The effects of aging on arteries.

The age association and alterations in vascular structure and function at both the cellular and molecular levels are increasingly recognized as major risk factors for CV disease. The arterial remodeling during aging that may be enhanced by the CV risk factors are supersensitive to the age-related risk factors. The aging process may well be influenced by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. Much can be done to modify environmental risk factors, very little to genetics except for choosing your parents.     

Electrolyte imbalances in cardiovascular disease: the forgotten factor

Hypomagnesemia is not an infrequent finding in diuretic-induced hypokalemia. Potassium replacement therapy in these cases may be ineffective in raising serum potassium levels unless normal magnesium concentrations are restored.     

A correctable complication of advanced congestive heart failure

Hyponatremia is a common complication of chronic advanced CHF unresponsive to the usual therapeutic measures. Thus low levels of serum sodium are a significant marker for severe CHF refractory to the more conventional measures. The combined use of ACE inhibitors and diuretics is generally very effective in correcting the hyponatremic state and often helpful in reversing CHF.     

Circadian influence on coronary events

The circadian variation of major cardiovascular disorders, that is, TMI, AMI, SCD, and stroke, reflects an increased vulnerability to myocardial and cerebral ischemia and myocardial dysfunction in the early hours of the morning after awakening and rising. A comprehensive approach to treatment in patients with ischemic heart disease must take into consideration the chronobiology of the cardiovascular system and its relevance to the underlying disease process that affects the cardiovascular system.