AHA News: Millions Are Learning to Live With Heart Failure

MONDAY, Feb. 3, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- It was almost six years to the day after Aimee Rodriguez-Zepeda completed her chemotherapy that doctors listened to her heart and gave her the bad news.

"I was exhausted," she said. "They found my heart was only working at 20% capacity." Her condition – heart failure – was likely caused by the chemotherapy that saved the former Marine from uterine cancer, combined with a family history of heart disease and stroke.

Do You Take Warfarin? Time of Day Might Not Matter

FRIDAY, Jan. 17, 2020 -- Patients taking the blood thinner warfarin have been told that it should be taken at night, but a new study found the time of day doesn't matter.

"Whether warfarin is taken in the morning, or the evening, its therapeutic effect is the same," said lead researcher Dr. Scott Garrison, an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.

Don't Want a 2nd Heart Attack? Lose the Belly Fat

TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2020 -- For heart attack survivors, a fat belly could mean another one is likely, a new study suggests.

Earlier studies have shown that abdominal obesity puts people at risk for their first heart attack. This new study shows it also ups the odds for a second one, researchers say.

Do You Know the 5 Symptoms of a Heart Attack? Many Don't

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2019 -- Time is of the essence when you're having a heart attack.

But one in five Americans can't name the three most common symptoms of a heart attack, making it more likely they won't promptly respond to the life-threatening health crisis, a new study reports.

Heart Risks in Your Genes? Be Sure to Get Your Zzzs

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2019 -- Good sleep patterns can help reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke, even if you're at high genetic risk, new research shows.

In fact, the study of several hundred thousand people found that having a "healthy sleep score" of 5 (on a scale of 0 to 5) appeared to reduce a person's odds for heart disease and stroke by about a third.

Pot Use Appears to Change Structure of Your Heart: Study

FRIDAY, Dec. 20, 2019 -- Regular pot use might potentially cause changes in the heart's structure, a new study suggests.

People who regularly use marijuana tend to have a larger left ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber of the heart, according to the findings.