The Impact of Non-Adherence to Antihypertensive Drug Therapy.

Medication non-adherence is a major healthcare barrier, especially among diseases that are largely asymptomatic, such as hypertension. The impact of poor medication adherence ranges from patient-specific adverse health outcomes to broader strains on health care system resources. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database was used to retrieve Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' data pertaining to blood pressure (BP) medication adherence, socio-economic variables, and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes across the United States.

Stroke in young adults: Current trends, opportunities for prevention and pathways forward.

Cardiovascular disease remains a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in the US and elsewhere, and stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite recent success in diminishing stroke incidence in the general US population, in parallel there is now a concerning propensity for strokes to happen at younger ages. Specifically, the incidence of stroke for US adults 20-44 years of age increased from 17 per 100,000 US adults in 1993 to 28 per 100,000 in 2015.

Social Determinants of Health and Cardiovascular Disease: Current State and Future Directions Towards Healthcare Equity.

Purpose Of Review: We sought to examine the role of social and environmental conditions that determine an individual's behaviors and risk of disease-collectively known as social determinants of health (SDOH)-in shaping cardiovascular (CV) health of the population and giving rise to disparities in risk factors, outcomes, and clinical care for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the United States (US).

Recent Findings: Traditional CV risk factors have been extensively targeted in existing CVD prevention and management paradigms, often with little attention to SDOH. Limited evidence suggests an association between individual SDOH (e.

Coronary Artery Fistula and Pectus Excavatum Paradox.

Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital chest wall deformity. Its effects on cardiopulmonary function, exercise capacity, and body image are variable across affected patients. Management practices for pectus deformity vary considerably, but most authors agree on the need for surgical correction if pectus index is >3.

Associations between particulate matter air pollution, presence and progression of subclinical coronary and carotid atherosclerosis: A systematic review.

Background And Aims: Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution has been linked with increased cardiovascular events and mortality, however, studies had shown inconsistent associations between PM exposure and subclinical atherosclerosis.

Methods: We performed an updated systematic literature review to identify studies evaluating the associations between PM and subclinical atherosclerosis, measured using presence/progression of coronary artery calcium (CAC) or carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in adult populations. Quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.

Lambl's Excrescences: An Enigma of Modern Diagnostic Cardiology.

Lambl's excrescences were first described in 1856 by a Bohemian physician, Vilém Dušan Lambl, and since then have gained widespread attention and controversy within the medical literature. Despite numerous case reports and observational studies, consensus on the significance and management of Lambl's excrescences remains sparse. We describe the case of a 48-year-old male who presented with recurrent embolic strokes.