The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "heart disease" ...
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Dead Wrong: What's Really Killing America
Inaccurate data on what kills people in this country is rampant. There are some cases where cause of death is fraudulently invented, but in most cases autopsies are simple conducted incorrectly to the tune of at least a third of death diagnoses. In many cases, cause of death is never determined and these patterns are exacerbated along disadvantaged socioeconomic lines. Such inaccurate data on deaths is feared to skew research on preventative measures.
Tags: death; autopsies; diagnoses; inaccurate; reporting; inexperience; research; medicine; heart disease; fraud; medical examiners; investigation; conduct; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
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3F Members Die Prematurely
The story investigated the death records of all members of the union 3F (unskilled workers) and compared this mortality rate to standard mortality rates for the population as a whole. The aim was to see which union members had higher (or lower) mortality rates, and which causes of death were higher and lower compared to the population on the whole.
Tags: mortality; death rates; union workers; unskilled workers; 3F; mortality rates; lung cancer; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COPD; accidents; heart disease
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Heart Devices
This story explains how corporate and regulatory policies prevented doctors and patients from learning critical information about defects in heart devices such as defibrillators and pacemakers.
Tags: hearts; Food and Drug Administration; FDA; defibrillators; pacemakers; heart disease; regulation; health; healthcare
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FDA: A Question of Safety
This investigative series exposed serious FDA lapses in protecting the public. The series shows, "..a dysfunctional FDA which moves to silence and intimidate its own medical officers who bring to light serious risks; an agency which often, paradoxically, executes its role as public protector by shielding information from doctors and patients."
Tags: Food and Drug Administration; heart attack; heart disease; Vioxx; Serzone; Crestor; vaccinations; FOIA
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The Body Market
"The tissue banking trade has become a lucrative industry that operates with virtually no regulation or enforceable industry standards. Tissue banks approach families with heart-wrenching stories about how their donations will save lives. Grief-stricken family members who agree to donation for altruistic reasons are given little or no information about how bodies, or body parts, will be used. They also are typically not told that their loved ones will be parceled out and sold in parts to a mix of for-profit and nonprofit companies. When things go wrong, families are stunned to learn that they have almost no recourse."
Tags: tissue donation; transplants; research; federal law; disease transmission; Guidestar; 990s
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Deadly Discrepancy: New Light on Aortic Aneurysms
This collection of stories won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. The authors did in-depth reporting about aortic aneurysms, a dangerous bulge in an important artery. This condition causes 25,000 - 40,000 deaths a year, most of which are preventable. Conventional medical wisdom says that such aneurysms are rare, but this investigation proved otherwise. The investigation found that there is available technology to ease this condition and save lives, but it is not being used effectively because physicians misdiagnos the problem.
Tags: medicine; surgery; ruptured artery; aortic disease; CT scan; heart disease
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Life's Last Chapter: How Well Will We Care?
According to the author, "Tens of millions of Americans are living healthy, active lives well into their 70s, 80s and beyond...Yet, inevitably, many of these same Americans will endure a slow, merciless decline. Three-quarters of Americans today die after lengthy struggles with chronic illness -- cancer, dementia, arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis...." This series of articles focuses on the state of elderly care today...what is working, and what isn't.
Tags: elderly; old; disability; nursing homes; aging; care; long-term care; chronic illness; doctors
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Dispensing with the Truth
Mundy tells how thousands of women fell ill and died after taking Fen-Phen, a popular diet-drug combination. The dieters suffered severe damages to their hearts and lungs. Those who survived were disabled for the rest of their lives. The book reveals that the manufacturer, Wyeth-Ayerst, a division of American Home Products, was well aware of the hazards of the product, but chose not to inform the public, the doctors and the regulators. The author looks at the tragic story of Mary Linnen, a healthy young woman who was the first to die from taking the dangerous medicine, and whose family was the first to file a wrongful death suit. The book depicts the avalanche of wrongful deaths and lawsuits that came in the years after the appearance of Fen-Phen in the market.
Tags: BOOK; heart disease; pulmonary hypertension; pneumonia; dieting; Food and Drug Administration (FDA); medicine; drug manufacturers
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The Fall and Rise of Kilmer McCully
Nearly 30 years ago, Kilmer McCully came up with the theory that homocysteine triggers heart disease. After years of shunning his theory, the scientific community is finally listening.
Tags: Vitamin Cholesterol
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No title (id: 13183)
For years government busybodies have been insisting that drinking is bad,heinous, vile, stinko. Now that science indicates otherwise, the government will not admit its mistake. This American Spectator article investigates the wealth of evidence suggesting moderate drinking not only does not harm one's health, but is linked to reduced risks of coronary heart disease. (October 1996)