coronary artery disease

My Southern Health: Why young adults should pay attention to heart health

The words “coronary artery disease” immediately make us think of people in their 60s, 70s and beyond. But a 30-year population study shows clearly that what we do in our early adult life will impact our health later on, said lead author Jeffrey Carr, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

lungs

Clue to pulmonary hypertension

Vanderbilt investigators have studied the relationship between race, cardiometabolic traits and pulmonary hypertension.

Study shows presence of any calcified plaque significantly raises risk of heart disease for people under age 50

A major report led by Vanderbilt investigators found that the mere presence of even a small amount of calcified coronary plaque, more commonly referred to as coronary artery calcium (CAC), in people under age 50 — even small amounts — was strongly associated with increased risk of developing clinical coronary heart disease over the ensuing decade.

Heart illustration

Study finds coronary arteries hold heart-regenerating cells

Endothelial cells residing in the coronary arteries can function as cardiac stem cells to produce new heart muscle tissue, Vanderbilt University investigators have discovered.

Cell source of heart’s blood vessels

An unexpected group of cells generates the coronary arteries and may be useful for regeneration therapies following injury to the heart.