Evidence in Practice

Becoming more physically active after a myocardial infarction halves the risk of dying within four years, according to research presented at the EuroPrevent 2018 congress.

Recent research shows that several European countries, including the UK, are struggling to meet World Health Organization (WHO) 2030 hepatitis C elimination goals.

A landmark longitudinal study suggests that people who are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and who also have depression, are nearly three times more likely to develop dementia in later life, compared to those with neither condition.

A new 5-minute procedure to scan blood vessels offers hope to claustrophobic patients unable to tolerate conventional magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of blood vessels that can usually take between 30 minutes to one hour.

Addition of rivaroxaban to aspirin lowers major vascular events but increases major bleeding in patients with stable coronary artery disease. There was no significant increase in intracranial bleeding or other critical organ bleeding. There was also a significant net benefit in favour of rivaroxaban plus aspirin and deaths were reduced by 23%.

Research from an observational study in 9000 patients presented at the recent Acute Cardiovascular Care 2018 congress found that heart attack patients prescribed antidepressants have a lower 1-year survival rate than those not on antidepressants. The study found that those prescribed antidepressants at discharge from hospital after a heart attack had a 66% greater risk of mortality one year later than patients not prescribed the drugs, although they noted the cause is not necessarily related directly to the antidepressants.

New research shows that the earlier a person is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the higher their risk of death from heart disease and stroke. In almost all countries of the world, diabetes rates are increasing substantially in younger adults, aged 20-45 years. This increase means there is a steadily growing pool of diabetes patients who are exposed to diabetes for a longer period in their lives.

A fascinating new study from Sweden and Finland suggests that diabetes is actually five separate diseases and treatment could be tailored for each type. Study authors suggest these findings will usher in a new era of personalised medicine for diabetes.