Heart disease death rates spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, erasing years of progress
Reports and Proceedings
Reports and Proceedings
Experience Scientific Sessions 2022 in Chicago!
November 5–7, 2022 | Chicago, IL
#AHA22
AHA Scientific Sessions 2022 welcomes you back in person in Chicago and online globally!
Reconnect face to face with colleagues, experience breakthrough basic, clinical and population science updates, and advance your career as we celebrate the accomplishments and innovations in cardiovascular and stroke science.
Mark your calendars now to experience the premiere global event focusing on improving health by championing scientific discovery and practice-changing educational content.
Begin your #AHA22 experience by submitting an abstract April 13 – June 9, 6:00 p.m. CDT. We can’t wait to see you this November!
Scientific Sessions 2022
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Apr-2025 15:08 ET (23-Apr-2025 19:08 GMT/UTC)
Reports and Proceedings
31-Oct-2022
Use of e-cigarettes had negative cardiovascular effects similar to smoking cigarettes
American Heart AssociationReports and Proceedings
A small, short-term study of young adults without cardiovascular disease or heart disease risk factors found that several volatile organic compounds released by pod-based e-cigarettes were associated with changes in blood pressure, heart rate and blood vessel dilation.
Pod-based e-cigarette users and traditional combustible cigarette users had 8% higher systolic (top-number) blood pressure and a higher heart rate compared to non-users. 64% of the adults who used e-cigarettes used them exclusively over traditional cigarettes, and 37% of e-cigarette users never smoked traditional cigarettes. The study found the vascular (arteries and veins that circulate blood throughout the body) changes associated with using e-cigarettes were similar between the two groups.
- Funder
- American Heart Association Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products, NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
- Meeting
- American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022
31-Oct-2022
Perceived discrimination increased the risk of worse health outcomes after a heart attack
American Heart AssociationReports and Proceedings
An analysis of more than 2,600 heart attack survivors, ages 55 years and younger, found that nearly 35% of them reported perceived discrimination in their everyday lives. Participants who reported higher levels of perceived discrimination were more likely to report physical limitations and more frequent chest pain within one year of a heart attack. One year after surviving a heart attack, people who reported more perceived discrimination were significantly more likely to report a lower quality of life and mental health status.
- Funder
- NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
- Meeting
- American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022
31-Oct-2022
Marital stress linked to worse recovery after heart attack
American Heart AssociationReports and Proceedings
Marital stress among younger adults (ages 18-55 years) was linked to worse recovery after a heart attack, compared to couples with less stress. Couples with severe marital stress had worse physical and mental health than those with mild or no marital stress one year after a heart attack. The link between marital stress and poor heart attack recovery was reduced yet remained significant after considering patient demographics (sex, age, race) and socioeconomic factors, such as education, employment, income and health insurance status. Women were more likely than men to report severe marital stress.
- Funder
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research, NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
- Meeting
- American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022
31-Oct-2022
Study finds dieters may overestimate the healthiness of their eating habits
American Heart AssociationReports and Proceedings
Adults who were making lifestyle changes to lose weight tended to overestimate how healthy their diet was, according to a new study. In addition, self-perceptions of how much their diet improved over the course of the 12- month study were often inaccurate – most thought they improved the quality of their diet, yet there actually was not much change based on researchers’ assessment. Future research focused on perceptions vs. reality about nutrition may lead to healthier eating patterns.
- Funder
- NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
- Meeting
- American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022
31-Oct-2022
Hearts from donors who were COVID-19 positive may be safe for transplantation
American Heart AssociationReports and Proceedings
Hearts from donors who were COVID-19 positive may be as safe for transplantation as hearts from donors without COVID-19 infection, according to a study of transplant recipients in the first 30 days after heart transplantation. Length of hospitalization after heart transplant, organ failure rate, risk of postoperative stroke or dialysis and 30-day survival were similar between those who received from COVID-19-positve donors and those who received hearts from donors free of the virus. Studies examining the potential long-term health implications of hearts from COVID-19-positive donors are needed.
- Funder
- Division of Cardiovascular Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania
- Meeting
- American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022