Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. Approximately one million people die of cardiovascular disease annually despite medical intervention, with coronary artery disease claiming 50 percent of those lives.(1) Although heart disease impacts an older population whose heart muscle, arteries and pumping function have deteriorated over time, heart ailments also strike the very young.

Among those with diabetes, Hispanics had higher levels than non-Hispanic whites on a test that indicates how well patients are controlling their blood sugar, according to a study in the February issue of Diabetes Care, the Winston Salem Journal reports.

Irish musician and advocate Bono and British artist Damien Hirst on Thursday raised about $42.6 million at the Product RED art auction in New York City to benefit HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs in Africa, Reuters reports.

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines the Bush administration’s Medicare proposals, Senate action to block a new Medicaid rule and a House panel’s scrutiny of FDA’s drug approval process in this week’s “

A nationwide US study has found that patients who are in hospital and have a cardiac arrest at night or at the weekend have a significantly lower rate of survival than counterparts who have a cardiac arrest during the day or on weekdays.The research was the work of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) physician Dr Mary Ann Peberdy and colleagues, and is published in the 20 February issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) on Friday announced a partnership with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to subsidize prescription drug costs for lower-income beneficiaries who fall into the so-called “doughnut hole” coverage gap of the Medicare drug benefit, the Baltimore Sun reports.

The Bush administration on Friday issued a legislative proposal that would increase Medicare prescription drug benefit premiums for higher-income beneficiaries, cap noneconomic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits and require health care providers to implement electronic health records, The Hill reports.

The AP/Washington Times on Tuesday examined the effects of a new rule under which Medicare no longer will reimburse hospitals for the treatment of certain preventable conditions (Neergaard, AP/Washington Times, 2/19).Under the rule, which will take effect on Oct.

The following highlights recent state and local news about women’s health policy and legislation. Arizona: On Wednesday, the House Health Committee approved 5-4 a measure (HB 2769) that would “essentially mirror” the federal ban (

Geisinger Health System and Celera (NYSE:CRA), an Applera Corporation business, has announced that they have entered into a research collaboration with the aim of developing a diagnostic assay for the increased risk of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).