Gender difference in the impact of type 2 diabetes on coronary heart disease risk

OBJECTIVE: To explain the stronger effect of type 2 diabetes on the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women compared with men. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 1,296 nondiabetic subjects and 835 type 2 diabetic subjects aged 45-64 years without cardiovascular disease. The end points were CHD death and a major CHD event (CHD death or nonfatal myocardial infarction). The follow-up time was 13 years. RESULTS: Major CHD event rate per 1,000 person-years was 11.6 in nondiabetic men, 1.8 in nondiabetic women, 36.3 in diabetic men, and 31.6 in diabetic women. The diabetes-related hazard ratio for a major CHD event from the Cox model, adjusted for age and area of residence, was 2.9 (95% CI 2.2-3.9) in men and 14.4 (8.4-24.5) in women, and after further adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, 2.8 (2.0-3.7) and 9.5 (5.5-16.9), respectively. The burden of conventional risk factors in the presence of diabetes was greater in women than in men at baseline. Prospectively, elevated blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, and high triglycerides contributed to diabetes-related CHD risk more in women than in men. However, after adjusting for conventional risk factors, a substantial proportion of diabetes-related CHD risk remained unexplained in both genders. CONCLUSIONS: The stronger effect of type 2 diabetes on the risk of CHD in women compared with men was in part explained by a heavier risk factor burden and a greater effect of blood pressure and atherogenic dyslipidemia in diabetic women.     

High risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 1 diabetes in the U.K.: a cohort study using the general practice research database

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the absolute and relative risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 1 diabetes in the U.K. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Subjects with type 1 diabetes (n = 7,479) and five age- and sex-matched subjects without diabetes (n = 38,116) and free of CVD at baseline were selected from the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), a large primary care database representative of the U.K. population. Incident major CVD events, comprising myocardial infarction, acute coronary heart disease death, coronary revascularizations, or stroke, were captured for the period 1992-1999. RESULTS: The hazard ratio (HR) for major CVD was 3.6 (95% CI 2.9-4.5) in type 1 diabetic men compared with those without diabetes and 7.7 (5.5-10.7) in women. Increased HRs were found for acute coronary events (3.0 and 7.6 in type 1 diabetic men and women, respectively, versus nondiabetic subjects), coronary revascularizations (5.0 in men, 16.8 in women), and for stroke (3.7 in men, 4.8 in women). Type 1 diabetic men aged 45-55 years had an absolute CVD risk similar to that of men in the general population 10-15 years older, with an even greater difference in women. CONCLUSIONS: Despite advances in care, these data show that absolute and relative risks of CVD remain extremely high in patients with type 1 diabetes. Women with type 1 diabetes continue to experience greater relative risks of CVD than men compared with those without diabetes.     

Risk factors for coronary heart disease in type 1 diabetic patients in Europe: the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to examine risk factors in the prediction of coronary heart disease (CHD) and differences in men and women in the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Baseline risk factors and CHD at follow-up were assessed in 2,329 type 1 diabetic patients without prior CHD. CHD was defined as physician-diagnosed myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and/or Minnesota-coded ischemic electrocardiograms or fatal CHD. RESULTS: There were 151 patients who developed CHD, and the 7-year incidence rate was 8.0 (per 1,000 person-years) in men and 10.2 in women. After adjustment for age and/or duration of diabetes, the following risk factors were related to CHD in men: age, GHb, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), HDL cholesterol, smoking, albumin excretion rate (AER), and autonomic neuropathy. The following risk factors were related to CHD in women: age, systolic blood pressure (BP), fasting triglycerides, AER, and retinopathy. Multivariate standardized Cox proportional hazards models showed that age (hazard ratio 1.5), AER (1.3 in men and 1.6 in women), WHR (1.3 in men), smoking (1.5 in men), fasting triglycerides (1.3 in women) or HDL cholesterol (0.74 in women), and systolic BP (1.3 in women) were predictors of CHD. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the evidence for a strong predictive role of baseline albuminuria in the pathogenesis of CHD in type 1 diabetes. Furthermore, sex-specific risk factors such as systolic BP, fasting triglycerides (or HDL cholesterol), and WHR were found to be important in the development of CHD.     

Coronary heart disease risk equivalence in diabetes depends on concomitant risk factors

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes has been defined as a coronary heart disease (CHD) risk equivalent, and more aggressive treatment goals have been proposed for diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We studied the influence of single and multiple risk factors on the 10-year cumulative incidence of fatal and nonfatal CHD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in diabetic and nondiabetic men and women, with and without baseline CHD or CVD, in a population (n = 4,549) with a high prevalence of diabetes. RESULTS: In both sexes, diabetes increased the risk for CHD (hazard ratio 1.99 and 2.93 for men and women, respectively). Diabetic men and women had a 10-year cumulative incidence of CHD of 25.9 and 19.1%, respectively, compared with 57.4 and 58.4% for nondiabetic men and women with previous CHD. The pattern was similar when only fatal events were considered. Diabetic individuals with one or two risk factors had a 10-year cumulative incidence of CHD that was only 1.4 times higher than that of nondiabetic individuals (14%). However, the 10-year incidence of CHD in diabetic subjects with multiple risk factors was >40%, and the incidence of fatal CHD was higher in these subjects than in nondiabetic subjects with previous CHD. Data for CVD showed similar patterns, as did separate analyses by sex. CONCLUSIONS: Our results and comparisons with other available data show wide variation in the rate of CHD in diabetes, depending on the population and existing risk factors. Most individuals had a 10-year cumulative incidence >20%, but only those with multiple risk factors had a 10-year cumulative incidence that was equivalent to that of patients with CHD. Until more data are available, it may be prudent to consider targets based on the entire risk factor profile rather than just the presence of diabetes.     

Circulating inflammatory and hemostatic biomarkers are associated with risk of myocardial infarction and coronary death, but not angina pectoris, in older men

Summary.  Aims : The extent to which hemostatic and inflammatory biomarkers are related to angina pectoris as compared with myocardial infarction (MI) remains uncertain. We examined the relationship between a wide range of inflammatory and hemostatic biomarkers, including markers of activated coagulation, fibrinolysis and endothelial dysfunction and viscosity, with incident myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary heart disease (CHD) death and incident angina pectoris uncomplicated by MI or CHD death in older men. Methods : A prospective study of 3217 men aged 60–79 years with no baseline CHD (angina or MI) and who were not on warfarin, followed up for 7 years during which there were 198 MI/CHD death cases and 220 incident uncomplicated angina cases. Results : Inflammatory biomarkers [C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, fibrinogen], plasma viscosity and hemostatic biomarkers [von Willebrand factor (VWF) and fibrin D-dimer] were associated with a significant increased risk of MI/CHD death but not with uncomplicated angina even after adjustment for age and conventional risk factors. Adjustment for CRP attenuated the relationships between VWF, fibrin D-dimer and plasma viscosity with MI/CHD death. Comparisons of differing associations with risk of MI/CHD deaths and uncomplicated angina were significant for the inflammatory markers ( P  < 0.05) and marginally significant for fibrin D-dimer ( P  = 0.05). In contrast, established risk factors including blood pressure and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol were associated with both MI/CHD death and uncomplicated angina. Conclusion : Circulating biomarkers of inflammation and hemostasis are associated with incident MI/CHD death but not incident angina uncomplicated by MI or CHD death in older men.     

Coronary heart disease incidence in NIDDM patients in the Helsinki Heart Study.

OBJECTIVE--To determine coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence among dyslipidemic subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and to assess the effect of lipid-modifying treatment on serum and lipoprotein lipids and the CHD incidence in these patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--Of the 4081 men participating in the Helsinki Heart Study, a coronary primary prevention trial with gemfibrozil in middle-aged men with high non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (greater than 5.2 mM; 200 mg/dL), 135 had NIDDM at entry. The incidence of definite myocardial infarction and cardiac death and changes in serum and lipoprotein lipids were determined during the 5-yr trial in the NIDDM patients and compared with those observed in nondiabetic trial participants. RESULTS--Compared with nondiabetic subjects, NIDDM patients had lower HDL cholesterol (P less than 0.001), higher triglyceride concentration (P less than 0.0001), and greater body mass index (P less than 0.001), there were more hypertensive patients (P less than 0.001) among them. The incidence of myocardial infarction and cardiac death was significantly higher among diabetic than nondiabetic participants (7.4 vs. 3.3%, respectively, P less than 0.02). CHD incidence in the gemfibrozil-treated diabetic men (n = 59) was 3.4% compared with 10.5% in the placebo group (NS). In multivariate analysis, diabetes (P less than 0.05), age (P less than 0.0001), smoking (P less than 0.0001), low HDL cholesterol (P less than 0.05), and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P less than 0.005) were independently related to CHD incidence. Gemfibrozil-induced serum and lipoprotein lipid changes in diabetic patients were similar to those observed in nondiabetic subjects. CONCLUSIONS--Compared with similarly dyslipidemic nondiabetic subjects, patients with NIDDM are at markedly increased risk of CHD. This elevated risk can be somewhat reduced by gemfibrozil.     

Insulin resistance syndrome predicts coronary heart disease events in elderly type 2 diabetic men

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether cardiovascular risk factors cluster with hyperinsulinemia in elderly type 2 diabetic subjects and, if so, whether this clustering predicts coronary heart disease (CHD) events during a 7-year follow-up. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors was analyzed by factor analysis. Cox regression models were used to investigate whether these clusters (factors) predict CHD events (CHD death or nonfatal myocardial infarction) during a 7-year follow-up in 229 type 2 diabetic subjects aged 65-74 years. RESULTS: There were 70 CHD events (21 in men and 49 in women) during the follow-up period. In diabetic men, components of the insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) loaded on Factor 1 (the insulin resistance factor), which reflected high fasting insulin, obesity (high BMI), central obesity (high waist-to-hip ratio), high total triglycerides, and a short duration of diabetes. Only this IRS factor predicted CHD events in multivariate Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.71, 95% CI 1.08-2.71, P = 0.022). In diabetic women, components of IRS loaded on two factors, none of which predicted CHD events. In women, only Factor 4, characterized by advanced age, left ventricular hypertrophy on electrocardiogram, high alcohol consumption, high systolic blood pressure, and albuminuria, predicted CHD events in multivariate Cox regression analysis (1.34, 1.03-1.74, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: IRS is a risk factor for CHD in elderly type 2 diabetic men.     

Soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1 is associated with cardiovascular disease risk and mortality in older adults

BACKGROUND: Intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) regulates leukocyte-endothelial attachment, a process crucial to atherosclerosis. Circulating soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) may serve as a marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression. OBJECTIVES: We examined the association of sICAM-1 with measures of subclinical CVD and risk of incident CVD events and death in older men and women (age > or = 65 years) from the Cardiovascular Health Study. METHODS: Selected participants were free of clinical CVD at baseline. Non-exclusive incident case groups were angina (n = 534), myocardial infarction (n = 304), stroke (n = 327), and death (n = 842; CVD death = 310). A total 643 subjects were free of events during follow-up. RESULTS: sICAM-1 was positively associated with C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and fibrinogen and measures of subclinical CVD in these older men and women. In Cox regression models adjusted for age, gender, and race, increasing levels of sICAM-1 were associated with increased risk of all cause mortality in men and women. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for a one standard deviation increase in sICAM-1 (89.7 ng mL(-1)) were 1.3 (1.1-1.4) in men and 1.2 (1.1-1.3) in women. sICAM-1 was associated with increased risk of CVD death in women (1.2; 1.0-1.5), but not men (1.1; 0.9-1.3). There were no associations of sICAM-1 with non-fatal CVD events. CONCLUSIONS: While sICAM-1 was associated with death in older men and women, there was a more marked association between sICAM-1 and CVD death in women.     

The long-term prognosis of the course of different forms of ischemic heart disease and a scale for assessing its risk of death

The data obtained in a prospective study made it possible, using Markov's analysis, to assess different forms of coronary heart disease (CHD) of long duration and to elaborate an unsophisticated scale for estimating individual risk of death from that disease. The Markov's analysis demonstrated a high enough probability (over 20%) of transformation to a remission for patients with all forms of CHD, with the probability being the least for persons with painless ischemia. The most unfavorable prognosis was assumed for patients who suffered myocardial infarction of had associated angina pectoris of effort and ischemic alterations as shown by the ECG. The highest death rate is predicted for the latter group (about 54% during 20 years). In the group of persons with painless ischemia, the death rate approaches that among patients with a history of myocardial infarction (32 and 39%, respectively). Isolated angina pectoris of effort has the most favorable prognosis.     

Retinopathy predicts cardiovascular mortality in type 2 diabetic men and women

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of retinopathy with the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in type 2 diabetic subjects in a population-based 18-year follow-up study with particular emphasis on sex differences. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Our study cohort comprised 425 Finnish type 2 diabetic men and 399 type 2 diabetic women who were free of CVD at baseline. The findings were classified based on standardized clinical ophthalmoscopy to categories of no retinopathy, background retinopathy, and proliferative retinopathy. The study end points were all-cause, CVD, and CHD mortality. RESULTS: Adjusted Cox model hazard ratios (95% CIs) of all-cause, CVD, and CHD mortality in men were 1.34 (0.98-1.83), 1.30 (0.86-1.96), and 1.18 (0.74-1.89), respectively, for background retinopathy and 3.05 (1.70-5.45), 3.32 (1.61-6.78), and 2.54 (1.07-6.04), respectively, for proliferative retinopathy and in women 1.61 (1.17-2.22), 1.71 (1.17-2.51), and 1.79 (1.13-2.85), respectively, for background retinopathy and 2.92 (1.41-6.06), 3.17 (1.38-7.30), and 4.98 (2.06-12.06), respectively, for proliferative retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Proliferative retinopathy in both sexes and background retinopathy in women predicted all-cause, CVD, and CHD death. These associations were independent of current smoking, hypertension, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, glycemic control of diabetes, duration of diabetes, and proteinuria. This suggests the presence of common background pathways for diabetic microvascular and macrovascular disease other than those included in the conventional risk assessment of CVD. The sex difference observed in the association of background retinopathy with macrovascular disease warrants closer examination.     

Should diabetes be considered a coronary heart disease risk equivalent?: results from 25 years of follow-up in the Renfrew and Paisley survey

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to confirm or refute the view that diabetes be regarded as a coronary heart disease (CHD) risk equivalent and to test for sex differences in mortality. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of 7,052 men and 8,354 women aged 45-64 years from Renfrew and Paisley, Scotland, who were first screened in 1972-1976 and followed for 25 years. All-cause mortality was calculated as death per 1,000 person-years. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to adjust survival for age, smoking habit, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, BMI, and social class. RESULTS: There were 192 deaths in 228 subjects with diabetes and 2,016 deaths in 3,076 subjects with CHD. The highest mortality was in the group with both diabetes and CHD (100.2 deaths/1,000 person-years in men, 93.6 in women) and the lowest in the group with neither (29.2 deaths/1,000 person-years in men, 19.4 in women). Men and women with diabetes only and CHD only formed an intermediate risk group. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for CHD mortality in men with diabetes only compared with men with CHD only was 1.17 (95% CI 0.78-1.74; P = 0.56). Corresponding HR for women was 1.97 (1.27-3.08; P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes without previous CHD carries a lifetime risk of vascular death as high as that for CHD alone. Women may be at particular risk. Our data support the view that cardiovascular risk factors in diabetes should be treated as aggressively as in people with CHD.     

Bicycle ergometry in patients with unstable stenocardia: its performance potentials and diagnostic and prognostic significance]

As many as 175 patients with unstable angina pectoris were examined. After the patients' status was stabilized by drug therapy on days 3-31 (after 12.5 days on the average) bicycle ergometry was performed in accordance with a standard technique. In all the cases, the exercise test produced no complications. 134 patients underwent coronary angiography to define the long-term outcome. The patients with ECG changes seen during the test and those with angina pectoris attacks alone without any changes on the ECG manifested multiple vascular lesions significantly more often than those with negative exercise results. If there were changes in the ST segment during exercise, the complications (myocardial infarction, coronary death, unstable angina pectoris relapses) common to the long-term period which lasted 25.7 months on the average were recorded significantly more often (p less than 0.01) as compared to the patients with negative exercise results.     

High risk strategies for atherosclerosis.

Calculating a person's chances of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) is not simple, as many risk factors interact in a complex fashion. Thus many markers, though significant in univariate comparisons, are no longer so when multivariate analysis is performed. Those factors contributing independently to risk can be identified only in prospective investigations such as the Münster Heart (PROCAM) or the Framingham studies. In the Münster Heart study, follow-up of middle-aged men for eight years identified the following nine independent risk variables: age, smoking history, personal history of angina pectoris, family history of myocardial infarction, systolic blood pressure, raised plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), low plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol, raised fasting plasma triglyceride and presence of diabetes mellitus. These have been used to generate an algorithm for prediction of first coronary events which is available in interactive fashion on the internet'. Large trials have shown that lowering LDL-C reduces the risk of CHD, and diminishes CHD morbidity and mortality in persons without prior evidence of coronary atherosclerosis (primary prevention). This is even more the case in patients with such evidence (secondary prevention). It appears that lowering of LDL-C also reduces all-cause mortality in secondary prevention.     

不伴心肌梗死的冠状动脉完全闭塞病变心绞痛的临床分析

目的：探讨不伴心肌梗死的冠状动脉完全闭塞病变心绞痛患者的临床特点。方法：对24例不伴心肌梗死的冠状动脉完全闭塞患者的临床表现、心电图、超声心动图及冠状动脉造影资料进行回顾分析。结果：中、高危险组主要表现为静息心绞痛，低危险组和稳定性心绞痛组主要表现为劳力型心绞痛。冠状动脉造影显示左前降支闭塞10例（37％），右冠状动脉闭塞7例（26％），左回旋支闭塞6例（22％），合并多支血管病变23例（95．8％）。心电图ST段异常14例（58．3％）。62．5％的患者进行经皮冠脉血运重建术。结论：不伴心肌梗死的冠状动脉完全闭塞主要表现为劳力型心绞痛，心电图ST段异常是预测冠脉病变严重程度的主要危险因素。经皮冠状动脉介入治疗正成为慢性冠状动脉闭塞的主要手段之一。     

Does diabetes mellitus explain the higher hospital mortality of women with acute myocardial infarction? Results from the Berlin Myocardial Infarction Registry.

BACKGROUND: Women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) exhibit greater hospital mortality than do men. In general, diabetes mellitus is one of the major factors influencing the outcome of patients with AMI. The aim of this study was to analyze the interaction between diabetes and gender, specifically with regard to the higher hospital mortality of female AMI patients aged < or = 75 years. METHODS: We prospectively collected data from 3,715 patients aged < or = 75 (2,794 men, 921 women) with acute myocardial infarction who were treated in 25 hospitals in Berlin, Germany, from 1999 to 2002. In a multivariate analysis, we specifically studied the interaction between the factors diabetes mellitus and gender in their effects on hospital mortality. RESULTS: After adjustment in multivariate analysis, the interaction between gender and diabetes was statistically significant, and the estimated odds ratios were as follows: female diabetic patients compared with male diabetic patients, odds ratio (OR) = 2.28 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.42-3.68); female diabetic patients compared with male nondiabetic patients, OR = 2.90 (95% CI 1.90-4.42); and female diabetic patients compared with female nondiabetic patients, OR = 2.92 (95% CI 1.75-4.87). There was no statistically significant difference between the risk of dying for female nondiabetic patients or for male diabetic patients when compared with male nondiabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In AMI patients aged < or = 75 years, female gender alone is not an independent predictor of hospital mortality. Detailed, multivariate analysis reveals that specifically diabetic women demonstrate higher hospital mortality than do men. Special attention should be provided to these female diabetic patients.     

Efficacy and safety of atorvastatin in the prevention of cardiovascular end points in subjects with type 2 diabetes: the Atorvastatin Study for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease Endpoints in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (ASPEN)

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is increased in type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of 10 mg of atorvastatin versus placebo on CVD prevention in subjects with type 2 diabetes and LDL cholesterol levels below contemporary guideline targets. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Subjects were randomly assigned to receive 10 mg of atorvastatin or placebo in a 4-year, double-blind, parallel-group study. The composite primary end point comprised cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, recanalization, coronary artery bypass surgery, resuscitated cardiac arrest, and worsening or unstable angina requiring hospitalization. RESULTS: A total of 2,410 subjects with type 2 diabetes were randomized. Mean LDL cholesterol reduction in the atorvastatin group over 4 years was 29% versus placebo (P < 0.0001). When we compared atorvastatin versus placebo, composite primary end point rates were 13.7 and 15.0%, respectively (hazard ratio 0.90 [95% CI 0.73-1.12]). In the subset of 1,905 subjects without prior myocardial infarction or interventional procedure, 10.4% of atorvastatin- and 10.8% of placebo-treated subjects experienced a primary end point (0.97 [0.74-1.28]). In the 505 subjects with prior myocardial infarction or interventional procedure, 26.2% of atorvastatin- and 30.8% of placebo-treated subjects experienced a primary end point (0.82 [0.59-1.15]). Relative risk reductions in fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction were 27% overall (P = 0.10) and 19% (P = 0.41) and 36% (P = 0.11) for subjects without and with prior myocardial infarction or interventional procedure, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Composite end point reductions were not statistically significant. This result may relate to the overall study design, the types of subjects recruited, the nature of the primary end point, and the protocol changes required because of changing treatment guidelines. For these reasons, the results of the Atorvastatin Study for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease Endpoints in Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (ASPEN) did not confirm the benefit of therapy but do not detract from the imperative that the majority of diabetic patients are at risk of coronary heart disease and deserve LDL cholesterol lowering to the currently recommended targets.     

Thoracoabdominal Calcifications Predict Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Type 2 Diabetic and Nondiabetic Subjects: 18-year follow-up study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate cardiovascular disease (CVD) and total mortality associated with thoracoabdominal calcifications.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Thoracoabdominal calcifications of native radiograms were evaluated in 833 subjects with type 2 diabetes and 1,292 subjects without diabetes, aged 45–64 years, without prior evidence of CVD. The type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic study cohorts were followed up for 18 years.

RESULTS

After adjustment for conventional risk factors, marked thoracoabdominal calcifications predicted CVD/total mortality with hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) of 1.5 (0.8–3.0)/1.8 (1.1–2.9) in type 2 diabetic men, 3.0 (1.6–5.7)/3.1 (1.9–5.0) in type 2 diabetic women, 5.0 (2.2–12)/4.0 (2.2–7.4) in nondiabetic men, and 7.8 (1.8–34)/3.0 (1.3–7.0) in nondiabetic women and in the presence of C-reactive protein below/over 3 mg/l with HR of 2.4 (1.3–4.4)/3.0 (1.4–6.1) in type 2 diabetic subjects and 4.0 (1.5–10.8)/6.6 (2.7–16.0) in nondiabetic subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Thoracoabdominal calcifications in native radiograms are significant predictors of CVD and total mortality, especially in type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic women with elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level.Vascular calcification is initiated by metabolic, mechanical, infectious, or inflammatory injury to vasculature. Its progression is mainly determined by inflammatory response to vascular injury (1). It may precede cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality by years or decades in subjects with type 2 diabetes (2) and in the general population (3–6). Medial calcification has been associated with CVD morbidity and mortality in diabetic subjects (7) and in subjects with end-stage renal disease (8). Calcifications can be divided into intimal type, medial type of arterial calcification, cardiac valve calcification, and vascular calciphylaxis (9). These four entities of calcifications are consequences of distinct but overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms, which can occur simultaneously. Calcifications may function as a limiting factor for intimal plaque growth and represent a biological response to this process (10). A new perspective to the question of clinical significance of calcification has evolved from the practical need to evaluate CVD effects of medications targeted to bone formation and the bone density effects of medications targeted to vascular welfare (11,12).Although inflammation is involved in the initiation and progression of vascular calcification, inflammation and calcification may reflect partly independent processes. A combination of markers of calcification and inflammation might therefore be a good predictor CVD mortality. This study evaluates thoracoabdominal calcifications, and their combination with elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), in prediction of CVD mortality in a cohort of two diabetic and nondiabetic subjects without prior evidence of CVD during an 18-year follow-up.     

血红蛋白清道夫受体与冠状动脉斑块形态关系的临床研究

目的：探讨冠心病患者血红蛋白清道夫受体（CD163）与冠状动脉斑块形态及稳定性的关系。方法：76例冠心病患者分为急性心肌梗死（AMI）组20例,不稳定型心绞痛（UAP）组26例,稳定型心绞痛（SAP）组30例,均经冠状动脉造影（CAG）确诊,20例CAG结果正常者为对照组（N组）。采用流式细胞仪测定各组患者全血单核细胞表面CD163表达水平及超敏C反应蛋白（hs-CRP）水平,分析CD163与冠状动脉斑块形态和稳定性的关系。结果：CD163在AMI组、UAP组、SAP组和对照组中的表达分别为（91.18±7.29）mfi、（67.18±6.12）mfi、（39.26±5.37）mfi和（22.78±4.67）mfi;各组间有显著差异（P〈0.01）;AMI组CD163的表达水平显著高于UAP组、SAP组和N组（P〈0.001）。UAP组CD163的表达水平显著高于SAP组和N组（P〈0.001）。SAP组CD163的表达水平显著高于N组（P〈0.001）。各组CD163与hs-CRP水平呈正相关（r=0.657,P〈0.01）。AMI组、UAP组Ⅱ型斑块的发生率显著高于SAP组,Ⅰ型、Ⅲ型斑块发生率显著低于SAP组（P〈0.01）。Ⅱ型斑块易破裂。CD163及hs-CRP水平在Ⅱ型斑块组显著高于Ⅰ型、Ⅲ型斑块组（P〈0.01）。结论：随着冠心病病情加重,CD163的表达水平逐渐升高,它可反映体内动脉粥样硬化相关的炎症程度,Ⅱ型斑块患者CD163表达显著增高,可作为预测斑块稳定性的标志物。     

Oxidation, type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease: a complex interaction: findings from a population-based study

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this study was to analyze the interrelationship among oxidation, myocardial infarction (MI), and type 2 diabetes in a population-based case-control study of MI.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Participants were 1,709 individuals from western New York: 257 women and men with incident MI and 1,452 healthy control subjects (aged 35–70 years). Lipid peroxidation was measured by plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). History of type 2 diabetes was determined by self-reported history of medical diagnosis.RESULTS—In multivariate analyses, there was no significant difference in TBARS levels between case and control subjects in both sexes. In subgroup analyses by diabetes status, diabetic subjects, regardless of MI status, exhibited significantly higher TBARS values than nondiabetic subjects. For diabetic women, TBARS values were 1.84 and 1.83 nmol/ml for case and control subjects, respectively. Values for nondiabetic women were 1.29 and 1.31 nmol/ml, respectively. In diabetic men, values were 1.65 and 1.97 nmol/ml for case and control subjects, respectively. Values for nondiabetic men were 1.36 and 1.36 nmol/ml, respectively.CONCLUSIONS—Whereas type 2 diabetes may be an important correlate of lipid peroxidation, clinical coronary heart disease may not.Oxidation has been hypothesized to be one of the plausible pathogenic mechanisms underlying the associations between coronary heart disease (CHD) and abnormalities in glucose and insulin metabolism (1). Although several studies have demonstrated the presence of increased oxidative stress in either CHD or type 2 diabetes individually, very little is known about the interrelationship among oxidation, clinical atherosclerosis, and type 2 diabetes in the general population. Thus, the current analysis attempts to examine this complex interaction using data from a population-based case-control study of myocardial infarction (MI) among residents of two western New York counties.     

Smoking--a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women? Considerations based on a prospective population study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden

A longitudinal population study of 1462 women aged 38-60 was carried out in Gothenburg, Sweden during 1968-69. The participants have been followed up for 12 years. The relationships between smoking and cardiovascular disease and between smoking and mortality have been evaluated. No significant increased risk was observed for smoking women concerning the 12-year incidence of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, electrocardiographic changes suggesting ischaemic heart disease, stroke or death from all causes. Multivariate analysis could not demonstrate an independent effect of the cigarette smoking habit in women on these end-points. In agreement with the results from the Framingham prospective study we could not in our prospective study verify the markedly increased risk of myocardial infarction in smoking women, which has been observed in a number of cross-sectional studies of women and also in prospective studies of men.