Symptoms Of Cardiovascular Disease Research Articles

Knowledge of cardiovascular diseases and associated risk factors in the general adult population of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study examining gender disparities.

To assess knowledge about cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among the general population, we emphasized gender-related disparities and other lifestyle and health-related factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 395 individuals from the general population of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was administered to assess knowledge of CVD types, symptoms, and risk factors. The majority of participants identified coronary heart disease (73.7%) as having CVD, with no sex effect. Males had higher knowledge regarding cerebrovascular disease (44% vs 31.5%) and congenital heart diseases (60% vs 51.9%) as being part of CVD, while they had lower knowledge of peripheral arterial disease (44% vs 50.7%) than females, respectively (P < .05). Males exhibited better knowledge of heart attack and stroke symptoms than females. Knowledge was optimal for major CVD risk factors, such as smoking (90.6%) and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (85.1%); however, gaps were observed in recognizing diabetes (56.2%) and stress (69.4%) as factors for CVD. The mean overall knowledge score was 16.33 ± 5.72 25, with no difference between sexes (P = .239). Predictors of good CVD knowledge included university-level education, daily healthy food consumption, and perceived life as highly stressful; nonetheless, sex showed no significant effect. While the general population displayed a suboptimal understanding of CVD, notable sex disparities were observed, highlighting the need for tailored public health interventions. Emphasizing cognitive and behavioral aspects can foster better prevention and management strategies, given the evident gender disparities.

The impact of PTSD on associations between sex hormones and cardiovascular disease symptoms

ABSTRACT Background: Women have twice the lifetime prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relative to men, and PTSD is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Two sex hormones – estradiol and progesterone – have been found to impact both PTSD and CVD symptomatology, but the way in which sex hormones influence cardiovascular physiology among individuals with PTSD is not well understood. Objective: This study sought to clarify the association between sex hormones, PTSD, and CVD among trauma-exposed women. Method: Sixty-six trauma-exposed women (M age = 31.45, SD = 8.92) completed a clinical interview for PTSD and self-reported CVD symptoms; estradiol and progesterone were assayed from blood samples. The association between each sex hormone and CVD symptoms was analyzed, controlling for age, systolic blood pressure (BP), and diastolic BP. Results: Neither estradiol nor the PTSD-by-estradiol interaction was significantly associated with CVD symptoms. Higher progesterone and, relatedly, progesterone-to-estradiol ratio (PE ratio) were each significantly associated with greater CVD symptom severity, but only for individuals with lower relative PTSD severity. Conclusions: The findings indicate that PTSD moderates the relationship between progesterone and CVD symptoms, and further research is warranted to reconcile findings in existing literature regarding the direction of and mechanisms behind this relationship.

Understanding Mental Health Challenges in Cardiovascular Care.

There is a profound link between cardiovascular health and mental well-being. This narrative review shows that heart and mental health are not isolated domains but deeply interconnected, influencing each other. It describes how cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) can cause mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression. It also explains how these mental conditions can, in turn, worsen or raise the risk of CVDs. In addition, it emphasizes the necessity of a holistic approach to healthcare that integrates the treatment of physical symptoms of CVDs with interventions aimed at addressing mental health issues. This approach advocates for comprehensive care strategies that include psychotherapy, pharmacological treatments, lifestyle modifications, and digital health technologies. It also highlights the significant role of family and social support in recovery and discusses barriers to integrating mental health care in cardiovascular treatment. The article argues for a paradigm shift in healthcare towards more inclusive and integrated care models. The authors hope to foster a healthcare environment that prioritizes holistic care by increasing awareness about the connection between heart and mind. The call to action includes policy changes and healthcare system reforms aimed at facilitating the integration of mental health services into cardiovascular care, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for patients with CVDs and associated mental health issues.

Traditional Therapeutics and Potential Epidrugs for CVD: Why Not Both?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. In addition to the high mortality rate, people suffering from CVD often endure difficulties with physical activities and productivity that significantly affect their quality of life. The high prevalence of debilitating risk factors such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia only predicts a bleak future. Current traditional CVD interventions offer temporary respite; however, they compound the severe economic strain of health-related expenditures. Furthermore, these therapeutics can be prescribed indefinitely. Recent advances in the field of epigenetics have generated new treatment options by confronting CVD at an epigenetic level. This involves modulating gene expression by altering the organization of our genome rather than altering the DNA sequence itself. Epigenetic changes are heritable, reversible, and influenced by environmental factors such as medications. As CVD is physiologically and pathologically diverse in nature, epigenetic interventions can offer a ray of hope to replace or be combined with traditional therapeutics to provide the prospect of addressing more than just the symptoms of CVD. This review discusses various risk factors contributing to CVD, perspectives of current traditional medications in practice, and a focus on potential epigenetic therapeutics to be used as alternatives.

Analysis of Gender-Based Inequality in Cardiovascular Health: An Umbrella Review.

This umbrella review aims to investigate possible gender-based inequality in cardiovascular health and improve understanding surrounding differing presentations seen in women. Searches of current literature were conducted using Medline; Cochrane; Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL Plus); and PubMed databases. Focusing on systematic reviews and meta-analyses from the last decade, searches were expanded to the publication year of 2000 onwards, to enable a broader review of current practices. Current clinical guidelines were also reviewed. 17 articles were deemed to satisfy the desired criteria and were therefore carried forward to be critically appraised. The articles reviewed were multifactorial; however, they can be grouped into four categories of common focus: risk factors, presentation, treatment, and current research. On critical analysis, 13 reoccurring themes were noted throughout the reviewed articles with each discussed in detail within this review. There is a need to prioritize women in cardiovascular health, through raising awareness, improving prevention (both primary and secondary), reducing delays in presentation, and increasing understanding and recognition of sex differences in symptom presentation, to enable improved diagnosis and treatment along with the standardization of gender-specific clinical guidance. The results are unanimous regarding an undeniable gender-based inequality in cardiovascular health to the detriment of women. With such damning evidence that women are under-represented and indeed undertreated, the time hascome now to question whether women should be considered as their own specialty within cardiology and to ultimately raise awareness and ensure women are given the same consideration regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and treatment, in order to finally remove gender inequality in cardiovascular (CV) health. In order to reverse this disparity, it is clear from the included studies that further research is required to understand the sex differences seen in both the presentation and symptoms of CVD as well as to enable improved treatment of women and the development of sex-specific strategies and clinical guidance to empower clinicians moving forward.

Awareness About Risk Factors, Signs and Symptoms of Cardiovascular Diseases and the Perceived Level of Physical Activity along with Sedentary Behaviour in Young Adults of Pune Region: A Questionnaire Based Study

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. Young adults are more inclined towards unhealthy lifestyle habits, in turn leading to increased risk of developing CVDs. Identifying the level of awareness about CVDs risk factors and signs and symptoms along with their physical activity and sedentary behaviour will help in creating awareness which in turn might help in reduction of the modifiable CVD risk factors. Objective: To assess awareness and knowledge about risk factors, signs and symptoms of CVDs in young adults of Pune region along with evaluating their perceived level of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Method: A questionnaire was designed to address all the components. Face validation of the questionnaire was done. Participants were explained in detail about the study purpose and the procedure; post their informed consent questionnaire was administered on an interview basis. Responses analysed using SPSS software and represented as descriptive statistics. Result: Total 115 participants were included in the study, with the mean age 21.94±2.26 years. 68 % of the study participants denied gender predisposition and 12% of participants were not sure about it as a risk factor.69% of the participants had 3-5; whereas 31% had 1-2 modifiable risk factors. Sedentary behaviour was the most prevalent risk factor present in 96.5% of the study participants, followed by physical inactivity in 65.2% of participants. None of the participants met WHO guidelines of healthy diet for adults.55% of the participants perceived to have fair level of awareness. Only 11.30% of the participants perceived to have good level of physical activity. However, 65% of the participants were physically inactive. Sedentary behaviour was found to be 10.8±2.86 hour on a typical day. Conclusion: In our study, participants had good knowledge and awareness about the risk factors and signs and symptoms of cardiovascular diseases except for few factors. Majority of participants perceived that they have fair levels of physical activity but more than half of the study participants failed to meet recommended criteria. Majority of our study participants already possessed three to five modifiable risk factors with unhealthy diet, sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity being at top of the list. They are also engaged in high sedentary behaviour. KEY WORDS: Non communicable diseases, Cardiovascular diseases, Physical activity, Risk factors, Signs and symptoms, Sedentary behaviour, Awareness, Knowledge, Perceived levels.

PTSD and depression severity are associated with cardiovascular disease symptoms in trauma-exposed women

ABSTRACT Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Epidemiological studies have revealed these illnesses to be highly comorbid, particularly among women. In the current study, we explored associations between indices of cardiovascular health, PTSD, and depression among a sample of trauma-exposed individuals assigned female at birth. Methods: Participants were N = 49 individuals without CVD who reported lifetime Criterion A trauma exposure. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) were collected during a 5-minute resting period. Symptoms of CVD (e.g. extremity pain and swelling, shortness of breath), PTSD, and depression were assessed, along with an exploratory measure of anhedonia. Results: Trauma exposure was positively correlated with systolic BP (r = .32, p = .029) and diastolic BP (r = .30, p = .040). The number of reported CVD symptoms was positively correlated with symptoms of PTSD (r = .41, p = .004), depression (r = .40, p = .005) and anhedonia (r = .38, p = .007). CVD symptoms were also significantly associated with PTSD (β = .41, t = 2.43, p = .023), depression (β = .40, t = 2.76, p = .009), and anhedonia (β = .38, t = 2.51, p = .017) after controlling for age and trauma exposure. These associations were not moderated by HF-HRV in our sample. Conclusions: Our results support the association between PTSD and depressive symptoms and worse cardiovascular functioning among an often-overlooked population that is particularly vulnerable to these illnesses. Future studies should investigate residual impacts of PTSD and depression treatment on CVD risk among trauma-exposed individuals, particularly women.

Short-Term Risk Estimation and Treatment Planning for Cardiovascular Disease Patients after First Diagnostic Catheterizations with Machine Learning Models

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death. CVD symptoms may develop within a short-term after diagnostic catheterizations and lead to life-threatening situations. This study is the first to apply machine learning (ML) methods to predict subsequent adverse cardiovascular events/treatments for patients within 90 days after their first diagnostic catheterizations. Patients (6539) without previously diagnosed CVD were selected from the DukeCath dataset. Ten ML methods were used. Three medical outcomes, varied cardiovascular-related scenarios, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatments, and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) treatments, were targeted individually. With patient medical history, vital measurements, laboratory results, and the number of diseased vessels, the random forest classifier (RFC) performed best in predicting combined cardiovascular scenarios, including CABG, PCI, valve surgery (VS), stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI), achieving accuracy: 88.17%, sensitivity: 89.72%, specificity: 86.98%, area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC): 91.68%. The gradient boosting classifier (GBC) performed best in predicting the PCI and CABG treatments (PCI treatments: accuracy: 89.21%, sensitivity: 90.20%, specificity: 88.74%, AUROC: 94.16%; CABG treatments: accuracy: 93.86%, sensitivity: 77.57%, specificity: 96.23%, AUROC: 96.47%). Our results show that the ML applications effectively identify high-risk patients, can provide diagnostic assistance in cardiovascular treatment planning, and improve outcomes in cardiovascular medicine.

The Association Between Blood Lead Levels and Coronary Artery Calcium Score Determined by Using Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography.

Lead exposure is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a biomarker for diagnosing atherosclerotic CVD. This study investigated the association between blood lead level (BLL) and CAC using coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography. This study enrolled 2,189 participants from the general population with no history or symptoms of CVD. All participants underwent coronary CT angiography, health examination, and BLL testing. The association between coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and BLL was analyzed. The arithmetic mean of BLL was 2.71 ± 1.26 μg/dL, and the geometric mean was 2.42 (1.64) μg/dL, ranging from 0.12 to 10.14 μg/dL. There was a statistically significant positive correlation between CACS and BLL (r = 0.073, P < 0.001). Mean BLLs among predefined CACS categories were as follows: absent grade (CACS = 0), 2.67 ± 1.23 μg/dL; minimal grade (> 0, < 10), 2.81 ± 1.25 μg/dL; mild grade (≥ 10, < 100), 2.74 ± 1.29 μg/dL; moderate grade (≥ 100, < 400), 2.88 ± 1.38 μg/dL; severe grade (≥ 400): 3.22 ± 1.68 μg/dL. The odds ratio for severe CAC was 1.242 in association with an 1 μg/dL increase in BLL (P = 0.042). Using coronary CT angiography, we determined a positive correlation between BLL and CAC among participants without CVD from the general population. To reduce the burden of CVD, efforts and policies should be geared toward minimizing environmental lead exposure.

PS-C26-9: A URINARY PEPTIDOMICS APPROACH FOR EARLY STAGES OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK: THE AFRICAN-PREDICT STUDY

Objective: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects individuals across the lifespan with multiple cardiovascular (CV) risk factors increasingly present in young populations. The underlying mechanisms in early cardiovascular disease development are complex and still poorly understood. We therefore employed urinary proteomics as a novel approach to gain better insight into the early CVD-related molecular pathways based on a CVD-risk stratified approach. Design and Methods: This study included 964 apparently healthy (no self-reported chronic illnesses and free from clinical symptoms of CVD) black and white men and women (aged 20–30 years old) from the African-PREDICT study. Cardiovascular risk factors used for stratification included obesity, physical inactivity, tobacco use, high alcohol intake, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Participants were divided into low (0 risk factors), medium (1–2 risk factors) and high (3 or more risk factors) CV risk groups. We analyzed urinary peptidomics profiles by capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Results: Upon adjusting for ethnicity, we identified 293 sequenced urinary peptides that were differentially expressed between the CV risk groups (all q-value smaller or equal to 0.01). These peptides included a lower abundance of collagen type I and a higher abundance of collagen type III derived peptides in the high compared to the low CV risk group. We also found a lower abundance of fibrinogen alpha and alpha antitrypsin 1 and a higher abundance of uromodulin derived peptides in the high compared to the low CV risk group (all q-value smaller or equal to 0.007). Conclusion: Our findings point out different abundances in collagen I and III between the high compared to low CV risk group, suggesting potential early alterations in the CV extracellular matrix.

Improving public health using contactless ECG electrodes for long-term monitoring of arrhythmia

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, resulting in 17.3 million deaths annually. Thus, any CVD symptoms should be immediately diagnosed for effective treatments [1]. In this case, Electrocardiography (ECG) is widely considered for monitoring and diagnosing heart symptoms. The traditional wet Ag/AgCl electrodes can acquire high-quality ECG signals. However, they cause skin irritation and require careful skin preparation by a specialist. Therefore, they are not practical for efficient long-term ECG monitoring. To overcome these limitations, contactless capacitive electrodes are introduced as an alternative. But these electrodes suffer various shortfalls in collecting high-quality and clinically acceptable signals. As a coupling capacitor between the body and electrode is formed in these sensors and this capacitor changes due to the subject’s physiological or body movements leading to Motion Artifacts (MAs). In addition, the variable skin potential across the capacitor forms an additive voltage that may distort the ECG signal adversely. This presentation aims to illustrate a comprehensive literature review and methodology used in my study. Regarding the methodology, I intend to simulate the equivalent model of the measurement system and implement it in the real world. Moreover, two issues will be addressed in my research questions. Firstly, I will extract the variable impedance between the sensor and the subject’s skin, which has the highest correlation with MAs according to literature, by injecting a voltage with a known frequency into the circuit. Unlike many previous methods, the ECG signal, and impedance signal will be measured simultaneously. I will address the optimal frequency and impedance signal with maximum correlation with MAs, which are the gaps in previous works. Secondly, in past studies, the effects of skin potential on MAs have not been sufficiently investigated, which is aimed to be analyzed, estimated, and subtracted from the polluted ECG noise signal.

A urinary peptidomics approach for early stages of cardiovascular disease risk: The African-PREDICT study.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects individuals across the lifespan, with multiple cardiovascular (CV) risk factors increasingly present in young populations. The underlying mechanisms in early cardiovascular disease development are complex and still poorly understood. We therefore employed urinary proteomics as a novel approach to gain better insight into early CVD-related molecular pathways based on a CVD risk stratification approach. This study included 964 apparently healthy (no self-reported chronic illnesses, free from clinical symptoms of CVD) black and white men and women (aged 20-30 years old) from the African Prospective study on the Early Detection and Identification of Cardiovascular disease and Hypertension (African-PREDICT) study. Cardiovascular risk factors used for stratification included obesity, physical inactivity, tobacco use, high alcohol intake, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Participants were divided into low (0 risk factors), medium (1-2 risk factors) and high (≥3 risk factors) CV risk groups. We analyzed urinary peptidomics by capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry. After adjusting for ethnicity, sex and age, 65 sequenced urinary peptides were differentially expressed between the CV risk groups (all q-values ≤ 0.01). These peptides included a lower abundance of collagen type I- and III-derived peptides in the high compared to the low CV risk group. With regard to noncollagen peptides, we found a lower abundance of alpha-1-antitrypsin fragments in the high compared to the low CV risk group (all q-values ≤ 0.01). Our findings indicate lower abundances of collagen types I and III in the high compared to the low CV risk group, suggesting potential early alterations in the CV extracellular matrix.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Advanced Biomarkers for Predicting Incident Cardiovascular Disease among Asymptomatic Middle-Aged Adults.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues as the most important cause of mortality. Better risk screening and prediction are needed to reduce the cardiovascular disease burden. The aim of the study was to assess the role of serum biomarkers in the prediction of CVD among asymptomatic middle-aged adults with no prior CVD history. A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out using literature from PubMed and following PRISMA reporting guidelines. Twenty-five studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. The most commonly studied biomarker was high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) (10 studies), which showed that higher hs-CRP levels are associated with an increased risk of subsequent CVD events and mortality. In addition, several less-studied biomarkers (N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), fibrinogen, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and others) also showed significant associations with greater future risk of CVD. A meta-analysis was possible to perform for hs-CRP and NT-proBNP, which showed statistically significant results for the ability of hs-CRP (hazard ratio (HR) 1.19, (95% CI: 1.09-1.30), p &lt; 0.05) and NT-proBNP (HR 1.22, (1.13-1.32), p &lt; 0.05) to predict incident CVD among middle-aged adults without a prior CVD history or symptoms. Several serum biomarkers, particularly hs-CRP and NT-proBNP, have the potential to improve primary CVD risk prevention among asymptomatic middle-aged adults.

The Mechanisms of the Potential Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum against Cardiovascular Disease and the Recent Developments in its Fermented Foods.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the leading cause of death worldwide. Many recent studies have pointed out that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (Lb. plantarum) has great potential in reducing the risk of CVD. Lb. plantarum is a kind of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) widely distributed in fermented food and the human intestinal tract, some strains of which have important effects on human health and the potential to be developed into probiotics. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of potential probiotic strains of Lb. plantarum against CVD. It could regulate the body’s metabolism at the molecular, cellular, and population levels, thereby lowering blood glucose and blood lipids, regulating blood pressure, and ultimately reducing the incidence of CVD. Furthermore, since Lb. plantarum is widely utilized in food industry, we highlight some of the most important new developments in fermented food for combating CVD; providing an insight into these fermented foods can assist scientists in improving the quality of these foods as well as alleviating patients’ CVD symptoms. We hope that in the future functional foods fermented by Lb. plantarum can be developed and incorporated into the daily diet to assist medication in alleviating CVD to some extent, and maintaining good health.

Latest Research Findings on the Mechanism of Periodontal Pathogens in Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of death worldwide. Research findings indicate that periodontal infection is an independent risk factor for CVD. Periodontal pathogens can cause cardiovascular diseases through various pathways, including direct invasion, induction of platelet activation and agglutination, immune inflammatory response, bacteremia, and oxidative stress. Moreover, CVD symptoms are relieved after the patients undergo periodontal interventional treatment. There have been substantial findings indicating that there may be a close connection between periodontal disease and CVD. However, periodontal disease is a chronic disease. The treatment of periodontal diseases and the improvement of periodontal health require long-term efforts. Long-term effective reduction of the incidence of CVD in clinical practice through prevention of periodontal disease remains a challenging area of study. Here we summarized and reported the latest findings on the mechanism of action of periodontal pathogens in cardiovascular diseases, intending to contribute to the better understanding of the pathogenesis of CVD and to provide potential targets and new ideas for its prevention and treatment.

Novel Surrogate Markers of Cardiovascular Risk in the Setting of Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: Current Data and Implications for the Future.

Patients suffering from rheumatologic diseases are known to have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although the pathological mechanisms behind this excess risk have been increasingly better understood, there still seems to be a general lack of consensus in early detection and treatment of endothelial dysfunction and CVD risk in patients suffering from rheumatologic diseases and in particular in those who haven't yet shown symptoms of CVD. Traditional CVD prediction scores, such as Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE), Framingham, or PROCAM Score have been proposed as valid assessment tools of CVD risk in the general population. However, these risk calculators developed for the general population do not factor in the effect of the inflammatory burden, as well as other factors that can increase CVD risk in patients with rheumatic diseases, such as glucocorticoid therapy, abnormal lipoprotein function, endothelial dysfunction or accelerated atherosclerosis. Thus, their sole use could lead to underestimation of CVD risk in patients with rheumatic diseases. Therefore, there is a need for new biomarkers which will allow a valid and early assessment of CVD risk. In recent years, different research groups, including ours, have examined the value of different CVD risk factors such as carotid sonography, carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, flow-mediated arterial dilation and others in the assessment of CVD risk. Moreover, various novel CVD laboratory markers have been examined in the setting of autoimmune diseases, such as Paraoxonase activity, Endocan and Osteoprotegerin. Dyslipidemia in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is for instance better quantified by lipoproteins and apolipoproteins than by cholesterol levels; screening as well as pre-emptive carotid sonography hold promise to identify patients earlier, when prophylaxis is more likely to be effective. The early detection of subtle changes indicating CVD in asymptomatic patients has been facilitated through improved imaging methods; the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) shows promising results in more recent studies. Even though the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases has been examined in multiple studies, as we continuously gain an increased understanding of this comorbidity, particularly in subclinical cases we still seem to fail in the stratification of who really is at risk—and who is not. A the time being, a multipronged and personalized approach of screening patients for traditional CVD risk factors, integrating modern imaging and further CV diagnostic tools and optimizing treatment seems to be a solid approach. There is promising research on novel biomarkers, likewise, methods using artificial intelligence in imaging provide encouraging data indicating possibilities of risk stratification that might become gold standard in the near future. The present review concentrates on showcasing the newest findings concerning CVD risk in patients with rheumatologic diseases and aims to evaluate screening methods in order to optimize CVD risk evaluation and thus avoiding underdiagnosis and undertreatment, as well as highlighting which patient groups are most at risk.

Risk of All-Cause Mortality, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and Cancer Mortality in Patients With Bullous Pemphigoid

The role of bullous pemphigoid (BP) in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality remains controversial, and analyses of causes of death among patients with BP based on individual data remain lacking. To evaluate the risk of all-cause mortality, CVD mortality, and cancer mortality in patients with BP. This cohort study identified patients who received a diagnosis of and treatment for BP during their dermatology clinic visits at a tertiary medical center in central Taiwan between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2017. Controls were patients without BP and were individually matched to cases (4:1) according to age, sex, and date of the dermatology clinic visit. Data were analyzed from March 6, 2019, to April 2, 2021. Bullous pemphigoid was confirmed pathologically with typical direct immunofluorescence findings or clinically with typical clinical presentation, positive findings of an anti-basement membrane zone antibody test, and corticosteroid use for at least 28 cumulative days. Mortality outcomes confirmed by the National Death Registry. Of 252 patients with BP and 1008 matched control patients (N = 1260), 685 (54.4%) were men and the median age was 78.0 (IQR, 70.3-84.8) years. Patients with BP had higher CVD mortality at 1 year (20 [7.9%] vs 13 [1.3%]), 3 years (28 [11.1%] vs 24 [2.4%]), and 5 years (31 [12.3%] vs 39 [3.9%]) compared with matched control patients. After adjusting for potential confounding variables, patients with BP had a 5-fold higher risk of CVD mortality at 1 year (hazard ratio [HR], 5.29 [95% CI, 2.40-11.68]), 3 years (HR, 5.79 [95% CI, 3.11-10.78]), and 5 years (HR, 4.95 [95% CI, 2.88-8.51]). Subgroup analyses revealed that the CVD mortality risk associated with BP was higher in patients without a history of hypertension (HR, 7.28 [95% CI, 3.87-13.69]) or CVD (HR, 6.59 [95% CI, 3.40-12.79]) and in patients without prior diuretic use (HR, 5.75 [95% CI, 3.15-10.50]) compared with matched control patients. In addition, all-cause mortality associated with BP was higher in patients without prior corticosteroid use than in control patients (HR 5.65 [95% CI, 4.19-7.61]). The findings of this cohort study suggest that BP was associated with a 5-fold higher risk of CVD mortality, particularly in patients without underlying hypertension or CVD or those without prior corticosteroid or diuretic use. Future studies should investigate the benefits of routine monitoring and timely management of CVD symptoms and signs in patients with BP.

Screening of Depressive Symptoms in a Russian General Population Sample: A Web-based Cross-sectional Study.

Background and Objective:Web-based screening of depressive symptoms in general non-clinical population can provide better insights into actual prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated risk factors. To study the current prevalence of depressive symptoms in Russian non-clinical population we conducted screening using an online survey based on Depression subscale of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D).Methods:The online survey covered 2610 Russian-speaking respondents and included HADS-D, questions about sex, age and presence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) diagnoses or symptoms in respondents.Results:The proportion of respondents with depressive symptoms, estimated by online HADS-D, was 14.4% (11.5% - at subclinical level, 2.9% - at clinical level). The overall HADS-D score was higher in women (p=0.003), in young individuals under 30 y.o vs. participants over 42 y.o. (p=0.004) and in individuals with self-reported CVD symptoms (p=0.00002). Linear regression analysis showed that self-reported CVD symptoms increase HADS-D score (p<0.001), but male sex (p=0.002) and older age (p<0.001) decrease it. Logistic regression showed that CVD symptoms increase the risk of depressive symptoms by HADS-D (p=0.033, OR=1.29), but older age (p=0.015, OR=0.87) and male sex (as a trend, p=0.052, OR=0.80) decrease this risk.Conclusion:Online survey based on HADS-D showed new patterns of depressive symptoms prevalence in Russian non-clinical population. Depressive symptoms prevalence did not differ between men and women and was higher among young people. The reported association between depressive symptoms and CVD was confirmed.

Lay knowledge of cardiovascular disease and risk factors in three communities in Accra, Ghana: a cross-sectional survey

ObjectivesCardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Ghana, and urban poor communities are disproportionately affected. Research has shown that knowledge of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the...

Regional, Ethnic and Age-Sexual Features of Acute Coronary Syndromes in Fergana Region

Background. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. The most important behavioral risk factors for heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol. Exposure to behavioral risk factors can manifest in humans as high blood pressure, high blood glucose, high blood lipids, and overweight and obesity. Methods. The research was conducted on hospitalized male and female patients aged from 26 to 88 years with suspicion of the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) at the time of admission to the hospital in the Andijan and Fergana Valley. Overall, 653 patients were examined. The study included a retrospective and prospective part with the inclusion of patients with ACS. Findings. Fairly wide prevalence of ACS was revealed in terms of their epidemiological characteristics in both gender groups, as well as in different age groups. It is necessary to improve the work on "life-saving prevention" among the population in relation to an adequate assessment of the symptoms of CVD in patients and the implementation of medical recommendations for optimizing prevention, early detection and treatment of ACS.