From the American Heart Association's 71st Scientific Sessions Nov. 8-11, 1998, Dallas County Convention Center, Dallas, Texas
To complement our news releases, here are additional news tips reported by News Media Relations from more than 4,000 abstracts. Note: Stories are embargoed until papers are presented or poster sessions begin. For more information, Nov. 8-11, call Cathy Yarbrough, Carole Bullock, Brian Henry, Bruce Lewis, (broadcast), Darcy Spitz and Berna Creel in Room A215-217 of the Dallas County Convention Center: (214) 853-8056. Before or after those dates, call News Media Relations in Dallas: (214) 706-1279 or 706-1135.
11:30 a.m. -- #3239 -- Pacemakers can help children with Long QT Syndrome. A silent threat to life can be an electrical "short-circuit" in the heart's natural pacemaker. Sometimes, sudden death is the first and only indication of this lethal problem, called Long QT Syndrome (LQT). Once diagnosed, however, LQT can be managed successfully in children, Houston researchers report. A study of individuals with LQT, including 11 who received pacemakers at the average age of 14, found the devices are safe and effective. Combined with beta-blocker drug therapy, the pacemakers helped eliminate heartbeat irregularities and reduced symptoms such as fainting often associated with an abnormally slow pulse in LQT patients. Volkan Tuzcu, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston: phone (713) 770-5639; fax (713) 770-5630; e-mail: [email protected]
1:30 p.m. -- #4505 (poster) -- Fine-tuning the diet may lower risk of high blood pressure. Increasing dietary consumption of carbohydrates may decrease the risk of high blood pressure, or hypertension, new findings suggest. New Orleans researchers conducted a l0-year study of the effects of so-called macronutrients on the incidence of high blood pressure in 5,727 participants with normal blood pressures taking part in a major national trial. Researchers found that the higher the intake of carbohydrates, the lower the risk of high blood pressure. The studied controlled for age, race, gender, body mass index (an indicator of body fat), and dietary intake of calories, sodium, potassium and total fiber. Limitations in the data precluded looking at the effects of simple vs. complex carbohydrates or assessing water-soluble fiber, indicating possible directions for future research. Suma Vupputuri, Tulane University School of Public Health, New Orleans: phone (504) 584-3692; fax! : (504) 584-1706; e-mail: [email protected] See #4504 (1:30 p.m.) for a report from another Tulane research team suggesting that fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids are dietary factors that may decrease the risk of high blood pressure. Jiang He, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine: phone (504) 588-5165; fax 584-1706; e-mail: [email protected]
1:30 p.m. -- #4523 (poster) -- A form of Lp(a) may be a harbinger of organ damage for people with high blood pressure. Increased levels of lipoprotein (a), or Lp(a), can raise cardiovascular disease risk. Japanese scientists now find that a "modified" form of Lp(a) is far more potent than its unmodified form in causing damage to "target" organs such as the heart, blood vessels and brain in people with high blood pressure. In a study of 268 individuals with high blood pressure and 131 individuals with normal blood pressure, levels of modified Lp(a) were comparable in both groups, but were "significantly higher" in those who had atherosclerosis-related organ damage. No differences in levels of regular Lp(a) were seen between the groups. Researchers say modified Lp(a) appears to stimulate excess growth of abnormal cells that "play an important role in organ damage and progression of atherosclerosis." Shigefumi Nakamura, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan: phone 8! 1-687-93852; fax 81-687-93859; e-mail: [email protected].
1:30 p.m. -- #4531 (poster) -- Evidence of obesity-related heart problems in black women. A tendency toward obesity may predispose African-American women to identifiable cardiovascular system changes that threaten their health. Dallas researchers who studied 10 healthy African-American women say magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), used to measure blood vessel dilation, or widening, showed that increasing weight was accompanied by a progressive weakening of the coronary arteries' ability to dilate normally. Researchers say obesity may result in impairment of normal artery dilation, possibly indicating a reduced ability to fine-tune the processes that control vessel constriction and relaxation. Ali M. Kizilbash, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas: phone (214) 648-6893; fax (214) 638-5255; e-mail: [email protected].
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