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Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is the most commonly used drug in the world. Pharmacologically, alcohol is classified as a central nervous system depressant.
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This report includes information on recognizing the symptoms of problem drinking, treatment techniques, coping with a loved one's drinking, and overcoming denial.
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Alcoholism is defined as alcohol seeking and consumption behavior that is harmful. Long-term and uncontrollable harmful consumption can cause alcohol-related disorders that include: antisocial personality disorder , mood disorders (bipolar and major depression) and anxiety disorders.
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It's important to understand how alcohol and drugs can affect your health and well being.
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Besides having trouble with school and relationships, teenagers taking drugs may display emotional extremes with irritability, anger and changes in sleep patterns.
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Excessive drinking can cause potentially fatal conditions, not only high blood pressure, but also damage to the brain, heart or liver; diabetes and stroke.
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Like cancer or heart disease, alcoholism is a primary chronic disease with its own symptoms and causes. The disease is progressive and often fatal if not treated.
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Effective treatment for alcohol dependency is available, but treatment rates among alcohol abusers are low because of lack of awareness and embarrassment.
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Each year, about 100,000 deaths in the United States are related to alcohol consumption. Learn more about the effects of abusing alcohol by taking this quiz.
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Antihypertensive drugs are medicines that help lower blood pressure. Purpose The overall class of antihypertensive agents lowers blood pressure, although the mechanisms of action vary greatly.
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Antihypertensive drugs are medicines that help lower blood pressure . Purpose The overall class of antihypertensive agents lowers blood pressure, although the mechanisms of action vary greatly.
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Antihypertensive drugs are medicines that help lower blood pressure. Purpose All antihypertensive agents lower blood pressure, although the mechanisms of action vary greatly.
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After taking atenolol for years, my doctor suggested cutting the dose. Then my cardiologist suggested that I stop taking it altogether. On the first day I didn't take it I felt "buzzed." My pressure began to creep upward. Did I bail out too quickly?
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Among the many types of blood pressure medications available, some have a tendency to increase blood sugar levels, but this does not necessarily lead to a higher risk of diabetes.
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Dehydration means your body does not have as much water and fluids as it should. Dehydration can be caused by losing too much fluid, not drinking enough water or fluids, or both. Vomiting and diarrhea are common causes. Infants and children are more susceptible to dehydration than adults because of their smaller body weights and higher turnover of water and electrolytes. The elderly and those with illnesses are also at higher risk. Dehydration is classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on how much of the body's fluid is lost or not replenished. When severe, dehydration is a life-threatening emergency.
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Dehydration happens very quickly in the bodies of infants and small children, who don’t have as much fluid to spare. It can quickly become very serious. Rehydration is the crucial process of returning those fluids back to the body to restore normal functioning.
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Detailed information on dehydration and heat stroke, including symptoms, treatment, and prevention
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The average adult has 10 to 12 gallons of water in his or her body, accounting for 60 percent of body weight. That water plays a critical role in nearly every bodily process. And being a quart or two low can affect how you feel.
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Can dehydration cause headaches?
Howard LeWine, M.D., is chief editor of Internet Publishing at Harvard Health Publications. He is recognized as an outstanding clinician and teacher and is a recipient of the Internal Medicine Teacher of the Year award at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. LeWine continues to practice Internal Medicine; most recently he became a hospitalist after practicing primary care for over 20 years.
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Dehydration is the loss of water and salts that are essential for normal body function. Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid than it takes in.
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Dehydration is the loss of water and salts essential for normal body function. Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid than it takes in.
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Dehydration is the excessive loss of water from the body. Water can be lost through urine, sweat, feces, respiration, and through the skin.
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Dehydration is the excessive loss of water from body tissues accompanied by an imbalance in essential electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, and chloride. Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid than it takes in.
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each year thousands of concert- and festivalgoers are injured because of crowd problems—stampedes or even dehydration.
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The heart, which is about the size of a human fist, is the body ' s largest, strongest, and most important muscle. The heart continuously pumps blood through the body, helps regulate and prolong health, and controls the flow (circulation) of blood to the lungs, organs, muscles, and tissues in the body.
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Heart disease is any disorder that affects the heart's ability to function normally. The most common cause of heart disease is narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart itself. This happens slowly over time. (See coronary artery disease .) Some heart diseases can be present at birth (congenital heart diseases). Other causes include the following: Hypertension Abnormal function of the heart valves Abnormal electrical rhythm of the heart Weakening of the heart's pumping function caused by infection or toxins Various forms of heart disease include: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy Aortic regurgitation Aortic stenosis Arrhythmias Cardiogenic shock Congenital heart disease Coronary artery disease (CAD) Dilated cardiomyopathy Endocarditis Heart attack (myocardial infarction) Heart failure Heart tumor Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Idiopathic cardiomyopathy Ischemic cardiomyopathy Acute mitral regurgitation Chronic mitral regurgitation Mitral stenosis Mitral valve prolapse Peripartum cardiomyopathy Pulmonary stenosis Stable angina Unstable angina Tricuspid regurgitation See also chest pain .
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Detailed information on heart disease in pregnancy
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Heart disease is the narrowing or blockage of the arteries and vessels that provide oxygen and nutrient-rich This illustration shows hypertrophic muscle in the heart. The lesions are due to an incompetent aortic valve.
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What Do You Know About Heart Disease?Every year, thousands of Americans die from heart attacks and millions of others suffer from related cardiovascular diseases.
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Detailed information on heart disorders in high-risk newborns
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Twelve numbers worth knowing for your heart's health.Knowing the numbers for a few key risk factors is good for your heart and overall health.
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Most people with diabetes eventually develop some form of heart disease, but this is not inevitable. Focusing on improving health through diet, exercise, weight loss, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol can help prevent heart disease.
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If you have diabetes, you are two to four times more likely to have heart disease than someone without diabetes. You can control your health risks by making some changes in your life.
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Research shows that there are important differences between the sexes when it comes to heart disease, which may affect treatment and prevention
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According to the long-term Framingham Heart Study, having parents who live to age 85 or beyond may offer a greater degree of protection from heart disease and stroke.
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Your risk of heart disease increases if you're more than 30 percent overweight. Obesity raises cholesterol, blood pressure, and can lead to diabetes, another risk factor for heart disease. You can reduce your risk for heart disease by losing as few as 10 pounds if you are overweight.
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Millions of people diagnosed with heart disease enjoy active, satisfying lives. Instead of looking on their diagnoses as sentences to be invalids, they have used them as catalysts to make positive changes in their lives.
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Your heart is a vital organ that keeps your body functioning. Unfortunately, many people don't treat it that way. They may not realize that their daily habits and lifestyle can overwork and damage their heart. So, take care of your heart and yourself. Start by making the following lifestyle changes.
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Heart disease kills more than 700,000 Americans every year. But many of these deaths could be prevented if people took control of their risk factors for this disease.
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A combination of eating a healthy diet, staying at a healthy weight, exercising regularly, not smoking, and drinking alcohol in moderation may sharply cut your risk of heart disease.
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For some people with coronary heart disease, high doses of statins, a commonly prescribed, potent medication to lower cholesterol, can reverse or decrease the buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries. This can reduce the risk for heart attack.
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C-reactive protein is emerging as a key risk factor for heart disease. A guide to new research on this protein, how to test for it, and how exercise can lower its presence in the blood.
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Although three out of four smokers say they want to quit, fewer than 5 percent of smokers who quit for at least a day are able to stay away from tobacco for three months to a year.
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A noisy environment could be a contributing factor to heart disease.
There’s little question that loud noise hurts your hearing. The growing din of everyday life may also be bad for blood pressure and the heart.
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This report explains what your blood pressure numbers mean and how hypertension can be prevented and treated by making diet and lifestyle changes. Also includes information on medications.
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The way you respond to a heart attack can make a profound difference in what happens to you in the future.
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A long-running heart study resulted in a simple tool to calculate one's risk of heart disease. While there have been many newer tests and tools, they have not been able to improve upon the original.
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Detailed information on heart disease and diabetes, including symptoms, prevention, and treatment
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Discussion of available tests for heart disease, with an emphasis on prevention.
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Besides the nutritional benefits, eating beans regularly can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of a heart attack.
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An intimate relationship is built on being able to share feelings. The stress and worry of a heart attack or surgery can upset this closeness.
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Surveys show fewer than one in 10 women perceive heart disease as their greatest health threat. But it's the nation's number one killer, and women are its prime target.
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Research is suggesting that adults should start paying attention to their cholesterol earlier in life. It may be that how soon this is addressed is as important as the actual cholesterol level.
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Existing tests for heart disease risk aren't always precise. The search for better tests is ongoing, but hasn't yet produced any strong contenders.
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More women than men die of heart disease, and it is the leading cause of death among women. Fortunately, there are a number of things women can do to prevent heart disease and stroke.
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A look into how changes inside the eye, hypertensive retinopathy, can be linked to heart and cardiovascular disease.
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If you are like most people with heart disease, you have several providers who each treat you for a different health issue.
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A short glossary of medical terms associated with heart disease.
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Colds and the flu can be serious for people with heart disease.
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It's important to get regular checkups and periodic exams, especially when you have cardiovascular disease.
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If you recently had a heart attack or heart surgery, you may be concerned about your love life. This is normal during an illness. But know that you can still enjoy sex. Here is information than can help you understand your feelings. It can also help you work with your partner to rebuild intimacy and enjoy sex again.
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Creating a medical family tree can help identify your risk for heart disease.It’s not just your genes; habits and attitudes also run in the family.
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Exercise is much more effective than vitamins or supplements at reducing the risk of heart disease. The benefits of exercise against cancer are not conclusive, but it is likely to have other positive effects on overall health.
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Hormone therapy may help prevent heart disease in women after all, if the treatment is started closer to menopause. Two clinical trials are hoping to provide more conclusive results.
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Detailed information for children living with a congenital heart disease
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Detailed information on congenital heart disease and factors that may have caused the defect
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Detailed information on diagnosing and evaluating heart disease in children
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Detailed information on congenital heart disease, including patent ductus arteriosus, atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, atrioventricular canal, tricuspid atresia, pulmonary atresia, transposition of the great arteries, tetralogy of Fallot, double outlet right ventricle, truncus arteriosus, coarctation of the aorta, aortic stenosis, and hypoplastic left heart syndrome
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The decision whether to take a statin depends largely on your risk for cardiovascular disease and a heart attack. A review of statins available, how to calculate your risk, and when a statin might not be the right choice.
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Statins have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiac disease in women as well as in men. They may also reduce the risk of breast cancer and slow the progression of cognitive decline, and in general, their benefits seem to outweigh their risks.
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A landmark study found that women are susceptible to a different type of heart disease called microvascular dysfunction. It affects both larger and smaller blood vessels, but is not detected by the standard cardiac tests.
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Long-term studies show a probable link between anger in young men and increased risk of heart disease in middle age and beyond, but excessive anger at any age is bad for the heart.
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Discusses the causes of sudden cardiac death and tips for how to prevent it.In most cases, death is the expected conclusion to a difficult illness. Sometimes, though, it comes unpredictably and swiftly. Doctors define sudden death as an abrupt, unexpected natural death that ends life less than an hour after final symptoms first develop in a person who does not have a condition that seems rapidly fatal.
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People with schizophrenia are at greater risk of dying from heart disease. This may be caused by insufficient attention to a patient's physical health, but some antipsychotic medications worsen the risk for diabetes and heart disease.
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A Harvard Medical School doctor answers a question about why President Clinton's heart disease was not identified sooner.
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An expert shares his beliefs about how best to treat and avoid cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
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A study found that heart disease deaths peaked each year during flu season, because the flu can trigger a heart attack or stroke. Those with heart disease, and those at higher risk of getting it, should get a flu vaccine each year.
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If you take antioxidants to treat or prevent heart disease, it???s time to rethink this gambit.
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A half-million women have heart attacks each year. A common symptom of coronary heart disease is chest pain or tightness, known as angina. It may be the earliest sign of heart disease and usually brings someone to a health care provider for the first time.
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Getting serious about heart health may seem like a huge project because it often means making changes in health habits. It’s a major effort for many people, but it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming one. Example: All women older than 20 should be screened for blood cholesterol levels. Here are more ways to prevent heart disease.
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High cholesterol is one of the leading risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease. High cholesterol levels can be lowered by diet and exercise or medicine.
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Most of us know that diabetes can lead to severe complications, such as blindness, kidney disease and amputations. But did you know that diabetes also greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease?
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Researchers are exploring how bacteria in the mouth might play a role in heart disease, though there is still no conclusive evidence that the two are linked.
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National recommendations for desirable cholesterol levels are now very low. An exploration of why and tips for how to achieve these levels.
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Inadequate sleep appears to increase substances in the body that are linked to inflammation, a factor in heart disease. Those with heart disease can suffer from sleep problems. Better sleep habits can sometimes help.
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Remote monitoring is the wave of the future in managing heart disease.New technology makes it easier to keep tabs on your heart, and heart disease.
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As a patient, understanding the basics of the guidelines can help you take a more active role in your treatment.
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If you think that you can’t begin a strength-training program because you have heart disease, think again.
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Whether you take prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicine or both, there are important guidelines to follow to get the most from them.
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Evidence is mounting that people with periodontal (gum) disease may be more at risk for heart disease and stroke.
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Some risk factors for heart disease are beyond your control, but others, such as smoking or high blood pressure, you can do something about.
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Practicing transcendental meditation, or another relaxation technique, may help those at risk for heart disease by lowering bood pressure and blood sugar and decreasing stress.
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For people who already have heart disease, the American Heart Association has created a ten-point plan for preventing its recurrence. Following these guidelines will strengthen your heart, lungs, and blood vessels and should improve your overall health.
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A review of a theory that thinner, less viscous blood could prevent heart disease.
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Advisory ratchets down targets for LDL (bad) cholesterol for some people, not others; no one-size-fits-all recommendation yet.
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A study indicates that taking a combination of medications can be more effective in preventing heart disease than single medications alone.
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People at risk for heart attack or stroke will likely benefit from taking low-dose daily aspirin, but for some there are greater risks (such as ulcers or gastrointestinal bleeding) that outweigh aspirin's help.
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The experience of a heart attack can trigger post-traumatic stress disorder, which can delay recovery and perhaps cause heart disease to progress further.
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People know that they can "prevent" heart disease by not smoking, losing weight, exercising, watching cholesterol and blood pressure, and eating right, but they still get heart disease. Is it really possible to prevent heart disease, or just slow it down?
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Women are at as much risk for heart disease as men are. The American Heart Association has compiled a list of guidelines that offer a number of ways women can reduce their risk.
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Research shows a deep connection between the head and the heart: An exploration of how psychological and social factors contribute to heart disease.
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Women who suffer from chest pain but show clear arteries on an angiogram may have a different type of blocked artery, where plaque builds up evenly on the inner surface or bulges outward.
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The statin Lipitor (atorvastatin) reduces LDL levels and frequency of heart attack and stroke in people with stable heart disease.
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Cancer, not heart disease, is now the leading cause of death among Americans under age 85.
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With the failure of torcetrapib, a drug that its maker hoped would raise HDL cholesterol, people seeking to lower their heart disease risk should rely on traditional strategies: exercise, diet, weight control.
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