Newsworthy
Northwell & Dr. Mintz Opens Long Island’s First Lipid Center
“Our team, including nurse practitioners and registered dieticians, is here to help patients with high cholesterol, high triglycerides, patients not at their ideal cholesterol goal, or patients unable to tolerate cholesterol medications, such as statins which can cause side effects,” said Dr. Mintz, co-director of the Lipid Center. “Lifestyle modification such as diet and exercise will be reinforced, and when appropriate, medical therapy is provided.”
Experts Say Healthy Adults Shouldn't Use Daily Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attacks
On ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir appears Dr. Guy Mintz saying “They’ve shown that the risk of bleeding or gastrointestinal side effects outweighs the benefit of taking aspirin therapy at the current time.”
Long Island Press
Top Cardiologists on Long Island
Guy L. Mintz, M.D. has more than 30 years of experience in preventive cardiology and general cardiology with added expertise in lipidology. He is the co-director of the Lipid Center and director of cardiovascular health & lipidology and lipid apheresis at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital.
Health Central
Let’s Talk About Atherosclerosis
The disease is quite complex and not fully understood, but its impact is clear: Atherosclerosis causes your arteries—the tube-like blood vessels that function like interstate highways for your blood to travel throughout your body—to harden and stiffen. (That’s why you may have heard this disease being referred to as a “hardening of the arteries.”) Such hardening hampers blood flow, leading to a host of health problems. Let’s take a closer look at how it all goes down.
Inside Cardiology
Bempedoic Acid
ICYMI: Earlier this month, we launched Inside Cardiology. The first episode features Practical Cardiology's Chief Advisory Board member Dr. Guy Mintz and Dr. Steve Nissen as they discuss bempedoic acid—a novel lipid-lowering therapy from Esperion - The Lipid Management Company, approved by the US FDA in early 2020.
U.S. News
Could Viagra Help Men With Heart Disease Live Longer?
PDE5 drugs "are 'vasoactive,' meaning they have an effect on the blood vessels making them less stiff, and able to vasodilate," explained Dr. Guy Mintz. "These agents may also have anti-inflammatory effects," he added.
"There is a need to do follow-up studies to see if PDE5 inhibitors are directly responsible for the beneficial effects, or is the benefit due to having a partner (not being lonely), an active sex life (exercise), or a happier approach to life (a sense of well-being)," Mintz said.
M.D. /alert
Statins Unlikely to Cause Muscle Pain
"This is an important trial which can benefit the 7%-20% of patients who are classified as statin- intolerant due to muscle symptoms. Clinicians should now take this information to 'heart' and work with this group of patients to find a way to get them back on appropriate cardiovascular risk-reduction therapy."
That said, he added, "the study only looked at one statin and at one dose. There are six statins that have inherently different characteristics, such as being hydrophilic or lipophilic, and various dosages."
Senior Planet - AARP
When Your Heart Turns 65…
“By age 65, people have had a long history of exposure to cardiovascular risk factors,” Mintz says. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, high blood sugar or even diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise, sleep problems such as lack of sleep or apnea, (the cessation of breathing during sleep).
Patients 65 plus are also at increased risk for abnormal heart rhythms, such as atrial fibrillation, which greatly increases the risk of stroke, Mintz says.
Health Central
When Lifestyle Changes Don't Control Cholesterol
A much rarer form of FH, called homozygous FH, occurs if you inherit FH from both parents. About one in 100,000 people have this diagnosis. It’s even more dangerous, causing extremely high cholesterol and leading to early heart disease. Dr. Mintz says that life expectancy can be as low as 20 to 30 years of age.
Web MD
BP Meds Could Improve Survival in COVID Patients
"It is comforting to know that these medications have a neutral effect on the severity of COVID infection," said Dr. Guy Mintz.
It's unclear why taking an ACE inhibitor or an ARB might curb COVID-19, he said. The drugs have anti-inflammatory effects "in addition to their blood pressure benefits. Could these effects neutralize some of the systemic inflammation due to COVID-19?"
Forbes
This New App Analyzes Your Voice Quality To Diagnose Congestive Heart Failure: Can It Help With Covid-19?
“This technology measures lung congestion (fluid overload), not hypoxemia—low oxygen levels and would have no obvious use in COVID patients; certainly no advantage over a pulse oximeter,” said Guy L. Mintz, MD.
“Changes in speech pattern correlating to clinical deterioration could be a game changer in patients with weak hearts.”
NewsMax Health
Progress Against Cardiovascular Death Slowing
He believes education on cardiovascular health within affected communities is crucial. This education "must start in day care centers, schools, after-school programs, sports clubs, churches, community gatherings, barbershops and salons," Mintz said.
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests On the Rise During COVID-19 Crisis
"We know the virus causes systemic inflammation and an enhanced immune -- 'cytokine' -- response," Mintz said. "This can lead to inflammation of the heart, called myocarditis, or it can produce micro-thrombi (micro-clots) in the arteries of the heart. That leads to cardiac damage and arrhythmias, leading to cardiac arrest and death," he explained.
It Looks Like a Classic Heart Attack, But in COVID-19 Patients Other Issues May Be at Play
Eighteen patients with severe COVID-19 treated at a New York City hospital showed the classic signs of a heart attack on their electrocardiograms. But a closer look at each case revealed that more than half of these patients didn't have a blockage in a major artery, the typical trigger of a heart attack.
US News
Lasting Spikes in Blood Pressure While Exercising Could Be Unhealthy Sign
In a typical stress test, “usefull data is left on the table that doctors can use to risk-stratify their middle-aged cardiovascular patient,” Mintz believes. “If we can identify this group of middle-aged patients early, we can intensify their cardiovascular risk reduction at a younger age.”
Newsmax Health
Study: Combination of Heart Drugs May Lower Dementia Risk
"As we move into an era of precision medicine, the idea of targeted combination therapies for hypertension and cholesterol in patients over 67 years of age — translating to better vascular health in the brain and leading to a reduction of brain dysfunction — is exciting and warrants further research," Mintz said.
Healthline
People with Diabetes May Be Having Fewer Heart Attacks, Strokes
“New guidelines from the various societies, such as Endocrine and Cardiology, lowered the targets for ideal LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) in the diabetic population,” explained Mintz. “In fact, the 2018 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines recommend that all diabetic patients be on at least a moderate-intensity statin. More diabetic patients are achieving lower cholesterol goals, which are cardio protective.”
USA Today
'It's the classic glass half empty': Bernie Sanders hidden health records raise questions
“In a heart attack, the most important thing is the amount of damage a heart has sustained,” said Guy L. Mintz.
“There are people who have mild, moderate or big heart attacks. I don’t necessarily think he had a severe heart attack because he would have been hospitalized longer. And he would not be back on the campaign trail and in the Senate so quickly.”
Livestrong
What Causes Your Cholesterol Numbers to Spike?
“Patients should view their doctors as a teammate, not an adversary,” Dr. Mintz adds. “It will take a combination of proper diet, exercise and medications for some to lower their cholesterol and, in doing so, lower their cardiovascular risk. Lowering cholesterol is just one part of the formula to reduce cardiovascular events.”
Health Central
10 Ways to Prevent a Heart Attack
Did your maternal grandmother have heart problems? How about your own father? Be sure to ask. “Family history of a heart attack is a major risk factor,” says cardiologist Guy Mintz, M.D.
“Regular aerobic exercise is part of the preventive foundation,” Dr. Mintz says. It also keeps your heart muscle strong.
Health Central
11 Ways to Survive a Heart Attack
“Family and friends should be educated about your cardiac condition, including the warning signs to be familiar with,” says cardiologist Guy Mintz, M.D.
If you even think you might be having a heart attack, call 911 right away. “Do not wait. Do not spend time with self-diagnosis,” says Dr. Mintz. The faster you get treated, the less damage your heart will suffer.
Health 24
A new study confirms that one egg per day is heart-healthy, after all
“The case of eggs causing heart disease has been cracked – Humpty Dumpty can remain on the wall," said Dr Guy Mintz, who directs cardiovascular health at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, New York. "This very large study has clearly demonstrated that people can have one egg a day without any cardiovascular consequences.”
Northwell Health
Cholesterol Guidelines Recognize New Cardiovascular Risk Groups
“Being in a risk category doesn’t mean you need to take statins or other medications; it may just mean more therapeutic lifestyle and dietary changes. Patients should be proactive and aware of their cardiovascular risk profile and continue to discuss modification of your cardiovascular risk profile with your care team.”
Health Day
'Yo-Yo' Blood Pressure Numbers in Youth a Bad Sign for Health Later
"Many patients come into the office and are found to have an elevated blood pressure, but before the doctor can say hypertension, the patients have their script: 'I had coffee this morning, I rushed here, I was aggravated at work or I had ethnic salty food last night,'" Mintz said. "Clinicians cannot accept patient excuses, and must be more vigilant in treating hypertension at an earlier age."
Health Day
Fish oil supplements may do your heart good
Based on the new data review, "every physician should have a discussion with their patients at increased cardiovascular risk – including diabetic patients, patients with heart disease, or patients with stents and a history of coronary bypass – to see how the addition of omega-3 supplementation at an optimal dosage could further reduce their risk for future cardiac events," Mintz said.
Healthline
Drinking Tea May Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
"The message from this study is loud and clear: Tea, particularly green tea, is cardio protective, and should be considered as another tool in the cardiac prevention toolbox,” said Mintz. “Maybe we should listen to the advice the hare offers to Alice in ‘Alice in Wonderland’: ‘Take more tea!’"
Health Day
Especially in the Young, Cholesterol Is No Friend to the Heart
For younger patients, "this study demonstrated that long-term exposure to high levels of non-HDL cholesterol with at least two other risk factors would cause an increased long-term risk of cardiovascular disease -- even more than if this elevation occurred after age 45," noted Dr. Guy Mintz. Using this data to help warn young patients of the dangers "can be very effective in motivating patients to change."
Health Day
Too Few Heart Patients Getting Good Results From Medicines Alone
"This is an eye-opening study which reinforces the need for improvement in our approach for higher-risk patients with coronary artery disease," said Dr. Guy Mintz. "We have the knowledge and the tools to do better, but we are not," he said. "We need to be more vigilant and take the lessons learned from this study to our practices every day; be cognizant of the groups less likely to succeed in goal achievement, devote more resources through education to these groups."
Health Day
Recovering From Heart Attack, Sen. Bernie Sanders Says 'Pay Attention' to Symptoms
"Despite his blood flow being restored with two stents, he still has an area of damage, scar tissue that needs to heal," Mintz said. "If you put a patch on a tire and do not let the glue dry, that patch will not hold. Same thing with a damaged heart and complications can occur."