代谢综合征在缺血性卒中患者心脑血管事件发生中的作用

Objective To explore the association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and risk of cardiovascular disease events (CVD) in patients with ischemic stroke. Method A total of 1087 patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled from 5 community-based medical centres and underwent baseline evaluation on risk factors of stroke during the period of Jar. 2003 to Dec. 2006. After baseline survey, all patients were followed up until Dec 31, 2008 and new CVD events were recorded. MS was defined using CDS criteria. Proportional hazard models were used to assess the HRus and 95% CI of CVD events associated with MS and other components. Results The prevalence of MS was 40. 4% at baseline. During an average follow-up of 3.5 years, 178 patients developed new CVD events. After adjusted for age, gender, smoking,drinking, marriage status, education level, hospitalization, recurrence of stroke, stroke duration,depression, cognition impairment and ADL, MS remains the independent predictor for the risk of CVD events. Compared with patients with non-MS, the risk of CVD events increased by 44% (HR:1.44, 95%CI:1.06-1.95 ). The risk of CVD also increased with the number of MS components. Compared with patients with 1 or less than 1 components of MS, the risk of CVD events increased by 30% (HR:1. 30,95%CI:0.83-2.04) in those with 2 components and by 69% ( HR: 1.69,95% CI: 1.11-2.56) in those with 3or more components of MS. Hypertension and hyperglycemia and impaired fasting glucose also served as independent risk factors for CVD event ( all P ＜ 0. 001 ) . Conclusions MS was independently associated with increased risk of CVD events in patients with ischemic stroke. There was a dose-response relationship between the numbers of MS components and the risk of CVD event.     

代谢综合征在缺血性卒中患者心脑血管事件发生中的作用

Objective To explore the association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and risk of cardiovascular disease events (CVD) in patients with ischemic stroke. Method A total of 1087 patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled from 5 community-based medical centres and underwent baseline evaluation on risk factors of stroke during the period of Jar. 2003 to Dec. 2006. After baseline survey, all patients were followed up until Dec 31, 2008 and new CVD events were recorded. MS was defined using CDS criteria. Proportional hazard models were used to assess the HRus and 95% CI of CVD events associated with MS and other components. Results The prevalence of MS was 40. 4% at baseline. During an average follow-up of 3.5 years, 178 patients developed new CVD events. After adjusted for age, gender, smoking,drinking, marriage status, education level, hospitalization, recurrence of stroke, stroke duration,depression, cognition impairment and ADL, MS remains the independent predictor for the risk of CVD events. Compared with patients with non-MS, the risk of CVD events increased by 44% (HR:1.44, 95%CI:1.06-1.95 ). The risk of CVD also increased with the number of MS components. Compared with patients with 1 or less than 1 components of MS, the risk of CVD events increased by 30% (HR:1. 30,95%CI:0.83-2.04) in those with 2 components and by 69% ( HR: 1.69,95% CI: 1.11-2.56) in those with 3or more components of MS. Hypertension and hyperglycemia and impaired fasting glucose also served as independent risk factors for CVD event ( all P ＜ 0. 001 ) . Conclusions MS was independently associated with increased risk of CVD events in patients with ischemic stroke. There was a dose-response relationship between the numbers of MS components and the risk of CVD event.     

Increased lipoprotein （a） level is independently associated with the severity of coronary artery disease

Background Increased serum level of lipoprotein(a)(Lp(a)) is associated with atherosclerosis. Whether increased Lp(a) level is independently associated with the severity of coronary artery disease(CAD) is unclear. Methods Subjects were enrolled and received coronary angiography to assess the number of stenosed coronary artery. The subjects with CAD were divided into non-significant( 50% stenosis), single and multivessel stenosis(≥ 50 % stenosis) groups. Parameters of interest at baseline were collected. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between Lp(a) level and CAD severity. Results Totally 745 populations were enrolled and diagnosed as CAD(n = 605) or without CAD(n = 140) on the basis of angiography examination. As compared to the subjects without CAD, serum levels of Lp(a) and CRP, and the percentages of subjects with smoking or diabetes were significantly higher in subjects with CAD. In contrast,serum levels of HDL-C and Apo-A were significantly lower in subjects with CAD as compared to subjects without CAD. In comparison of subjects with non-significant stenosis(serum Lp(a) level, 170.0 ± 19.7 mg /d L), serum Lp(a) level was significantly higher in subjects with single(245.5 ± 22.3 mg / d L) or multiple vessel stenoses(265.8 ± 14.0 mg / d L). With multivariate regression analyses, after adjusted for age, gender,smoking, family history and hypertension, there was still significant association between serum Lp(a) level and the number of coronary artery stenosis. After additional adjustment for diabetes, Hb A1 c, total cholesterol,LDL-C, Apo-A, uric acid and CRP, Lp(a) remained strongly associated with CAD severity. Conclusion Serum Lp(a) level was significantly associated with the severity of coronary artery stenosis, which may add the value on cardiovascular risk evaluation.     

Chronic pancreatitis and the heart disease: Still terra incognita?

BACKGROUND It has been suggested that chronic pancreatitis(CP) may be an independent risk factor for development of cardiovascular disease(CVD). At the same time, it seems that congestive heart failure(CHF) and CP share the responsibility for the development of important clinical conditions such as sarcopenia, cachexia and malnutrition due to development of cardiac cachexia and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency(PEI), respectively.AIM To explore the evidence regarding the association of CP and heart disease, more specifically CVD and CHF.METHODS A systematic search of MEDLINE, Web of Science and Google Scholar was performed by two independent investigators to identify eligible studies where the connection between CP and CVD was investigated. The search was limited to articles in the English language. The last search was run on the 1 st of May 2019.The primary outcomes were:(1) Incidence of cardiovascular event [acute coronary syndrome(ACS), chronic coronary disease, peripheral arterial lesions]in patients with established CP; and(2) Incidence of PEI in patients with CHF.RESULTS Out of 1166 studies, only 8 were eligible for this review. Studies regarding PEI and CHF showed an important incidence of PEI as well as associated malabsorption of nutritional markers(vitamin D, selenium, phosphorus, zinc,folic acid, and prealbumin) in patients with CHF. However, after substitution of pancreatic enzymes, it seems that, at least, loss of appetite was attenuated. On the other side, studies investigating cardiovascular events in patients with CP showed that, in CP cohort, there was a 2.5-fold higher incidence of ACS. In another study, patients with alcohol–induced CP with concomitant type 3 c diabetes had statistically significant higher incidence of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in comparison to patients with diabetes mellitus of other etiologies.Earlier studies demonstrated a marked correlation between the clinical symptoms in CP and chronic coronary insufficiency. Also, statistically significant higher incidence of arterial lesions was found in patients with CP compared to the control group with the same risk factors for atherosclerosis(hypertension,smoking, dyslipidemia). Moreover, one recent study showed that PEI is significantly associated with the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with CP.CONCLUSION Current evidence implicates a possible association between PEI and malnutrition in patients with CHF. Chronic pancreatic tissue hypoxic injury driven by prolonged splanchnic hypoperfusion is likely to contribute to malnutrition and cachexia in patients with CHF. On the other hand, CP and PEI seem to be an independent risk factor associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.     

Hypertension in the elderly

The elderly are the most rapidly growing population group in the world.Data collected over a 30-year period have demonstrated the increasing prevalence of hypertension with age.The risk of coronary artery disease,stroke,congestive heart disease,chronic kidney insufficiency and dementia is also increased in this subgroup of hypertensives.Hypertension in the elderly patients represents a management dilemma to cardiovascular specialists and other practioners.During the last years and before the findings of the Systolic Hypertension in Europe Trial were published,the general medical opinion considered not to decrease blood pressure values similarly to other younger patients,in order to avoid possible ischemic events and poor oxygenation of the organs(brain,heart,kidney).The aim of this review article is to highlight the importance of treating hypertension in aged population in order to improve their quality of life and lower the incidence of the cardiovascular complications.     

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and vascular disease:State-of-the-art

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD), the most common of chronic liver disease in Western Country, is closely related to insulin resistance and oxidative stress and includes a wide spectrum of liver diseases ranging from steatosis alone, usually a benign and non-progressive condition, to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH), which may progress to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. NAFLD is considered the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome with which shares several characteristics, however recent data suggest that NAFLD is linked to increased cardiovascular risk independently of the broad spectrum of risk factors of metabolic syndrome. Accumulating evidence suggests that the clinical burden of NAFLD is not restricted to liver-related morbidity and mortality, with the majority of deaths in NAFLD patients related to cardiovascular disease and cancer and not to the progression of liver disease. Retrospective and prospective studies provide evidence of a strong association between NAFLD and subclinical manifestation of atherosclerosis(increased intima-media thickness, endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness, impaired left ventricular function and coronary calcification). A general agreement emerging from these studies indicates that patients with NASH are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases than those with simple steatosis, emphasizing the role of chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis of these patients. It is very likely that the different mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in patients with NAFLD have a different relevance in the patients according to individual genetic background. In conclusion, in the presence of NAFLD patients should undergo a complete cardiovascular evaluation to prevent future atherosclerotic complications. Specific lifestyle modification and aggressive pharmaceutical modification will not only reduce the progression of liver disease, but also reduce morbidity for cardiovascular disease improving overall prognosis and survival.     

Ankle-brachial index as a predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in 3733 Chinese patients with high cardiovascular risk

Objective To assess the association between 1-year risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease （CVD） mortality and ankle-brachial index （ABI） in Chinese patients who were at high CVD risk. Methods Totally 3733 patients with high CV risk had bilateral ABI measurements at baseline and were followed up for 1-1.5 years. Patients were divided to four groups： 1） coronary heart disease （CHD）; 2） ischemic stroke （IS）; 3） diabetes mellitus （DM）; 4） very high risk group（VHR）, low ABI was defined as 〈0.9. Results A total of 3179 patients were analyzed. The prevalence of low ABI was 28.1%. At 1 year, all-cause mortality was 8.7%, and 27.6% was attributable to CVD; mortality due to CV events was 4.8% and 1.5%. After adjusting other risk factors the hazard ratio of low ABI was 1.623 for all-cause mortality and 2.304 for CVD mortality. Similar in patient with and without low ABI, respectively were found in four groups.Conclusion ABI is a strong and independent predictor ofrnortality. Patients with a low ABI have a substantially increased risk of all-cause mortality and CVD mortality （J Geriatr Cardio12010; 7：17-20）.     

Long-term prognosis in patients continuing taking antithrombotics after peptic ulcer bleeding

AIM To investigate the long-term prognosis in peptic ulcer patients continuing taking antithrombotics after ulcer bleeding, and to determine the risk factors that influence the prognosis. METHODS All clinical data of peptic ulcer patients treated from January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2014 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Patients were divided into either a continuing group to continue taking antithrombotic drugs after ulcer bleeding or a discontinuing group to discontinue antithrombotic drugs. The primary outcome of follow-up in peptic ulcer bleeding patients was recurrent bleeding, and secondary outcome was death or acute cardiovascular disease occurrence. The final date of follow-up was December 31, 2014. Basic demographic data, complications, and disease classifications were analyzed and compared by t- or χ2-test. The number of patients that achieved various outcomes was counted and analyzed statistically. A survival curve was drawn using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the differencewas compared using the log-rank test. COX regression multivariate analysis was applied to analyze risk factors for the prognosis of peptic ulcer patients. RESULTS A total of 167 patients were enrolled into this study. As for the baseline information, differences in age, smoking, alcohol abuse, and acute cardiovascular diseases were statistically significant between the continuing and discontinuing groups(70.8 ± 11.4 vs 62.4 ± 12.0, P 0.001; 8(8.2%) vs 15(21.7%), P 0.05; 65(66.3%) vs 13(18.8%), P 0.001). At the end of the study, 18 patients had recurrent bleeding and three patients died or had acute cardiovascular disease in the continuing group, while four patients had recurrent bleeding and 15 patients died or had acute cardiovascular disease in the discontinuing group. The differences in these results were statistically significant(P = 0.022, P = 0.000). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve indicated that the incidence of recurrent bleeding was higher in patients in the continuing group, and the risk of death and developing acute cardiovascular disease was higher in patients in the discontinuing group(log-rank test, P = 0.000 for both). Furthermore, COX regression multivariate analysis revealed that the hazard ratio(HR) for recurrent bleeding was 2.986(95%CI: 067-8.356, P = 0.015) in the continuing group, while HR for death or acute cardiovascular disease was 5.216(95%CI: 1.035-26.278, P = 0.028).CONCLUSION After the occurrence of peptic ulcer bleeding, continuing antithrombotics increases the risk of recurrent bleeding events, while discontinuing antithrombotics would increase the risk of death and developing cardiovascular disease. This suggests that clinicians should comprehensively consider the use of antithrombotics after peptic ulcer bleeding.     

Clinical relevance of clopidogrel-proton pump inhibitors interaction

Clopidogrel is a widely used antiplatelet agent for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary heart disease, acute coronary syndromes and ischemic stroke. Even though clopidogrel is safer than aspirin in terms of risk for gastrointestinal(GI) bleeding, the elderly, and patients with a history of prior GI bleeding, with Helicobacter pylori infection or those who are also treated with aspirin, anticoagulants, corticosteroids or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs are at high risk for GI complications when treated with clopidogrel. Accordingly, proton pump inhibitors are frequently administered in combination with clopidogrel to reduce the risk for GI bleeding. Nevertheless, pharmacodynamic studies suggest that omeprazole might attenuate the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel. However, in observational studies, this interaction does not appear to translate into increased cardiovascular risk in patients treated with this combination. Moreover, in the only randomized, double-blind study that assessed the cardiovascular implications of combining clopidogrel and omeprazole, patients treated with clopidogrel/omeprazole combination had reduced risk for GI events and similar risk for cardiovascular events than patients treated with clopidogrel and placebo. However, the premature interruption of the study and the lack of power analysis in terms of the cardiovascular endpoint do not allow definite conclusions regarding the cardiovascular safety of clopidogrel/omeprazole combination. Other proton pump inhibitors do not appear to interact with clopidogrel. Nevertheless, given the limitations of existing observational and interventional studies, the decision to administer proton pump inhibitors to patients treated with clopidogrel should be individualized based on the patient’s bleeding and cardiovascular risk.     

Contrast-induced nephropathy after staged percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel coronary artery disease

Background Contrast-induced nephropathy(CIN) occurs frequently in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI) and is associated with poor outcomes. Multivessel coronary artery disease(MVCAD) is considered to be a potentially important risk factor for CIN. There are still no data on CIN in patients undergoing staged PCI for STEMI and MVCAD. Therefore, we explored the incidence, risk factors, in-hospital and follow-up outcomes of CIN in this special population. Methods From 2011 to 2018, we enrolled 103 consecutive patients with STEMI who underwent staged PCI for MVCAD. CIN was defined as a relative increase of 25% or an absolute increase of ≥ 0.5 mg/dL in SCr from the baseline value 72 h after exposure to the contrast medium. The incidence, risk factors, in-hospital and follow-up outcomes of CIN in this special population were studied. Results We found1) the incidence of CIN after primary PCI and staged PCI was 16.50% and 25.20%, respectively. 2) patients with CIN had worse in-hospital and follow-up outcomes. 3) in multivariate logistic analysis, independent risk factors for CIN included:(1) lower creatinine clearance at baseline;(2) atrioventricular block requiring temporary cardiac pacemaker implantation;(3) use of IABP at baseline;(4) total contrast volume administered( primary PCI +staged PCI);(5) shorter time interval between primary PCI and staged PCI. Conclusions CIN is a frequent complication in patients with STEMI and MVCAD undergoing staged PCI. The development of CIN is associated with worse in-hospital and follow-up outcomes.     

Associations between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and ischemic stroke

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is the commonest chronic liver disease and affects a considerab-le proportion of the general population. NAFLD is independently associated with increased risk for cardiovascular events, particularly coronary heart disease. Importantly, even though NAFLD is more prevalent in patients with major cardiovascular risk factors(e.g., type 2 diab-etes mellitus, ob-esity and hypertension), the association b-etween NAFLD and cardiovascular disease appears to b-e independent of these risk factors. However, NAFLD also appears to increase the risk for ischemic stroke, a leading cause of mortality and long-term disab-ility worldwide. It also appears that nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is more strongly related to the risk of ischemic stroke than isolated hepatic steatosis. Moreover, emerging data suggest that patients with NAFLD experience more severe ischemic stroke and have more unfavorab-le prognosis after an acute ischemic stroke in terms of functional dependency and short-and long-term mortality. These associations have major pub-lic health implications, since ischemic stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide and an important cause of long-term disab-ility. The aim of the present review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the relationship b-etween NAFLD and ischemic stroke incidence, severity and outcome. Given these associations, it might b-e useful to evaluate patients with acute ischemic stroke for the presence of NAFLD and to manage those with NAFLD more aggressively.     

中国35～64岁人群白细胞计数与心血管病发病危险的前瞻性研究

目的 探讨我国35～64岁人群白细胞计数水平与不同类型心血管病(包括急性冠心病事件和急性脑卒中事件)发病危险的关系. 方法 采用前瞻性队列研究的方法,对1992年建立的11省市35～64岁队列人群共21 318人的基线白细胞计数水平和1992-2003年发生的急性冠心病事件和急性脑卒中事件的关系进行分析.应用Cox比例风险模型对白细胞计数水平与心血管病发病危险进行多因素分析. 结果 (1)白细胞计数从参照组4.0～4.9×109/L开始,随着白细胞计数水平的升高,缺血性心血管病事件及总心血管病事件累计人年发病率呈持续上升的变化,缺血性心血管病事件及总心血管病事件发病危险随白细胞计数的升高而增加.(2)白细胞计数水平与不同类型的心血管病发病危险的关系有所差别:与参照组(4.0～4.9×109/L)相比,随着白细胞计数的升高,急性冠心病事件发病危险及缺血性脑卒中事件发病危险上升;而出血性脑卒中事件与白细胞计数水平未见明显相关趋势.(3)多因素分析显示,当白细胞计数＞9.0×109/L时,总缺血性心血管病事件发病危险增加(95% CI:1.188～2.416),其RR是对照组的1.7倍. 结论 随着白细胞计数的升高,缺血性心血管病事件及总心血管病事件发病危险呈上升变化.     

Serum total homocysteine concentrations and risk of mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease in Japanese: The JACC study

Evidence for association between serum total homocysteine (tHcy) level and cardiovascular disease is limited in Asian populations. We conducted a nested case-control study under JACC Study. A total of 39,242 subjects aged 40-79 years provided serum samples at baseline surveys between 1988 and 1990. Control subjects were selected by matching for sex, age, community and year of serum storage. Serum tHcy levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. During the 10-year follow-up, there were 444 deaths due to total cardiovascular disease, including 310 total stroke (131 hemorrhage and 101 ischemic strokes) and 134 coronary heart diseases. The risks of mortality from ischemic stroke, coronary heart disease, and total cardiovascular disease were significantly higher in individuals with the highest serum tHcy quartile (>or=15.3micromol/L) than in those with the lowest quartile (<10.5micromol/L); the respective multivariable odds ratios (95% CI) were 4.35 (1.12-16.9), 3.40 (1.17-9.86), and 1.68 (1.02-2.77). The multivariable odds ratios associated with a 5-micromol/L increase in tHcy were 1.49 (1.01-2.18), 2.01 (1.21-3.35), and 1.15 (1.00-1.32), respectively. High serum tHcy levels were associated with increased mortality from ischemic stroke, coronary heart disease and total cardiovascular disease among Japanese.     

Smoking raises the risk of total and ischemic strokes in hypertensive men.

To examine the relation between cigarette smoking and risk of stroke and coronary heart disease among Japanese, we conducted a 14-year prospective study of 3,626 men aged 40-69, initially free from history of stroke and coronary heart disease. We identified 257 strokes (75 hemorrhagic and 173 ischemic strokes) and 100 coronary heart disease events. When we adjusted for age and other cardiovascular risk factors, a significant excess risk among current smokers of > 20 cigarettes/day vs. never-smokers was found for total stroke (relative risk (RR) = 1.6 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-2.4)). The excess risk of total stroke was particularly evident among hypertensives (RR = 2.3 (1.2-4.4)). The multivariate RR of ischemic stroke was 1.6 (1.0-2.5) for total subjects, and 2.2 (1.0-5.0) among hypertensives. Significant excess risks among current smokers of > 20 cigarettes/day vs. never-smokers were also found for coronary heart disease (RR = 4.6 (1.6-12.9)) and total cardiovascular disease (1.9 (1.3-2.7)). The estimated proportion of the events attributable to current smoking was 30 (95% CI, 11-44)% for total stroke and 34 (5-54)% for coronary heart disease. In conclusion, current smoking of > 20 cigarettes per day increased the risk of both total stroke and ischemic stroke among Japanese middle-aged men, and particularly among middle-aged hypertensive men.     

Incidence of cardiovascular disease in Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic subjects with and without diabetic nephropathy in Finland

Summary This study evaluates the impact of diabetic nephropathy on the incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke and any cardiovascular disease in the Finnish population, which has a high risk of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. We performed a prospective analysis of the incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease in all Type 1 subjects in the Finnish Type I diabetes mellitus register diagnosed before the age of 18 years between 1 January 1965 and 31 December 1979 nationwide. The effect of age at onset of diabetes, attained age at the end of follow-up, sex, diabetes duration and of the presence of diabetic nephropathy on the risk for cardiovascular disease was evaluated. Cases of nephropathy, coronary heart disease, stroke and all cardiovascular diseases were ascertained from the nationwide Finnish Hospital Discharge Register and National Death Register using computer linkage with the Type I diabetes mellitus register. Of the 5148 Type 1 diabetic patients followed up, 159 had a cardiovascular event of which 58 were coronary heart diseases, 57 stroke events and 44 other heart diseases. There were virtually no cases of cardiovascular disease before 12 years diabetes duration. The cumulative incidence of cardiovascular disease by the age of 40 years was 43 % in Type 1 diabetic patients with diabetic nephropathy, compared with 7 % in patients without diabetic nephropathy, similarly in men and women. The relative risk for Type 1 diabetic patients with diabetic nephropathy compared with patients without diabetic nephropathy was 10.3 for coronary heart disease, 10.9 for stroke and 10.0 for any cardiovascular disease, similarly in men and women. The presence of nephropathy in Type I diabetic subjects increases not only the risk of coronary heart disease, but also of stroke by tenfold. [Diabetologia (1998) 41: 784–790] Received: 14 August 1997 and in final revised form: 2 March 1998     

Serum uric acid and risk of ischemic stroke: the ARIC Study

AIMS: Since serum uric acid (UA) is strongly associated with cardiovascular risk factors, it has been debated whether serum UA is a stroke risk factor or whether UA may be simply "marking" subjects with other, causal risk factors. We therefore investigated the relation between UA and ischemic stroke in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 15,792 ARIC participants, 13,413 who were free of recognized stroke or coronary heart disease (CHD) at baseline and had a baseline UA measurement were included in the analysis. We followed the participants for ischemic stroke incidence (N=381) over 12.6 years. Although serum UA was independently and positively related to ischemic stroke incidence when we adjusted for age, sex, race, and education, the positive relation was weakened when additionally adjusted for possible confounding variables. The positive multivariate-adjusted association between serum UA and ischemic stroke was observed among subjects not using diuretics (adjusted relative hazard in the highest quartile versus the lowest: relative hazard (RH)=1.49; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00-2.23) (P for trend: 0.02), but not among diuretic users (P for interaction: 0.08). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that UA is an independent predictor of ischemic stroke among subjects not using diuretics, but that elevated UA itself may not cause ischemic stroke.     

Será a síndrome metabólica um marcador de prognóstico em doentes com elevado risco cardiovascular? Um estudo de coorte a longo‐prazo

IntroductionObese patients are at higher cardiovascular risk in primary prevention. In secondary prevention, an obesity paradox has been reported. We analyzed a cohort of individuals from a previous cross‐sectional study on the impact of metabolic syndrome (MS) on coronary artery disease (CAD), aiming to assess the occurrence of cardiovascular events in a long follow‐up.MethodsWe analyzed 296 individuals in a mean follow‐up of 6.9±2.2 years. Subjects were divided into four groups according to the presence of MS or CAD (defined as ≥70% coronary stenosis).ResultsThe study population had a mean age of 65±9 years at the beginning of the study; 59.5% were male, 55.7% had MS and 41.6% had CAD. During follow‐up 10.1% of the population suffered all‐cause death, 3.7% cardiovascular death, 14.2% cardiovascular readmission and 22.0% the composite outcome (mortality, acute coronary syndrome, coronary revascularization, stroke/transient ischemic attack or heart failure admission). There were no significant differences in any type of mortality. Patients with CAD had more readmissions and composite outcomes (log‐rank p<0.001 and p=0.001, respectively), but there was no difference according to the presence of MS. Only CAD was an independent predictor of cardiovascular admission (HR 3.21, 95% CI 1.66‐6.21) and composite outcomes (HR 2.41, 95% CI 1.44‐4.02).ConclusionsIn patients with high cardiovascular risk or established CAD, the presence of MS is not associated with cerebral or cardiac events in long‐term follow‐up.     

Association of total insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), and IGFBP-3 levels with incident coronary events and ischemic stroke

CONTEXT: Prior observational studies have demonstrated that the GH/IGF axis is associated with cardiovascular disease. However, this association has not been extensively studied among older adults. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the association between levels of total IGF-I and IGF binding proteins (IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3) and risk of incident coronary events and ischemic stroke. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A case-cohort analysis was conducted among adults 65 yr and older in the Cardiovascular Health Study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A total of 534 coronary events [316 nonfatal myocardial infarctions (MIs), 48 fatal MIs, and 170 fatal coronary heart disease events] and 370 ischemic strokes were identified on follow-up. Comparison subjects were 1122 randomly selected participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study. RESULTS: Mean follow-up time was 6.7 yr for coronary events, 5.6 yr for strokes, and 9.3 yr for comparison subjects. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) associated with baseline levels of total IGF-I and IGFBPs were estimated using multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. Neither IGF-I nor IGFBP-1 levels predicted risk of incident coronary events or stroke. IGFBP-3 had an inverse association with risk of coronary events [adjusted hazard ratio per sd=0.88 (0.78-1.00), P=0.05] but was not associated with stroke. Exploratory analyses suggested that low IGF-I and low IGFBP-3 levels were significantly associated with higher risk of nonfatal MI (P<0.05) but not with risk of fatal MI or fatal coronary heart disease. CONCLUSION: Circulating levels of total IGF-I or IGFBP-1 were not associated with risk of total coronary events or ischemic stroke among older adults, whereas low IGFBP-3 level was associated with increased risk of incident coronary events.     

A prospective study of maturity-onset diabetes mellitus and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke in women

We examined the relationship of maturity-onset clinical diabetes mellitus with the subsequent incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke, total cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality in a cohort of 116,177 US women who were 30 to 55 years of age and free of known coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer in 1976. During 8 years of follow-up (889 255 person-years), we identified 338 nonfatal myocardial infarctions, 111 coronary deaths, 259 strokes, 238 cardiovascular deaths, and 1349 deaths from all causes. Diabetes was associated with a markedly increased risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction and fatal coronary heart disease (age-adjusted relative risk [RR] = 6.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.3 to 8.4), ischemic stroke (RR = 5.4; 95% CI, 3.3 to 9.0), total cardiovascular mortality (RR = 6.3; 95% CI, 4.6 to 8.6), and all-cause mortality (RR = 3.0; 95% CI, 2.5 to 3.7). A major independent effect of diabetes persisted in multivariate analyses after simultaneous control for other known coronary risk factors (for these end points, RR [95% CI] = 3.1 [2.3 to 4.2], 3.0 [1.6 to 5.7], 3.0 [1.9 to 4.8], and 1.9 [1.4 to 2.4], respectively). The absolute excess coronary risk due to diabetes was greater in the presence of other risk factors, including cigarette smoking, hypertension, and obesity. These prospective data indicate that maturity-onset clinical diabetes is a strong determinant of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, and cardiovascular mortality among middle-aged women. The adverse effect of diabetes is amplified in the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors, many of which are modifiable.     

The ankle-brachial index in the elderly and risk of stroke,coronary disease,and death: the Framingham Study

BACKGROUND: A low ankle-brachial index (ABI) is associated with an increased risk of death and cardiovascular disease. Limited data exist regarding the relation between a low ABI and stroke. We sought to examine the relation between a low ABI and stroke, coronary heart disease, and death in the elderly. METHODS: We examined 251 men and 423 women with a mean age of 80 years who had a Framingham Study examination from 1994 to 1995. A low ABI was defined as less than 0.9. Persons were followed up for 4 years for occurrence of stroke or transient ischemic attack, coronary disease, and death. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the relation between a low ABI and each outcome after adjusting for age, sex, and prevalent cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: A low ABI was detected in 20% of our sample. Only 18% of the participants with a low ABI reported claudication symptoms. One third of those with a normal ABI and 55% of those with a low ABI had cardiovascular disease at baseline. Results of multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack in persons with a low ABI (hazards ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.7). No significant relation between a low ABI and coronary heart disease (hazards ratio, 1.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.7-2.1) or death (hazards ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.9-2.1) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: A low ABI is associated with risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack in the elderly. These results need to be confirmed in larger studies.