Active clinical trials for "Heart Diseases"

This study is designed to determine whether there is a relationship between the way insulin and blood vessels work. The difference in the interaction between Caucasian and African American adolescents will also be examined. This may play a role in the differing rates of heart disease and diabetes between the two groups.

Heart disease and stroke disproportionately affect African Americans in the United States. These conditions are likely caused by both environmental and genetic factors. This study will attempt to identify specific genes of African and European ancestral origins that may influence the development of heart disease in African Americans.

Patients with CAD and diabetes mellitus have a better prognosis than patients with CAD and no diabetes mellitus. In acute coronary syndrome patients with an insulin therapy had a better survival than patients with oral antidiabetics. But there is not known wether perioperative therapy with insulin or oral antidiabetics is associated with higher risk for higher perioperative cardiac morbidity and mortality and worse long-term survival.

Patients who have iron overload due to chronic blood transfusions and have developed heart failure or who are at high risk of heart failure because of the high levels of iron in their hearts, will be treated with deferiprone, an investigational drug, in combination with deferoxamine (Desferal). Some studies suggest that deferiprone may be better than deferoxamine in removing iron from the heart and improving heart function, and that using both drugs together may remove more iron. Participants would make a clinic visit for lab studies each week, and would continue to take deferiprone for as long as their physician feels it is useful in their care.

To understand how depression leads to congestive heart failure (CHF) in older adults.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the SF-36 can be administered reliably to cardiac surgery patients (two to three days) post-surgery, with the patient answering the questions of this survey from a pre-surgical perspective.

To evaluate whether genetic variation in selected candidate genes is associated with risk of sudden cardiac death in the general population.

To determine the factors associated with progression of sub-clinical atherosclerosis and to evaluate the associations between the progression of sub-clinical atherosclerosis and the development of clinically manifest atherosclerosis.

To test the hypothesis that breast arterial calcification (BAC) seen on mammograms can identify women with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD).

To test the hypothesis that the responsiveness of major and emerging cardiovascular disease risk factors to changes in diet composition clusters within families depending on genetic susceptibility factors.