launched to Empower Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases Worldwide
The Geneva-based Mended Hearts International Foundation will expand peer-to-peer support, education programs, and advocacy for healthcare policy changes. GENEVA, June 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For more than seven decades, patients with cardiovascular diseases have found hope through a simple but powerful concept: peer-to-peer support from those who have walked the same journey. Now, the mission of The Mended Hearts, Inc. (MHI) will expand globally with the establishment of the Mended Hearts International Foundation (MHIF). This independent, endowed, nonprofit foundation will be based in Geneva, Switzerland, and will work with national and international decision and policymakers — including politicians, legislators, professionals and associations — to develop healthcare policies and regulatory frameworks that support patient-centered care across multiple disease states, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney diseases, cancers, sleep apnea and depression. The Foundation will participate in the Mended Hearts International Network (MHIN), which will include The Mended Hearts, Inc. (USA), Mended Hearts Europe (MHE) and Mended Hearts University, Inc. (MHU). Additional nonprofits are expected to join the MHIF, including Mended Little Hearts, Inc., Mended Hearts Asia and other nonprofit organizations. Overall, the MHIF will have four main mandates: Support patients and their families by creating an inclusive and compassionate community through peer-to-peer support and meaningful connections Empower patients and their families by providing relevant education and resources that enable them to make better decisions about their healthcare Develop educational research projects and rely on research and input from the patient communities, in particular through the entities of the Mended Hearts International Network Preserve the values and ethics of the Mended Hearts International Network Building on the success of MHI, the world's largest peer-to-peer cardiovascular patient support network, the MHIF will represent the natural evolution of expanding resources to support the 523 million patients, according to the CDC, who suffer with cardiovascular diseases worldwide. "The MHIF believes in a world where every patient with cardiovascular disease is empowered with the resources and support needed to make better decisions about their healthcare and live a healthy life," said A.R. Voss, Founder. "Through our networked organizations, we will inspire hope and improve the quality of life of patients, their families and their caregivers through ongoing support, education and advocacy." MHIF's advocacy efforts will focus on monitoring national and international legislative and regulatory changes, supporting ethical and legal reforms, backing alternate funding programs and organizing conferences to educate patient communities about healthcare policy changes. The Foundation will also build coalitions to help patients become empowered advocates for change. The Foundation will be governed by a Board of Directors with at least three members, along with auditors, the Mended Hearts International Advisory Committee and any other body designated by the MHIF Board. The Advisory Committee will include two representatives from each MHIN entity, one staff member serving as secretary and all MHIF Board members. For more information about the Mended Hearts International Foundation, contact info@ About Mended Hearts International FoundationThe Mended Hearts International Foundation (MHIF) will be an independent, endowed, nonprofit foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland, established to coordinate global advocacy efforts for patients with cardiovascular disease and their families. The Foundation will work with national and international policymakers to develop patient-centered healthcare policies and regulatory frameworks. Additionally, MHIF will develop educational research projects, create educational resources and support patients and their families by creating an inclusive and compassionate community. It will also oversee the Mended Hearts International Network, which includes entities across multiple countries dedicated to providing peer-to-peer support, patient education and advocacy for cardiovascular patients worldwide. About Mended Hearts, Mended Hearts, Inc. (MHI) is the world's largest peer-to-peer cardiovascular patient support network with more than 125,000 members residing in 73 countries. Founded in 1951 and incorporated in 1955, MHI's mission is "to inspire hope and improve the quality of life of cardiovascular disease patients and their families through ongoing peer-to-peer support, education and advocacy." MHI's three programs — Mended Little Hearts®, Young Mended Hearts®, and Mended Hearts® — make MHI the only organization in the world that supports patients with all forms of cardiovascular diseases throughout a patient's entire lifespan. MHI volunteers personally inspire, educate and empower nearly 400,000 patients and family members in-person each year through a robust network of members who provide services and outreach in 643 hospitals, plus cardiology offices, clinics, cardiac rehab centers and local communities. MHI's support reaches another 7+ million individuals each year through social media channels, blogs, web pages and outreach. Beyond peer support, MHI serves as a trusted provider of patient education and resources, including HeartGuide® patient and parent resource guides, interactive GoToGuides, trifold discussion guides, videos, webinars, Heartbeat® magazine, and regional meetings and educational conferences. The MHI ACTION NETWORK™ brings together a community of patients, families, caregivers and researchers dedicated to advocating for those living with cardiovascular disease. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact: A.R. VossFounder, Mended Hearts International Foundation+1 888 432 7899avoss@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
The Great British cuppa really could be a lifesaver, as scientists find two cups of tea a day could drastically lower your risk of heart failure and stroke - just don't add SUGAR
Britons drink 100million of them every day – and it turns out the Great British cuppa could be a lifesaver. Tea, which Oscar Wilde described as the only simple pleasure left, lowers the risk of heart problems and stroke, according to new research. Up to two cups of unsweetened tea a day reduces the risk by up to 21 per cent. But add sugar or sweeteners and the benefits are lost, say academics. Researchers from Nantong University, China, used data on 177,810 UK adults, with an average age of around 55. Of those, 147,903 were tea drinkers, and 68.2 per cent did not add sugar and sweeteners. All were healthy at the start of the study, but over an average of 12.7 years, 15,003 cases of cardiovascular disease were diagnosed, including 2,679 strokes and 2,908 heart failures, it was reported in the International Journal of Cardiology Cardiovascular Risk and Prevention. Those who drank up to two cups of unsweetened tea a day had a 21 per cent reduced risk of heart failure, a 14 per cent lesser chance of having a stroke and were 7 per cent less likely to be diagnosed with coronary heart disease. No such effects were found for sweetened tea. It is thought an unsweetened cuppa better preserves biologically active compounds, including polyphenols, in the tea, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Both sugars and artificial sweeteners can promote insulin resistance and metabolic dysregulation, which are well-established cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Medscape
a day ago
- Health
- Medscape
New Heart Risk Tool Reveals Hidden Ethnic Patterns
TOPLINE: The American Heart Association's Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events (PREVENT) equations successfully identified the risk for heart problems in a group of 361,778 ethnically diverse patients. Over a mean follow-up of 8.1 years, researchers observed 22,648 cardiovascular events, with the equations showing modest variation in performance across disaggregated ethnic subgroups. METHODOLOGY: The retrospective cohort study analyzed 361,778 primary care patients aged 30-79 years across the Sutter Health system in Northern California from January 2010 to September 2023, with participants requiring at least two primary care visits during the study period. Participants were required to have several baseline data points for the PREVENT equations to evaluate, including non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, BMI, estimated glomerular filtration rate, diabetes status, and smoking status, all while being free of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Primary outcomes included identifying CVD events, defined as total CVD, atherosclerotic CVD, and heart failure, using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision codes, with a mean follow-up duration of 8.1 years. TAKEAWAY: Among Asian populations, C statistics for total CVD ranged from a C statistic of 0.79 (95% CI, 0.77-0.81) in Filipino patients to a C statistic of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.83-0.87) in Asian Indian patients, with calibration slopes generally under 1.0, except for Asian Indian participants. Hispanic subgroups showed consistent C statistics — a measure of how well a model distinguishes between two groups — between 0.80 and 0.82 for total CVD and good predictive performance. The PREVENT equations outperformed the pooled cohort equations for predicting atherosclerotic CVD across all racial and ethnic groups and subgroups. The researchers observed small differences in the performance of PREVENT equations for atherosclerotic CVD and heart failure among racial and ethnic groups and subgroups. IN PRACTICE: 'Our results show that PREVENT equations performed well in this study cohort and similarly to the original equation development and validation cohort on the discrimination measure,' the researchers reported. 'In particular, the performance was slightly better in discriminating CVD events for Asian and Hispanic participants compared to Black or White participants in the study population. The equations slightly overestimated CVD risk for all three CVD event types in Asian and most Asian subgroups and accurately predicted CVD events among Hispanic and disaggregated Hispanic subgroups.' 'As the burden of CVD and its risk factors is forecasted to increase in the coming decades alongside rapid growth of the Asian and Hispanic populations in the US, the imperative for equitable clinical CVD prevention is more urgent than ever,' wrote Nilay S. Shah, MD, MPH, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago, in an editorial accompanying the journal article. 'Although best practices for clinical implementation of the PREVENT cardiovascular disease risk prediction models should be further investigated, [the new study shows] that the PREVENT equations are an important step forward for Asian and Hispanic communities that until now were unseen in CVD prevention recommendations.' SOURCE: The study was led by Xiaowei Yan, PhD, MS, MPH, of the Center for Health Systems Research at Sutter Health in Walnut Creek, California. It was published online on June 25 in JAMA Cardiology. LIMITATIONS: Despite disaggregation of Asian and Hispanic subgroups, the researchers were unable to fully examine other disaggregated groups due to small sample sizes. As a study based on data from a healthcare system, the population may be biased toward less healthy individuals compared to the general population. Almost half of eligible patients had incomplete data and were excluded from the analysis, potentially introducing selection bias. DISCLOSURES: The study received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the American Heart Association/Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development program; and the Doris Duke Foundation, as well as consulting fees from multiple organizations including Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Esperion Therapeutics, and others. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Heart attack deaths have plummeted in US, but new cardiovascular threats emerge
Print Close By Melissa Rudy Published June 26, 2025 Heart attack deaths have plummeted in recent years — but other types of cardiovascular disease still pose a major threat. A new study by the American Heart Association (AHA) found that overall heart disease-related death rates have declined by 66%, and heart attack deaths have dropped by almost 90%. While heart attacks are no longer the most fatal form of heart disease, there have been increases in other types — heart failure, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and hypertensive heart disease (long-term high blood pressure). CANNABIS USE RAISES RISK OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE MORE THAN COCAINE, OTHER DRUGS, MAJOR REVIEW SUGGESTS The findings were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Heart Association. In the study, researchers analyzed more than 50 years of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), focusing on heart disease deaths among adults aged 25 and older. In 1970, heart attacks — also known as ischemic heart disease — represented more than half (54%) of all heart disease deaths, the study found. As of 2022, only 29% of heart disease deaths were caused by heart attacks. Other types of heart disease deaths — such as heart failure, hypertensive heart disease and arrhythmia — have risen during that timeframe, however. EXPERIMENTAL CHOLESTEROL PILL CUTS HEART ATTACK RISK WITH 'CONVENIENT' ONCE-DAILY DOSE In 2022, these other types were responsible for 47% of heart disease deaths, up from just 9% in 1970, the study found. "This distribution shift in the types of heart disease people were dying from the most was very interesting to us," said the study's first author, Sara King, M.D., a second-year internal medicine resident in the department of medicine at Stanford School of Medicine in Stanford, California, in the release. "This evolution over the past 50 years reflects incredible successes in the way heart attacks and other types of ischemic heart disease are managed," she went on. "However, the substantial increase in deaths from other types of heart conditions, including heart failure and arrhythmias, poses emerging challenges the medical community must address." "The increase in other types of heart disease leading to death has offset the wins from deaths from heart attacks declining." Arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, happen when electrical impulses to the heart are too fast, slow or erratic, according to the AHA. One common example of an arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation (AFib), which begins in the upper chambers of the heart. Heart failure is defined as a "chronic condition where the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen." Hypertensive heart disease describes damage to the heart caused by long-term, unaddressed high blood pressure, the AHA stated. Sadiya S. Khan, MD, a cardiologist and associate professor at Northwestern University in Chicago, was not involved in the study but commented on the "important analysis." "Fortunately, this study suggests important progress in a preventable cause of death — heart attacks," she told Fox News Digital. STANFORD RESEARCHERS DEVELOP 'GAME-CHANGING' STROKE TREATMENT THAT DOUBLES EFFECTIVENESS "Unfortunately, it suggests that there is a smoldering crisis of other types of heart disease deaths that may be in part related to heart attacks, but speak to the growing burden of obesity that results in more heart failure and arrhythmia-related deaths." "The increase in other types of heart disease leading to death has offset the wins from deaths from heart attacks declining." Why the decrease in heart attacks? The researchers presented several possible reasons for the decrease in heart attack deaths, primarily advancements in treatment for sudden and acute cardiac events. "From the establishment and increased use of bystander CPR and automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to treat cardiac arrest outside the hospital setting, to the creation of systems of care that promote early recognition of and quick procedural and medical intervention to treat heart attacks, there have been great strides made in helping people survive initial acute cardiac events that were once considered a death sentence," King said in the release. The researchers also touted several other medical advancements, including coronary artery bypass grafting, cardiac imaging and many new heart disease medications. Healthy lifestyle modifications, such as quitting smoking, exercising regularly and managing cholesterol and blood pressure, have also contributed to the reduced heart attack deaths, the AHA report stated. Khan added, "It is important to note that this doesn't mean the heart attack may still not have been the driver, if someone with a heart attack developed heart failure and that is now called a heart failure death." Risk factors remain Despite the improvements, the researchers cautioned that several other heart disease risk factors — including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and physical inactivity — are still fueling cases. Obesity in particular has risen from 15% to 40% during the study timeframe, and type 2 diabetes affects nearly half of U.S. adults, according to the report. Increased life expectancy is another factor — as people are living longer, a larger aging population is more likely to experience various types of heart disease. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "We've won major battles against heart attacks; however, the war against heart disease isn't over," King said. "We now need to tackle heart failure and other chronic conditions that affect people as they age." "The next frontier in heart health must focus on preventing heart attacks, and also on helping people age with healthier hearts and avoiding chronic heart conditions later in life." The AHA calculates heart health based on an individual's score for what it calls "Life's Essential 8." Those who score high in those eight areas are, on average, six years younger biologically than their actual age. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER The eight lifestyle behaviors for optimal heart health are listed below. Eat better Be more active Quit tobacco Get healthy sleep Manage weight Control cholesterol Manage blood sugar Manage blood pressure Potential limitations The researchers pointed out several limitations of their study, including that they did not analyze data by age, sex, race, ethnicity, region or urbanization. There could also be potential inconsistencies and "miscoding" of data over the years, they noted. "We've won major battles against heart attacks; however, the war against heart disease isn't over." It's also possible that the "true burden" of heart attacks is "underestimated" in the findings, according to the researchers. "Certain conditions including heart failure, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias — and, in particular, ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac arrest — may be overly simplistic," they wrote. "Many of these cases likely have underlying causes that cannot be precisely differentiated using current or past ICD (International Classification of Diseases) codes." For more Health articles, visit Khan pointed out that despite the decrease in direct heart attack deaths, heart disease overall is still the leading cause of mortality in the U.S., accounting for more than 900,000 deaths in 2022. Print Close URL
