Cardiovascular Risk In Population Research Articles

Comorbidity and Medication Trends in Chronic Kidney Disease and Incident Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). Also, patients with AF are prone to adverse kidney outcomes. We examined comorbidities and medication use in patients with CKD and incident AF. The Finnish AntiCoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation (FinACAF) is a nationwide retrospective register-linkage study including data from 168,233 patients with incident AF from 2007 to 2018, with laboratory data from 2010 onwards. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was available for 124,936 patients. The cohort was divided into 5 CKD stages with separate groups for dialysis and kidney transplantation. At AF diagnosis eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was found in 27%, while 318 (0.3%) patients were on dialysis, and 188 (0.2%) had a functioning kidney transplant. Lowering eGFR yielded more comorbidities and medications. During 2010-2018 in patients with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and diabetes increased from 82 to 88%, from 50 to 66% and from 25 to 33%, respectively (<0.001). Throughout the observation period, lipid-lowering medication was underused. More than one-fourth of patients with incident AF also had CKD stage 3-5 (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2). Both comorbidities and medication use increased with worsening kidney function. Prevalence of major cardiovascular (CV) risk factors increased during 2010-2018, but the use of survival-affecting medications, such as lipid-lowering medication, was suboptimal at all stages of CKD. More attention should be given to the optimal treatment of risk factors in this high CV risk population.

Epigenetic Measures of ‘Biological Ageing’ Associated With Cardiovascular Risk in Non-Pacific Populations do not Predict Cardiovascular Risk in a Cohort of Samoans, Tongans, and Fijians Living in Aotearoa New Zealand

Epigenetic Measures of ‘Biological Ageing’ Associated With Cardiovascular Risk in Non-Pacific Populations do not Predict Cardiovascular Risk in a Cohort of Samoans, Tongans, and Fijians Living in Aotearoa New Zealand

Gender-related and PUFA-related differences in lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) may play an important role in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Increased plasma levels of Lp-PLA2 may predict future cardiovascular (CV) events in type 2 diabetes (T2D). The potential beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on ASCVD have been widely investigated. However, the impact of different PUFA concentrations on Lp-PLA2 remains uncertain. We sought to determine the intergender differences in a population of patients with both T2D and ASCVD regarding Lp-PLA2 mass and the association between Lp-PLA2 mass and plasma levels of PUFA. In this cross-sectional study, we measured the Lp-PLA2 mass, PUFA concentrations and inflammatory markers in 74 patients (49 males and 25 females) with T2D and ASCVD. In this very high-risk population, males had, on average, 33.6% higher levels of Lp-PLA2 than females. The Lp-PLA2 mass was positively associated with interleukin 6 (IL-6) (r = 0.27, p = 0.019), creatinine (r = 0.29, p = 0.03) and triglyceride levels (r = 0.41, p = 0.002). Additionally, male gender and higher levels of triglycerides, leptin, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) were independent predictors for an increased Lp-PLA2. Moreover, arachidonic acid (AA) negatively correlated with Lp-PLA2 (r = -0.26, p = 0.024), which was especially apparent in the female subgroup. In the population of patients with ASCVD and T2D, males present with higher plasma levels of Lp-PLA2 than females. Additionally, higher plasma levels of AA were associated with lower Lp-PLA2 levels. Our findings support the utilization of Lp-PLA2 as a novel biomarker in ASCVD risk assessment in a very high CV risk population.

Correlation between estimated pulse wave velocity values from two equations in healthy and under cardiovascular risk populations.

Equations can calculate pulse wave velocity (ePWV) from blood pressure values (BP) and age. The ePWV predicts cardiovascular events beyond carotid-femoral PWV. We aimed to evaluate the correlation between four different equations to calculate ePWV. The ePWV was estimated utilizing mean BP (MBP) from office BP (MBPOBP) or 24-hour ambulatory BP (MBP24-hBP). We separated the whole sample into two groups: individuals with risk factors and healthy individuals. The e-PWV was calculated as follows: [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] We calculated the concordance correlation coefficient (Pc) between e1-PWVOBP vs e2-PWVOBP, e1-PWV24-hBP vs e2-PWV24-hBP, and mean values of e1-PWVOBP, e2-PWVOBP, e1-PWV24-hBP and e2-PWV24-hBP. The multilevel regression model determined how much the ePWVs are influenced by age and MBP values. We analyzed data from 1541 individuals; 1374 ones with risk factors and 167 healthy ones. The values are presented for the entire sample, for risk-factor patients and for healthy individuals respectively. The correlation between e1-PWVOBP with e2-PWVOBP and e1-PWV24-hBP with e2-PWV24-hBP was almost perfect. The Pc for e1-PWVOBP vs e2-PWVOBP was 0.996 (0.995-0.996), 0.996 (0.995-0.996), and 0.994 (0.992-0.995); furthermore, it was 0.994 (0.993-0.995), 0.994 (0.994-0.995), 0.987 (0.983-0.990) to the e1-PWV24-hBP vs e2-PWV24-hBP. There were no significant differences between mean values (m/s) for e1-PWVOBP vs e2-PWVOBP 8.98±1.9 vs 8.97±1.8; p = 0.88, 9.14±1.8 vs 9.13±1.8; p = 0.88, and 7.57±1.3 vs 7.65±1.3; p = 0.5; mean values are also similar for e1-PWV24-hBP vs e2-PWV24-hBP, 8.36±1.7 vs 8.46±1.6; p = 0.09, 8.50±1.7 vs 8.58±1.7; p = 0.21 and 7.26±1.3 vs 7.39±1.2; p = 0.34. The multiple linear regression showed that age, MBP, and age2 predicted more than 99.5% of all four e-PWV. Our data presents a nearly perfect correlation between the values of two equations to calculate the estimated PWV, whether utilizing office or ambulatory blood pressure.

Statins Do Not Significantly Affect Oxidative Nitrosative Stress Biomarkers in the PREVENT Randomized Clinical Trial.

Preventing Anthracycline Cardiovascular Toxicity with Statins (PREVENT; NCT01988571) randomized patients with breast cancer or lymphoma receiving anthracyclines to atorvastatin 40 mg daily or placebo. We evaluated the effects of atorvastatin on oxidative and nitrosative stress biomarkers, and explored whether these biomarkers could explain the lack of effect of atorvastatin on LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction) in PREVENT. Blood samples were collected and cardiac MRI was performed before doxorubicin initiation and at 6 and 24 months. Thirteen biomarkers [arginine-nitric oxide metabolites, paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) activity, and myeloperoxidase] were measured. Dimensionality reduction using principal component analysis was used to define biomarker clusters. Linear mixed-effects models determined the changes in biomarkers over time according to treatment group. Mediation analysis determined whether biomarker clusters explained the lack of effect of atorvastatin on LVEF. Among 202 participants with available biomarkers, median age was 53 years; 86.6% had breast cancer; median LVEF was 62%. Cluster 1 levels, reflecting arginine methylation metabolites, were lower over time with atorvastatin, although this was not statistically significant (P = 0.081); Cluster 2 levels, reflecting PON-1 activity, were significantly lower with atorvastatin (P = 0.024). There were no significant changes in other biomarker clusters (P > 0.05). Biomarker clusters did not mediate an effect of atorvastatin on LVEF (P > 0.05). Atorvastatin demonstrated very modest effects on oxidative/nitrosative stress biomarkers in this low cardiovascular risk population. Our findings provide potential mechanistic insight into the lack of effect of atorvastatin on LVEF in the PREVENT trial.

Is there a role for earlier use of combination therapy?

As the global population ages and cardiovascular risk factors rise, we can expect a continued increase in atherosclerotic disease. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction is a cornerstone of cardiovascular risk reduction with strong, causal evidence indicating that the greatest benefit is derived from early and large decreases in LDL-C. Despite the adoption of statins as the backbone of lipid-therapy regimens, numerous studies and registry analyses reveal our collective inability to achieve LDL-C goals in high-risk patients. Combination therapy with ezetimibe has been shown to result in statistically significant decreases in LDL-C level, atheroma volume, and cardiovascular adverse event rates. A major barrier to implementing an upfront combination therapy approach is the perceived side effects from therapeutic agents although multiple studies show that a therapeutic patient-physician relationship could overcome this issue. Novel agents such as PCSK-9 inhibitors, bempedoic acid, and inclisiran have the potential to achieve similar outcomes although additional research is needed regarding the cost effectiveness of these approaches. Despite these hurdles, there is a role for the newer agents early in the disease course of high-risk patients such as those with markedly elevated LDL-C >190 mg/dL and FH.The implementation of upfront combination therapy, especially in high-risk patients, will decrease clinical inertia while allowing for earlier consideration of newer, effective agents to decrease cardiovascular burden.

Heterogeneity of diabetic dyslipidemia, data from the NHANES (2011-2016).

Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that diabetes amplifies the effects of dyslipidemia as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). A better understanding of lipid profiles is important for lipid-lowering treatment and reducing cardiovascular risk in populations with diabetes. To describe the dyslipidemia patterns in patient with and without diabetes in the adult US population. Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011 to 2016 was analyzed. Surprisingly, 49.9% of the people with diabetes have both normal triglycerides (TGs) and normal high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). 33.4% of the people with diabetes have elevated TGs and 36.1% of them have low HDL-C. Only 19.3% of them have both elevated TGs and low HDL-C. Among people without diabetes, 67.5% have normal TGs and normal HDL-C, 28.0% have elevated TGs, 23.9% have low HDL-C and 8.8% have both elevated TGs and low HDL-C. The differences in the proportions of individuals with both elevated TGs and low HDL-C between the diabetic group and the nondiabetic group were more obvious in females: 7.7% in women without diabetes and 22.7% in women with diabetes. The proportion of individuals in the TG↑HDL-C↓group in the population with diabetes exhibited a decreasing trend in age groups > 30 years old, and the 30 to 40 years group of individuals with diabetes had the highest proportion of atherogenic dyslipidemia. The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to apoB ratio is generally lower in people with diabetes, with the lowest level in the TG↑HDL-C↓group. Dyslipidemia patterns in diabetes patients are highly heterogeneous. Deep phenotyping sub-groups of dyslipidemia is warranted to identify higher-risk patients for evaluation of non-LDL-C therapies. This explained at least partially of the difficult search for novel therapies in the post-LDL-C era.

Cardiovascular risk and all-cause mortality in a memory clinic population

Cardiovascular risk and all-cause mortality in a memory clinic population

Cardiovascular Risk Scales Association with Cerebrospinal Fluid Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Low Cardiovascular Risk Regions.

Cardiovascular risk factors are associated with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) development. However, few studies compare the overall cardiovascular risk with AD biomarkers, and when done, they are mainly performed in moderate cardiovascular risk regions. To determine whether cardiovascular risk in older adults is associated with pathological cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD in a low cardiovascular risk population. This is a cross-sectional study performed between 2017 and 2020. The present work included patients between 50 and 75 years old who were negative for CSF AD biomarkers and had minimum cognitive alterations (controls) and patients with positive CSF AD biomarkers and in early stages of AD (cases). CSF biomarkers included total tau, phosphorylated tau 181 and amyloid ß42 (Aß42). Analytical variables were obtained. ERICE, SCORE2 and Framingham scales were used to calculate the overall patient's cardiovascular risk. The Aß42/Aß40 ratio and neurofilaments were explored when available. Two hundred and thirty-three patients were included. Nearly 76% of the sample had AD. AD patients had higher cardiovascular risk than controls (p-value < 0.05). ERICE and SCORE2 were associated with AD presence. Framingham was not. A correlation between elevated cardiovascular risk and higher total tau and NfL levels was observed when adjusted by age. Cardiovascular risk assessment may be helpful in neurodegenerative disorders detection, as it is associated with CSF total tau and NfL. ERICE and SCORE2 may be useful scales in low cardiovascular risk regions to improve cardiovascular control and prevent neurodegenerative pathologies.

Real-world evidence on pharmacological appropriateness in type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease

To estimate the proportion of individuals with established Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) who are receiving pharmacological anti-diabetic treatment with evidence of cardiovascular benefit at a hospital in Argentina. Cross-sectional study conducted at the Italian Hospital of Buenos Aires. A consecutive sample of adult patients affiliated with the institutional prepaid health plan active in March 2020, diagnosed with T2DM and established CVD, was included. Data were collected from the Electronic Health Record. The proportion of pharmacological adequacy (combined use of metformin plus sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors and/or glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists) was reported along with its respective 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of 1539 patients were included, with a mean age of 76.2 years; 65.3% were male, and 81.6% were overweight or obese. Hemoglobin A1c levels were recorded in the past year for 74.9% of patients, with an average value of 6.9% (SD 1.2). The most prescribed drugs were metformin (61.3%), insulin (26.7%), and gliptins (11%). Out of the total included patients, 82 exhibited pharmacotherapeutic adequacy for diabetes treatment, with a prevalence of 5.3% (95% CI 4.2-6.5). The prevalence of prescribing anti-diabetic drugs with evidence of cardiovascular benefit was 5.3% (95% CI 4.2-6.5). This real-world evidence highlights the low frequency of prescribing this type of medication at the time of the study in a high cardiovascular risk population.

Proportion of patients with systemic inflammation and their characteristics for groups at high cardiovascular risk in phase 3 randomized placebo-controlled trials of semaglutide (SELECT, SOUL, FLOW)

Abstract Introduction Inflammation is a pathophysiological process associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk, with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) used as a biomarker to predict CV risk. However, the prevalence of systemic inflammation (defined as hsCRP ≥ 2 mg/L) in contemporary cohorts with high CV risk, including CV disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), obesity and/or type 2 diabetes (T2D), is not well characterized. Purpose To evaluate the proportion of individuals with systemic inflammation and the characteristics of individuals with and without systemic inflammation among groups at high risk of CV events, using baseline data from three ongoing randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trials investigating the efficacy of semaglutide versus placebo in high CV risk populations (SELECT, SOUL and FLOW). Methods SELECT (NCT03574597) recruited adults ≥ 45 years old with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 27 kg/m² and established CVD (previous myocardial infarction, ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease [PAD]), without diabetes. SOUL (NCT03914326) recruited adults ≥ 50 years old with T2D and at least one of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, symptomatic PAD or CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] &amp;lt; 60 mL/min/1.73 m²). FLOW (NCT03819153) recruited adults ≥ 18 years old with T2D and CKD (eGFR ≥ 25–≤ 75 mL/min/1.73 m² and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio &amp;gt; 100–&amp;lt; 5000 mg/g) treated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system-blocking agents. Baseline hsCRP levels were measured in the three trials. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the baseline characteristics of participants; p values were calculated with chi-squared tests using Yates’s correction for continuity. Results Baseline characteristics were available for 17 487 individuals from SELECT, 9577 from SOUL and 3519 from FLOW (Table), with systemic inflammation present in 47.2%, 49.5% and 56.8% of the trial populations, respectively. Across trials, PAD and heart failure were significantly more prevalent in individuals with hsCRP ≥ 2 mg/L than in those with hsCRP &amp;lt; 2 mg/L; in addition, CKD stage 3–5 and stroke were more prevalent in groups with hsCRP ≥ 2 mg/L in SELECT and SOUL. The following factors were characteristic of the groups with systemic inflammation in the three trials: female sex, younger age, higher BMI, lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and higher levels of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. Conclusion In these large phase 3 trials, systemic inflammation was present at baseline in approximately 50% of individuals and was associated with several CV and kidney risk characteristics. The large proportion of participants with systemic inflammation in the groups with high CV risk shown here supports systemic inflammation as a plausible therapeutic target for the prevention of recurrent CV events.

Real World Experience of Ibrutinib in an Ethnically Diverse Canadian Community Hospital

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is an indolent lymphoproliferative disorder commonly managed in community centers. Ibrutinib revolutionized the management of patients with CLL (2). Ibrutinib was initially considered an easy to administer, well tolerated oral medication with excellent efficacy. It was the first clinically available Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitor widely used to treat CLL (3). Recently there have been concerns about cardiovascular toxicities leading to the use of alternative BTK inhibitors (5). Where alternative BTK inhibitors are available these toxicity concerns have led to a decline in the use of ibrutinib to treat CLL. The population served is ethnically diverse consisting of 52% South East Asian with a significant population of African origin. We suspected that the concerns regarding Ibrutinib toxicity were not seen in our patient population prompting a retrospective review of our experience. Ibrutinib therapy A total of 106 CLL patients treated with Ibrutinib were identified from which data was extracted. The mean age was 63.4 years. Patients with CLL treated with Ibrutinib from 2014 to 2021 were identified using OPIS and Meditech and data was extracted manually. Table 1 60% of patient received their initial drug funding through compassionate access, 2% via private insurance and the remaining 38% through the provincial health system. The majority of patients who received funding through compassionate access were eventually transitioned to the provincial health system for drug funding. Toxicity and outcomes Table 2 81% of treated patients never required a dose adjustment of Ibrutinib. The majority of dose reductions were of a temporary nature. We were unable to obtain accurate response data in our retrospective review. 82 of the 106 patients continue on ibrutinib therapy. It is presumed that these patients continue to benefit from therapy without disease progression although response data details were poorly recorded in the medical record. Conclusions There is a lack of data of community real world experience with Ibrutinib particularly in the Canadian setting. Community centers generally are lacking in information technology required to do retrospective audits. Our data shows that ibrutinib therapy for CLL is a reasonable and effective option with good tolerability in a patient population with high cardiovascular risk. The data is limited by the retrospective data collection. The efficacy of therapy is likely comparable to that of the published literature. These data suggest that the tolerability of Ibrutinib therapy seems better than that of the published literature (1) with a low incidence of atrial fibrillation, dose adjustments and low drug discontinuation rate. Of note Richter's transformation was also uncommon in our patient population. This is particularly of interest as our study did capture patients in the early days of ibrutinib therapy when there were concerns that Richter's transformation was more common than seen today. Many of the patients who were treated with ibrutinib would not have received the drug today because of cardiovascular concerns (4). At that time, it was the only available oral targeted agent for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Other agents such as Venetoclax, Acalabrutinib, Zanubrutinib and novel combinations were unavailable at that time or were not funded. These lack of options likely contribute to the persistence of Ibrutinib therapy in our patients. These data suggest that ibrutinib can be used in a high cardiovascular risk population with good efficacy and tolerability. 1.Alloucjery, M., Tomowiak, C., Lombard, T., &amp; et al. (2021). Safety Profile of Ibrutinib: An Analysis of the WHO Pharmacovigilance Database. Front Pharmacology, 12:769315. 2.Byrd, J. C., Brown, J. R., O'Brien, S., &amp; et al. (2014). Ibrutinib versus ofatumumab in previously treated chronic lymphoid leukemia. NEJM, 371(3):213-223. 3.Byrd, J. C., Furman, R. R., &amp; Coutre, S. S. (2013). Targeting BTK with ibrutinib in relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia. NEJM, 369(1):32-42. 4.Lovell, A. R., Jammal, N., &amp; Bose, P. (2022). Selecting the optimal BTK inhibitor therapy in CLL: rationale and practical considerations. Therapueltic Advances in Hematology, 13:1177/20406207221116577. 5.Salem, J. E., Manouchehri, A., &amp; Bretagne, M. (2019). Targeting BTK with ibrutinib in relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia. J Am Coll Cardiol, 74:1667-1678.

Association of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Mortality Risk in High Cardiovascular Risk Population with and without Left Ventricular Hypertrophy.

Increased leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) is linked with decreased mortality risk, while also with increased left ventricular mass, which may induce left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). We investigated whether LVH modifies the association between higher LTPA and lower mortality risk in population at high cardiovascular risk. In a prospective national cohort, we used the left ventricular mass/body surface area (LVM/BSA) method to define LVH. Baseline LTPA was self-reported and divided into: low ( 500 metabolic equivalent of task [MET]) min/week), moderate (500-1999 MET min/week) and high ( 2000 MET-min/week). Analyses of the dose-response relationship between LTPA and left ventricular mass were performed using restricted cubic spline regression. A multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). A total of 163,006 participants (55.3% females, mean [standard deviation] age, 62.4 [7.4] years) were included. During a median of 4.8 years of follow-up, 6586 (4.0%) died from all causes and 3024 (1.9%) from cardiovascular causes. Multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analyses revealed that moderate and high LTPA were linked with less cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risk than low LTPA in the absence of LVH. In those with LVH, the association of high (0.83, 0.69-0.99) or moderate (0.72, 0.56-0.91) LTPA with cardiovascular mortality risk persisted. For all-cause mortality risk, this association was only significant in high LTPA (0.73, 0.61-0.86), while marginal in moderate LTPA (0.96, 0.84 to 1.08). Overall, the correlation patterns between LTPA and mortality risk appears distinct between those with LVH and those without LVH; the modification of LVH was not significant regarding mortality risk among the high cardiovascular risk population (all-cause: p-value for interaction = 0.074; cardiovascular cause: p-value for interaction = 0.581), except in females regarding all-cause mortality risk (p-value for interaction = 0.006). The association between higher LTPA and lower mortality risk was not modified by LVH in high cardiovascular risk population. However, the presence of LVH altered this association in females regarding the all-cause mortality risk.

Family history of hypertension enhances age-dependent rise in blood pressure, a 15-year follow-up, the Tampere adult population cardiovascular risk study.

A family history (FH) of hypertension is known to predispose to high blood pressure. We wanted to study whether it associates with blood pressure and hypertension in the Tampere adult population cardiovascular risk 15-year longitudinal study. A 50-year-old Finnish cohort having hypertension and their controls was examined retrospectively. The groups were combined and stratified to 396 subjects with a positive FH of hypertension and 384 with a negative FH. A 15-year follow-up was done from their periodic health examinations at the ages of 35-, 40-, 45-, and 50 years. In follow-up from the age of 35 years, systolic blood pressure (P < .001), diastolic blood pressure (P < .001), and the annual increase of systolic blood pressure (P < .010) were higher in the group with positive FH, compared to the negative FH group. Positive FH associated with diagnosed hypertension by the age of 50 years (OR 3.52, P < .001). The FH groups were not associated with body mass index. Our findings show that the prevalence of hypertension at the age of 50 years was significantly higher in those with a positive FH of hypertension. Asking about FH can provide the clinician with a simple instrument for recognition of subjects at risk of hypertension for closer monitoring at a younger age.

Higher circulating Vitamin B12 is associated with lower levels of inflammatory markers in individuals at high cardiovascular risk and in naturally aged mice.

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that is involved in numerous physiological processes, and its deficiency can lead to various complications, including neurological and haematological disorders. Some studies have suggested that vitamin B12 may have anti-inflammatory effects, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not yet fully understood. We investigated the relationship between circulating vitamin B12 and inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). The association of peripheral levels of vitamin B12 with IL-6 and CRP was assessed in 136 human samples from a high cardiovascular risk population. To corroborate the results from the human trial, the analysis was replicated in naturally aged mice. Individuals with higher serum levels of vitamin B12 showed lower concentrations of IL-6 and CRP after adjustment for potential confounders, and an inverse association was also found between serum IL-6 and vitamin B12 levels in naturally aged mice. That circulating vitamin B12 was inversely associated with IL-6 and CRP in humans and with IL-6 in mice suggests that it may exert an anti-inflammatory effect through modulation of these pro-inflammatory molecules. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Down the rabbit hole: reviewing the evidence for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people with obesity.

Obesity is a prevalent chronic disorder and a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the evidence of treating obesity for primary prevention of major cardiovascular events is still scarce and controversial. In this review, we provided a comprehensive description of the current evidence in treating obesity regarding cardiovascular protection. Bariatric surgery appears to be the most robust method to reduce events in people without established cardiovascular disease. High compliance to lifestyle interventions can further reduce cardiovascular risk. Concerning pharmacological therapies, a post hoc analysis from SUSTAIN-6 and a meta-analysis from STEP trials suggest that semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, could reduce cardiovascular events in people without established cardiovascular disease. The first study addressed specifically a high-risk population with diabetes and, the second, low- or intermediary-risk individuals without diabetes. Tirzepatide, a novel dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist, although not yet tested in specific cardiovascular outcomes trials, could be an alternative since it induces loss in weight similar to the achieved by bariatric surgery. Therefore, extrapolated data in distinct baseline cardiovascular risk populations suggest that these two drugs could be used in primary prevention with the aim of preventing cardiovascular events, but the grade of this evidence is still low. Specifically designed studies are needed to address this specific topic.

Étude du niveau de pression artérielle en consultation chez l'hypertendu algérien traité (PACT II)

BackgroundHypertension is responsible for 8.5 million deaths from stroke, ischemic heart disease and other vascular and kidney diseases. In Algeria, hypertension (HTN) is the most common chronic disease with an estimated prevalence of 23,6%. MethodsThe PACT II study is a national, observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter and non-interventional study of therapeutic strategy, conducted in Algeria on hypertensive patients treated for at least 3 months, followed by 100 specialists or general practitioners. The primary objective is to describe the hypertension management in Algeria through the distribution of patients treated for HTN through predefined levels of arterial pressure (AP) reached under treatment. Results2000 eligible patients were recruited in the study. 63.5% and 36.4% of patients were female and male respectively. The average age was 62.4 years ± 10.7. The most affected age group (65.2%) was between 55 to 75 years old. Most of the patients had an elevated blood pressure (BP) with 49.30 % at level III AP (130 – 139 mmHg of SBP or 80 – 89 mmHg of DBP), with 49.6% for diabetic patients and 48.8% for non-diabetic patients, then followed by 20.35% at the level IV AP (140 – 159 mmHg of SBP or 90 – 99 mmHg of DBP) with 21.4% for diabetic and 18.3% for non-diabetic patients. Also, 47.32% were at AP level III in patients with Renal failure. Regarding the achievement of the BP target, it was 17.4% for the overall population with 18,3% for diabetic's patients and only 12.64% for Renal failure patients. Additionally, the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was at very high level for most patients, corresponding to 38,4 % of the overall study population. At last, PACT II study data were collected on analysis of blood pressure levels in the overall population and in cardiovascular risk (CVR) population groups such as diabetes (65%), sedentary lifestyle (53%), dyslipidemia (50%), obesity (44%), and renal failure (11.3%). ConclusionPACT II has made it possible to update national data relating to hypertension in Algeria. It confirmed the low level of achievement of the BP target, even if the average arterial pressure level obtained was acceptable in 76% patients with a BP level which was lower than 140 mmHg for SBP and less than 90 mmHg for DBP. Many efforts must be made, according to WHO recommendations, to improve the management of hypertensive patients and BP control in Algeria.

Home Pulse Pressure Predicts Death and Cardiovascular Events in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.

Increased arterial hypertension represents a prevalent condition in peritoneal dialysis patients that is often related to volume expansion. Pulse pressure is a robust predictor of mortality in dialysis patients, but its association with mortality is unknown in peritoneal patients. We investigated the relationship between home pulse pressure and survival in 140 PD patients. During a mean follow-up of 35 months, 62 patients died, and 66 experienced the combined event death/CV events. In a crude COX regression analysis, a five-unit increase in HPP was associated with a 17% increase in the hazard ratio of mortality (HR: 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.26 p < 0.001). This result was confirmed in a multiple Cox model adjusted for age, gender, diabetes, systolic arterial pressure, and dialysis adequacy (HR: 1.31, 95% CI 1.12-1.52, p = 0.001). Similar results were obtained considering the combined event death-CV events as an outcome. Home pulse pressure represents, in part, arterial stiffness, and it is strongly related to all-cause mortality in peritoneal patients. In these high cardiovascular risk populations, it is important to maintain optimal blood pressure control, but it is fundamental to consider all the other cardiovascular risk indicators, such as pulse pressure. Home pulse pressure measurement is easy and feasible and can add important information for the identification and management of high-risk patients.

HYPERTENSION AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK AT PRIMARY CARE SETTING

Objective: to assess cardiovascular risk of patients treated at basic health units Design and method: Prospective cohort of 1000 patients over 18 years selected in 21 primary care units in the city of Rio de Janeiro. At the initial consultation, the clinical form was filled out, in which medical history, socioeconomic variables, data on life habits and functional assessment were documented. The definition of HTN was bases on data from medical records. Results: A total of 1014 patients were included in the study. Of these, 737 patients had a diagnosis of Hypertension, which corresponds to 72.68% of the sample. The presence of target organ damage and/or clinical cardiovascular disease, characterizing a high cardiovascular risk population, was found in 103 patients (10.2%) of the studied population. Among them, 95 (12.9%) were from the hypertensive group and 08 (2.9%) from the non-hypertensive group. Cardiovascular risk was calculated according to the number of risk factors and the presence of target organ damage and/or clinical cardiovascular disease, in accordance with the guidelines of the SAH Guidelines of the SBC 1. In the hypertensive population of the study, 40.4% were considered low risk and 42.5% high risk, as can be seen in the attached table. At the end of 12 months, the presence of hospitalization or death was 8.3% (N = 61) in the hypertensive population and 5.8% (N = 16) in the population without SAH (p = 0.18 ). Among hypertensive patients, there were 20 cardiovascular events (2.7%) and 3 (1.1%) in non-hypertensive patients (p = 0.156), with an odds ratio of 2.54 (95% CI 0.74-13.48). Deaths occurred in 1.9% (N = 19) of the study population, 2% (N = 15) of hypertensive individuals and 1.4% (N = 4) of non-hypertensive individuals (p = 0.795). Conclusions: Cardiovascular events accounted for approximately one third of the total events, characterized by hospitalization or death, in patients with hypertension. Although not significant, the cardiovascular risk was almost three times higher in the hypertensive group when compared to the non-hypertensive group, corresponding to 8.3% of the hypertensive population and 5.8% of the population without hypertension.

The impact of cardiac SPECT in risk stratification for women with suspected coronary artery disease in a very high cardiovascular risk country

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Risk stratification has become increasingly important in the management of women with coronary artery disease (CAD). Population based cross-sectional study of cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors in Latvia revealed that women in age 25 -74 are in a very high CVR group: more than 60% of women have dyslipidemia, 30% have arterial hypertension (AH) and are overweight. Purpose To evaluate CVR factor profile in women with suspected CAD and performed cardiac single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and to prove the need of perfusion imaging for women in a very high cardiovascular risk population. Methods Cardiac SPECT for women with suspected CAD and positive or non-informative exercise test was performed in a single center from 2018 till 2022. The patients were analyzed by risk factors and perfusion test result, divided into 2 groups: normal myocardial perfusion or true myocardial perfusion defect. Results 466 patients without known CAD were analyzed. The mean age of cohort patients was 59.3±10.9 years. 28 (6.0%) patients had no CVR factors, 90 (19.3%) women had only 1, but the rest of them (348, 74.7%) had 2 or more CVR factors. Dyslipidemia was present in 358 (76.8%), AH in 282 (60.5%) and type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in 27 (5.8%) patients. More than half of patients (n=303, 65.0%) were overweight (BMI&amp;gt;25.0 kg/m2). 65 (13.9%) women were current or ex-smokers. True myocardial perfusion defect was detected in 96 patients (20.6%). There was no statistically significant difference between CVR risk factor count and cardiac SPECT result (p=0.229), although there were patients with significant perfusion defect without any risk factor present. However, significant correlation between risk factors and detection of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) after positive cardiac SPECT was found (p&amp;lt;0.001). Totally in study was detected 71 patients with suspected ischemia with non-obstructive CAD (INOCA), but further investigation with intracoronary physiology measurements – coronary flow reserve (CFR), index of microvascular resistance (IMR) and acetylcholine provocation test is required to define INOCA endotype. Conclusions The cardiac SPECT is an appropriate diagnostic method for women patients with suspected CAD. Even in patients with no CVR factors, but with positive or non-informative exercise test, the CAD is present, therefore they should be referred to cardiac SPECT in a very high CVR country. In patients with significant perfusion defect and absence of obstructive CAD, the performance of intracoronary physiology measurements is required.