Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. The good news? It is also one of the most preventable.
Making heart-healthy choices, knowing your family health history and the risk factors for heart disease, having regular check-ups and working with your physician to manage your health are all integral aspects of saving lives from this often silent killer.
Cardiac psychologist Anne Saltzman and Dr. Tamara Horwich
At UCLA, our 160 cardiovascular research laboratories, working together with teams of physicians and health care professionals are united in a mission to understand the roots of this complex disease. We are designing therapies and interventions that do not just prevent heart disease but effectively treat it.
Together, they are focusing on the following key areas:
Queen Latifah and her mother.
Queen Latifah joined a special discussion with Queen Latifah, Karol Watson, MD, the American Heart Association and Sharecare to educate the public on living with heart failure. Latifah's mother suffers from the condition. Watch the interview >
“I tell parents when I first meet them that they’re going to become experts in the heart,” smiles Kristen Ethridge, a pediatric nurse practitioner with the pediatric cardiac surgery program. Kristen (pictured second from left) poses with other cardiac nurses from the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. “Cardiac nursing has been a passion of mine since ... read article
High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) and high cholesterol are two factors that increase your risk for developing heart disease or heart failure. Now, new research suggests that having those factors as a young adult increases your risk for heart disease later in life. Emphasizing prevention during the young adult years can keep you ... read article
“I wasn’t able to carry my own children, walk upstairs or carry a bag,” recounts 35-year-old Edgar Pacheco, who was born with a congenital heart defect and has had numerous open-heart surgeries. “I had a leaky valve in my heart, and it was getting worse and worse. I had the MitraClip procedure done two months ... read article
“One of the great things about this conference, and something that I always find beautiful, is that the patient perspective is felt,” says Daniel Chambers, program manager ... read article
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing 1 in 4—or just over 600,000—deaths each year. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death. Both are more likely to occur if you have one of three specific risk factors, detailed below. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke 1. High ... read article
UCLA interventional cardiologist Olcay Aksoy, MD, FACC, discusses how transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has revolutionized the treatment of patients with aortic stenosis. Watch webinar »
UCLA cardiologist Jamil Aboulhosn, MD, discusses the prevalence and impact of congenital heart disease (heart disease from birth). He will also discuss some of the surgical and medical advances that have facilitated improvements in survival and quality of life for this population. Watch webinar »
UCLA cardiologist Marcella Calfon Press, MD, co-director of the UCLA Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Health Program, offers insight into the role of gender in heart disease and discusses managing risk factors. Watch webinar »
UCLA cardiologist William Suh, MD, talks about the transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure, which can treat severe aortic stenosis without open heart surgery. He will review clinical trial data, indications for the procedure, and patient selection criteria. Watch webinar »
Karol Watson, MD, co-director, UCLA Program in Preventive Cardiology, discusses tips to keep your heart healthy and live a healthier life, as well as hidden threats to heart health and the latest news in heart research. Watch webinar »
