Well-designed clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) for cardiovascular disease are needed, based on evidence from preclinical studies showing that it has anti-inflammatory effects, a new report suggests. The systematic review of nine preclinical studies found reproducible positive adverse outcomes in vivo models with CBD. Mechanisms for the findings included … Read more
Patients who received a first prescription for medicinal cannabis for chronic pain were more likely to have new onset of arrhythmia — bradyarrhythmia, tachyarrhythmia, or a conduction disorder — within 6 months than were similar nonusers, in a new case-control study. There were no between-group differences in the incidence of heart failure or acute coronary … Read more
Some patients with symptoms of postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) may be experiencing a fear response caused by previous fainting episodes, new research suggests. Investigators compared adult patients with POTS symptoms with healthy controls and found that patients with POTS had higher somatic vigilance and more anxiety. They also had more pronounced anticipatory tachycardia immediately before … Read more
Is it possible to separate the heart from the mind? The answer is “no,” according to specialists who met at the 39th Congress of the State of Rio de Janeiro Society of Cardiology (SOCERJ), an event held virtually in May. During a conference on mental health, physicians and psychologists recalled that long-term data have suggested … Read more
Eating disorders are among the most prevalent, disabling, and potentially fatal psychiatric illnesses, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated their burden, with a 15.3% increase in incidence in 2020 compared with previous years.1 This increase was almost difficult among adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa (AN), which is often insidious in onset and more difficult to … Read more
Depression and other psychosocial risk factors can foster the onset of heart failure and exacerbate its course. The significance of this connection is often underestimated, however. A position paper by the European Association of Preventive Cardiology therefore recommends that psychosocial risk factors be more integrated into the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure. “Patients … Read more
There is insufficient evidence to weigh the balance of benefits and harms of screening for eating disorders in adolescents and adults, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) says in their first-ever statement on the topic. Eating disorders (binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa) can cause “serious harms to physical and psychosocial health … Read more
Serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are associated with a significant increase in cardiovascular risk, particularly among younger age groups, a new observational study suggests. Prior research has shown that people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder die 10 to 20 years earlier than those without serious mental illness and that the leading … Read more