Merije Chukumerije MD, FACC

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Merije Chukumerije MD, FACC Sports cardiologist helping athletes and everyday people optimize heart health

07/08/2026

The goal of PDE5i and nitrates is the same: increase nitric oxide to dilate blood vessels, thereby increasing blood flow and decreasing pressure. That’s why they work for conditions like erectile dysfunction, heart failure, and pulmonary hypertension.

Shouldn’t it work for enhancing exercise performance in athletes too?

05/08/2026

Everyone knows inflammation plays a role in cardiovascular disease, but we haven’t figured out how to reduce its damaging effects yet.

Novo Nordisk hoped ziltivekimab would do that in their PHASE 3 Zeus trial by reducing IL-6 and hsCRP levels, but it FAILED.

31/07/2026

When you don’t respect heart disease, it’ll learn you very quickly! I’ve had far too many “young” people get hit with a preventable disease. EVEN ATHLETES!

Don’t let it be you.

29/07/2026

Fact pollution! We see it every day on social media. Small, clinically insignificant facts that are used for fear mongering and click-bait and distract from the evidence-based behaviors that are most likely to improve health, like city lights distracting us from the bigger stars in the sky.

It may be worse than misinformation because the statements may have truth to them.

22/07/2026

I’m trying to see something: if you ever got a 2nd opinion, comment “worth it” or “waste of time”. I’m curious

I personally encourage patients to get a 2nd opinion, mainly because I’m confident in my recommendations but also because I want patients to be confident in the care they’re receiving as well.

A lot of patients feel guilty about seeking another opinion, like they’re cheating on their doctor. And a lot of doctors feel ashamed or embarrassed when someone goes to another doctor as if they weren’t good enough. Both are wrong ways of looking at it. All that matters is a healthy patient-physician relationship, even if that’s not with me.

Have you ever got a 2nd opinion?

18/07/2026

I truly wish no one needed medications, but that’s not a reality.

One class of medications, Statins, are probably the most hated medication on the market despite how important they are to reducing the risk of heart disease. But I get it. Some people have crazy muscle aches and other sides effects, and some patients won’t even try them just based on the bad reputation. That’s why people started flocking to PCSK9 inhibitors, but the problem was that they are super expensive AND they have been injection only.

In comes Enlicitide. FDA just approved it as the first ORAL PCSK9i, which is a game changer for how we can treat high cholesterol and other lipid markers. In combination with diet and exercise, the study showed that high risk people significantly reduced their LDL, Non-HDL, Apolipoprotein B, and Lipoprotein (a) levels by 6 months.

Some people will always refuse statins, some people would take them but just can’t tolerate the side effects: this new medication gives a great alternative option that is more effective than the oral alternatives we have now.

The outcome data isn’t out yet, but I’m expecting it to be very similar to the injectable PCSK9is , which have been excellent.

Study:
A Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor Enlicitide. The New England Journal of Medicine. February 5, 2026.

14/07/2026

My advice to the coaches in the NBA:

The NBA lifestyle is grueling, not just for the players but for the supporting staff too. Late nights, frequent travel, meals on the go, snacks every where, and poor sleep, can be a vicious combination.

Without the foundation of a steady exercise regimen to keep them healthy, a lot of coaches in the league end up with heart problems that could have been avoided.

Hopefully I can do something about that.

13/07/2026

Lindsey Graham died of something that is not very uncommon.

An aortic dissection is usually spontaneous and can come with no warning signs! The worst type can be so sudden and lead to back a retrograde tear of not only the aorta, but also the right coronary artery as well. This will pretty much always be fatal.

The “best” case scenario of an aortic dissection is a type B dissection which is still very dangerous, but can be treated with medication.

Both are usually the result of longstanding, untreated hypertension, acute trauma, or rapid increase in blood pressure (like from co***ne).

Don’t let hypertension be silent when it doesn’t have to be

14/04/2026

I said it before: Golf can give you more years on this earth, more time with your wife. If this doesn’t convince her, focus on yourself, King 👑

12/04/2026

I asked Duke Ihenacho | Online Fitness & Mindset Coach what he thought had the biggest impact on his health since retiring from the NFL

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