None of us is as smart as all of us. 

                                               Ken Blanchard

TUESDAY, May 17 (HealthDay News) -- Modern technology reveals that ancient Egyptians, including a princess of noble blood, suffered from coronary artery disease, according to a new report.

The Horus study, which used whole-body computerized tomography (CT) scanning to visualize the arteries of 52 ancient Egyptian mummies, found that atherosclerosis -- plaque build-up in the arteries -- was common among a group of middle-age and older ancient Egyptians.

"Overall, it was striking how much atherosclerosis we found," Dr. Gregory S. Thomas, director of nuclear cardiology education at the University of California, Irvine, and co-principal investigator of the study, said in a news release from the European Society of Cardiology.

"We think of atherosclerosis as a disease of modern lifestyle, but it's clear that it also existed 3,500 years ago," he said. "Our findings certainly call into question the perception of atherosclerosis as a modern disease."

The study, slated for presentation Tuesday at the International Conference of Non-Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging, in Amsterdam, found that recognizable arteries were present in 44 of the 52 mummies scanned. Arterial calcification, a marker of atherosclerosis, was also evident in almost half of the mummies scanned.

Atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries was evident in three of the mummies investigated, including Princess Ahmose-Meryet-Amon, a noble who lived in Thebes (Luxor) between 1580 and 1550 B.C.

"Today, she would have needed bypass surgery," Thomas said.

The princess, who died in her 40s, probably would have eaten a diet rich in vegetables and fruit and with limited servings of meat. The researchers also noted that wheat and barley were dietary staples during this period of ancient Egypt and that tobacco and trans-fats were still unknown.

Considering the relatively healthy and active lifestyle in ancient Egypt, Thomas and his co-principal investigator, Dr. Adel Allam of Al Azhar University in Cairo, offered three possible causes for the incidents of atherosclerosis, including:

• There may still be some unknown risk factors for cardiovascular disease, or a gap in researchers' understanding of it.
• Genetics may predispose a person to developing atherosclerosis.
• Parasitic infections, which were common among ancient Egyptians, may have caused an inflammatory response that put these humans at risk for coronary disease.

The researchers also pointed out that diet may still have played a role in coronary artery disease in ancient Egypt, at least in the case of the princess. As nobility, they said, she may not have shared the same diet as a common Egyptian and could have enjoyed more meals rich in meat, butter and cheese. During this period in history, foods were also preserved in salt, which may also have had an adverse effect.

Because the study was to be presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides detailed information on atherosclerosis.

MONDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who undergo angioplasty to unblock a clogged artery have better odds of survival if they participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program afterwards, researchers report.

The findings, published May 16 in Circulation, are significant given the fact that more than 600,000 angioplasties are performed in the United States each year, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

In the 14-year analysis, researchers examined the outcomes for nearly 2,400 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), commonly known as angioplasties. The study found that 44 percent of the patients had participated in at least one session of a cardiac rehabilitation program, which typically includes patient education, customized exercise programs, nutrition counseling, assistance in quitting smoking, weight control therapy and medical evaluations to track patient progress.

Overall, researchers discovered a 46 percent relative reduction in death from all causes in patients who participated in a rehab program following an angioplasty.

"Our findings show that patients who participate in cardiac rehabilitation following [angioplasty] have better long-term survival, about 50 percent better than those who don't participate in cardiac rehabilitation," study author Dr. Randal Thomas, director of the Mayo Clinic's Cardiovascular Health Clinic, said in an AHA news release.

The results took behavioral issues, such as smoking, into account, as well as any medical conditions that might affect life expectancy, including heart failure, kidney disease or diabetes. The researchers also noted a difference in death rates as early as one year after surgery. Improved outcomes were identified across the board, regardless of age or gender.

AHA spokeswoman Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum noted that "cardiac rehabilitation in the past had shown to reduce mortality after a heart attack by 20 to 30 percent," but post-angioplasty rehab programs weren't covered by Medicare until 2006.

"Cardiac rehabilitation provides physiological and psychological benefits of exercise, improves adherence to preventive therapies and manages the cardiovascular risk factors," said Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "In the United States, [the] participation rate is only 25 percent, but clearly as a preventive measure for mortality from heart disease, cardiac rehabilitation as a treatment plan after stent or angioplasty is critical."

The study authors stressed that angioplasty is an important treatment, but not a cure for heart disease. "Cardiac rehabilitation programs are effective at improving recovery, quality of life and long-term survival because they help deliver the lifestyle and medication therapies that have been shown to slow or even reverse the process of heart disease," said Thomas.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides detailed information on coronary angioplasty.

SUNDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- New Swedish research suggests that the drug Inspra reduces the threat of major cardiovascular complications among patients who have a mild form of heart failure.

This latest finding builds on earlier work that was published by the New England Journal of Medicine last fall. That study suggested that Inspra (eplerenone), an aldosterone antagonist, helps control cardiovascular complications among patients with a history of serious chronic heart failure.

Since far more people suffer from mild heart failure, this new finding could mean the drug might benefit a far broader group of patients, the researchers added.

The Swedish analysis makes an even stronger case for the use of Inspra in patients with mild heart failure because, in addition to reducing mortality, it also reduces the incidence of the irregular heart beat condition known as atrial fibrillation, study co-author Karl Swedberg, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said in a news release from the European Society of Cardiology.

Atrial fibrillation "is a condition which both increases morbidity and complicates the care of patients with heart failure," he explained.

Swedberg and his colleagues were slated to present the findings Sunday in Gothenburg at the Heart Failure Congress 2011, organized by the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology.

The study team noted that Inspra is currently approved for the control of high blood pressure as well as for the treatment of heart attack patients who experience congestive heart failure. It is not yet approved for the treatment of patients who experience mild heart failure. It is available generically in the United States, according to the news release.

Experts estimate that almost 6 million people in the United States suffer from heart failure.

The current finding stems from a re-analysis of a larger study that involved more than 2,700 heart failure patients being cared for at 278 different health centers.

Focusing specifically on those participants who had experienced mild (class 2) heart failure, the authors found that just 2.7 percent of those patients who were placed on a regimen of between 25 milligrams to 50 milligrams daily of Inspra for a little less than two years experienced atrial fibrillation.

This compared with 4.5 percent of those patients who were randomized to receive a sugar pill instead.

Dr. Byron K. Lee, director of the Electrophysiology Laboratories and Clinics within the division of cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, noted that exactly how Inspra seems to help heart patients is not well understood.

"It is unclear how eplerenone works to lower the risk of abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter," he said. "However, there are many potential mechanisms. One possibility is that eplerenone may help maintain potassium levels. Patients with heart failure are often on high-dose diuretics that remove fluid at the expense of removing potassium. Thats why heart failure patients need to watch their potassium level vigilantly."

More information

For more on atrial fibrillation, go to National Library of Medicine.

TUESDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) -- About 14 percent of strokes happen while people are sleeping, lowering the chance that they'll be able to get to the hospital in time for a potentially brain-saving treatment, a new study suggests.

"Because the only treatment for ischemic stroke must be given within a few hours after the first symptoms begin, people who wake up with stroke symptoms often can't receive the treatment since we can't determine when the symptoms started," Dr. Jason Mackey, of the University of Cincinnati and a study co-author, said in a news release from the American Academy of Neurology. "Imaging studies are being conducted now to help us develop better methods to identify which people are most likely to benefit from the treatment, even if symptoms started during the night."

In the study, published in the May 10 issue of Neurology, researchers examined the medical records of 1,854 adults who suffered from ischemic strokes in a one-year period and were treated at emergency rooms in the Cincinnati area. Ischemic stroke is caused by blocked blood flow in the brain, usually because of a clot.

In 14 percent of the cases, people woke up with symptoms of a stroke. Nationwide, that would account for 58,000 people who visit emergency rooms with stroke systems annually, the study authors pointed out.

Of 273 people who had so-called "wake-up strokes," at least 98 would have been eligible for treatment with a blood clot-busting drug called tPA if doctors had known when the stroke had begun, the study reported.

"If a stroke started more than a few hours ago, tPA is not indicated because it can cause bleeding that will extend and enlarge the stroke," explained Dr. Byron K. Lee, associate professor of medicine and director of the Electrophysiology Laboratories and Clinics at the University of California, San Francisco. "In wake-up strokes, it's nearly impossible to know when the symptoms started [so] tPA is not an option and, therefore, the neurologic deficits have a higher chance of becoming permanent."

If you wake up feeling strange symptoms, Lee said, don't sit around. "People should not wait for any new neurologic deficits in the morning to pass or go away as they become less groggy," he said. "They should seek medical attention immediately. Even though tPA may not be an option in wake-up strokes, there are many other treatments that can be given in an emergency room or hospital."

According to the National Stroke Association, symptoms of a stroke include:

• Sudden paralysis or weakness in the face or limbs, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden problems with balance or walking
• Sudden vision problems
• Slurred speech
• Sudden confusion or problems speaking or understanding simple statements
• Sudden severe headache with no apparent cause

Stroke experts offer a simple way to help people remember what to look for if they think they are witnessing a stroke: Think FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time):

• Face: See if the person is able to smile, or if one side of their face seems to droop.
• Arms: Can the person raise both arms, or does one side drift downward?
• Speech: See if the person is able to speak clearly or repeat a simple phrase.
• Time: Call 9-1-1 immediately if the person exhibits any of these signs.

More information

For more about the signs of stroke, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.