Among the changes: a lower recommended dose of daily aspirin, and more
exercise

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_33554.html

Sniped for brevity full article  above

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HealthDay

Monday, May 15, 2006

MONDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- America's top experts in heart
disease have issued new guidelines on helping people with the illness
avoid more cardiovascular trouble.
The guidelines, issued Monday by the American Heart Association and the
American College of Cardiology, apply to a wide range of patients: Those
who have had heart attacks, those with the variety of heart problems
called acute coronary syndromes, and those with other blood vessel
conditions such as peripheral arterial disease.
The recommendations were issued in a joint statement by the two
organizations and have also been endorsed by the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute.
The new guidelines come as the result "of a number of new trials
completed since our last recommendations were issued," said Dr. Sidney
S. Smith, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina
and chairman of the group that drew up the report.
Some recommendations in the guidelines, which update those issued five
years ago, are new. For example, the new rules advise that anyone with
heart disease get a flu shot every year.
Other recommendations simply highlight tried-and-true means of reining
in risk.
One advisory: people diagnosed with heart disease should get 30 to 60
minutes of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, at least five, and
preferably seven, days a week. The old guidelines called for this type
of exercise three or four days a week.
The old guidelines held that blood levels of LDL cholesterol, the bad
kind that clogs arteries, should stay below 100 milligrams per deciliter
(mg/dL) and, ideally, below 70 mg/dL for very high-risk patients.
According to the new advisory, those guidelines are now recommended for
all people with established heart disease.
Levels of all blood fats, excluding HDL cholesterol -- the good kind
that helps keep arteries clear -- should be kept under 100 milligrams
per deciliters, the new guidelines say.
Some guidelines are unchanged. Blood pressure still should be no more
than 140 over 90 for most patients, and less than 130 over 80 for people
with diabetes or chronic kidney disease
As for weight, the recommended body mass index (BMI) is between 18.5 to
24.8, with waist circumference less than 40 inches for men and less than
35 inches for women (for reference, statistical obesity starts at a BMI
of 30).
For diabetes management, a test for blood sugar levels is recommended
every two to three months, with the desired level kept to less than 7
percent.
The recommended dosage of aspirin for patients with heart disease or
other blood vessel problems such as peripheral arterial disease has been
lowered. It should now be between 75 and 162 milligrams a day, the new
guidelines say -- the old rule allowed daily amounts as high as 325
milligrams. Studies have shown that the lower dose provides all the
benefits without the risk of bleeding associated with higher amounts,
Smith said.

U.S. Experts Issue New Heart Disease Treatment Guidelines
Among the changes: a lo