Stressful life events as a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease onset: A population-based case-control study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Stress is often perceived by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as the leading cause of their disease. The aim of this study was to assess whether stress, evaluated through life event (LE) occurrence, is associated with IBD onset. METHODS: Incident cases of IBD, including 167 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 74 with ulcerative colitis (UC), were compared with two control groups, one of 69 patients with acute self-limited colitis (ASLC) and another of 255 blood donors (BDs). Stress was assessed using Paykel's self-questionnaire of LEs. Only LEs occurring within 6 months before the onset of symptoms in IBD cases and ASLC controls and before blood donation in BD controls were registered. Anxiety and depression were assessed using Bate's and Beck's questionnaires, respectively. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, occurrence of LEs was more frequent in the 6-month period prior to diagnosis in CD cases than in UC cases or either control group. After adjustment for depression and anxiety scores as well as other characteristics such as smoking status and sociodemographic features, this association appeared no longer significant. No associations were noted between occurrence of LEs and onset of UC relative to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its separate association with CD, LE occurrence does not appear to be an independent risk factor for IBD onset.     

心理因素与冠心病心脏事件的关系

冠心病是严重危害人类健康的疾病之一。随着我国国民经济的发展和人民生活水平的不断提高,冠心病的发病率越来越高。研究发现心理因素与冠心病及其心脏事件(不稳定型心绞痛、急性心肌梗死、心脏性猝死及因各种心脏原因的住院)的发生有着密切的关系,冠心病的诊治模式应当由过去的生物医学模式向生物-社会-心理模式转变。     

Dual role of infections as risk factors for coronary heart disease

AIMS: The aim of the study was to explore whether exposure to microbial agents determines the prevalence of acute coronary events. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with unstable angina pectoris and myocardial infarction (N=335) and their paired controls were investigated. The subjects answered a questionnaire about their childhood contagious diseases: varicella, scarlet fever, measles, rubella, mononucleosis and mumps. Blood samples were taken for bacterial and viral serology. The odds ratio for CHD was highest in the upper quartile of the enterovirus (EV), herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Chlamydia pneumoniae HSP60 IgG antibody titers (1.86, p=0.001, 1.57, p<0.048 and 1.70, p=0.016, respectively). The antibody titers increased cumulatively the risk for CHD (odds ratios 1.89, 2.24, 3.92 and p-values <0.001, 0.001 and 0.047). Childhood contagious diseases (n=6) had a protecting effect against CHD (odds ratio 0.86, p=0.013). The risk for acute coronary events decreased significantly with increasing number of childhood contagious diseases (p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Infections have a dual role in the genesis of CHD. EV, HSV and C. pneumoniae heat shock protein 60 IgG antibodies are associated with increased risk for CHD. Protection from infections usually suffered during the childhood before the era of MMR vaccination may predispose the individual to CHD.     

Aortic stiffness as a risk factor for recurrent acute coronary events in patients with ischaemic heart disease.

AIMS: Aortic elasticity is an important determinant of left ventricular performance and coronary blood flow. Moreover, it has been shown that aortic elastic properties deteriorate in patients with coronary artery disease. However, the predictive role of aortic elasticity in the occurrence of coronary events, has not been addressed so far. Therefore, we set out to test prospectively the hypothesis that invasive as well as non-invasive measures of aortic elastic properties, assessed at rest from pressure-diameter relationships, could predict the development of recurrent coronary events. METHODS AND RESULTS: Clinical variables and measures of aortic function were assessed in 54 normotensive patients with coronary artery disease. The aortic pressure-diameter relationship was derived invasively with a high-fidelity Y shaped catheter (developed in our Institution) for aortic diameter measurements, simultaneously with a Millar catheter for aortic pressure measurements. Aortic root distensibility was assessed by non-invasive techniques. During an average of 3 years follow-up, 12 of 54 patients either developed unstable angina (n=8) or acute myocardial infarction (n=4). By multivariate Cox model analysis, aortic stiffness was the strongest predictor of progression to any end-point (relative risk: 3.24, CI: 1.79 to 5.83;P=0.000). When aortic stiffness was not considered, aortic distensibility was the only independent predictor for acute coronary syndromes (relative risk: 0.37 CI: 0.21 to 0.65;P=0.000). CONCLUSION: In patients with coronary artery disease, aortic elastic properties are powerful and independent risk factors for recurrent acute coronary events.     

Women and coronary heart disease risk factors

The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among women is high and cardiovascular risk factors often occur in clusters. Strong relationships between exposure to cigarette smoke, physical inactivity, hypertension, and abnormal levels of lipoproteins and homocysteine and subsequent coronary heart disease (CHD) in women are evident from many studies, while the impact of menopause, psychosocial factors, and inflammatory markers is less clear and requires further study. Observational studies document that smoking cessation reduces CHD risk among persons with and without existing CHD, and that moderate levels of physical activity are associated with lower CHD risk. Clinical trials over the last decade have convincingly shown that treatment of hypertension and dyslipidemia reduces CHD risk in both genders, but many women (and men) with hypertension and dyslipidemia remain either untreated or under-treated.     

Coronary artery calcium score, risk factors, and incident coronary heart disease events

BACKGROUND: Whether the absence of coronary artery calcium, or conversely the presence of high volumes of coronary artery calcium, may alter assessment of coronary heart disease risk based on traditional risk factors is uncertain. We sought to identify a potential threshold of coronary artery calcium for clinical use and examine the predictive power of coronary artery calcium in individuals categorized using conventional coronary heart disease risk assessment. METHODS: The study included 10,746 men and women (36.3%) with a mean age of 53.8+/-9.9 years who were either physician- or self-referred for electron beam tomography scanning to a preventive medical clinic. Coronary heart disease risk factors were elicited by use of a questionnaire. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 3.5 years, 81 primary events (coronary heart disease death or nonfatal myocardial infarction) occurred. Among individuals with a coronary artery calcium score of zero, the primary event rate was very low (0.4 events per 1000 person-years of observation). When participants were stratified by self-reported coronary heart disease risk factors (0-2, or 3-4), a coronary artery calcium score >or=100 was associated with substantially increased risk of coronary heart disease events within each level of stratification. In a subgroup of participants with available clinical data, similar results were found when participants were categorized by Framingham risk scores. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary artery calcium score can identify individuals at increased risk for coronary heart disease events who otherwise would be considered low-risk based on clinical assessment. A coronary artery calcium score of zero is associated with very low risk for coronary heart disease in the short to intermediate term ( approximately 3.5 years) regardless of the number of risk factors present.     

冠状动脉狭窄程度与冠心病危险因素的相关性分析

目的探讨冠状动脉狭窄程度与冠心病危险因素的相关性。方法连续性收集我科行冠状动脉造影的患者121例,根据造影结果,将患者分为冠心病组89例与对照组32例。收集2组患者临床、实验室和影像学资料,采用单因素和多因素logistic回归模型进行分析。结果冠心病组男性、糖尿病、吸烟比例和LDL-C水平均高于对照组,HDL-C水平低于对照组(P<0.05);多因素logistic回归分析示,糖尿病(OR=3.769,P=0.042)、LDL-C水平(OR=1.873,P=0.021)是冠心病的独立危险因素。中、重度冠状动脉狭窄患者吸烟比例均高于轻度狭窄者,中度狭窄患者男性比例、年龄与尿酸水平和重度狭窄患者高血压、糖尿病比例均高于轻度狭窄者,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);logistic回归分析示,年龄(OR=1.094,P=0.001)、高血压(OR=3.340,P=0.003)、糖尿病(OR=3.877,P=0.003)和吸烟(OR=4.536,P=0.003)与冠状动脉狭窄程度相关。结论冠心病的危险因素与冠状动脉狭窄程度存在显著相关性,其中糖尿病是两者共同的重要危险因素。     

Stressful life events, acid hypersecretion, and ulcer disease

We have evaluated 2 patients with symptomatic gastric disease who dated the onset of their illnesses to stressful events in their lives. In 1 patient, six family members had recently died and our patient feared that he too would die. The other patient was accused of grand theft, was under police surveillance, and had lost his job. Both patients had markedly increased gastric acid secretion rates that decreased to normal after hospitalization and reassurance in the first case and acquittal in the second case. Ulcer symptoms subsided at the same time as the decrease in acid secretion. Although we cannot prove that severe emotional stress in our patients led to acid hypersecretion and ulcer disease, their courses suggest that stressful life events caused increased acid secretion which, in turn, led to ulceration and symptoms.     

Clopidogrel and risk for acute coronary events

Clopidogrel bisulfate is a potent adenosine diphosphate receptor blocker that irreversibly inhibits platelet aggregation by preventing the activation of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa pathway. This helps to prevent thrombus formation and resultant ischemic or thrombotic complications. Clopidogrel was proven to be superior to aspirin in the treatment of atherothrombotic diseases. Clopidogrel plus aspirin, known as dual antiplatelet therapy, is highly effective in patients with acute coronary syndromes or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. There is no apparent benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy in primary prevention. In this article, we review the benefits of clopidogrel as an antiplatelet agent and its role in the management of acute coronary syndromes and following percutaneous coronary intervention.     

Role of risk factors for major coronary heart disease events with increasing length of follow up

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that the predictive value of certain risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) measured at one point in time diminishes with increasing length of follow up. DESIGNS AND METHODS: The relation was examined between a wide range of risk factors and the risk of major CHD events over 15 years' total (cumulative) follow up and for three separate five year periods (0-5.0, 5.1-10.0, and 10.1-15.0 years) in men with and without diagnosed CHD in a large prospective study of 7735 men aged 40-59 years. SETTING: General practices in 24 towns in the UK. RESULTS: The cumulative CHD event rate for all men was 9.4/1000 person-years for the 15 years of follow up. In men with no recall of a diagnosis of CHD, the established risk factors-serum total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake, diabetes mellitus, parental history, and evidence of CHD on chest pain questionnaire or on ECG-were predictive of CHD events occurring in the three specific periods after baseline measurement. Blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) was still predictive of events occurring 10.1-15.0 years later with some attenuation in the relative risk associated with systolic blood pressure. The risks associated with blood glucose and serum insulin concentration, factors measured with greater imprecision, attenuated with longer follow up and were not predictive of events occurring 10. 1-15.0 years later. In men with recall of diagnosed CHD, the absolute risk was very high (38.8/1000 person-years); only cigarette smoking, BMI, total cholesterol, and serum insulin were predictive of CHD events occurring 10.1-15.0 years later. CONCLUSION: In men without recall of diagnosed CHD most major risk factors measured in middle age predict risk of CHD events occurring in up to 15 years of follow up, both cumulatively and in the three separate five year periods. Risk factors measured at one point in time in middle age may be regarded as reliable indicators for long term prognosis of major CHD events on a group basis, despite the changes that may take place in these risk factors in some individuals during prolonged follow up.     

Stressful life events and physician utilization

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if the literature on stress and coping could be useful for studying patterns of physician utilization among older adults. It was hypothesized that elderly people with strong social support systems would be less likely to visit a physician in times of high stress than would older adults who receive less social support. This hypothesis was partially confirmed by the data. The second goal of this study was to determine whether or not locus of control beliefs buffer the effects of stress on physician use. The data suggest that elderly persons with internal locus of control beliefs make fewer visits to the doctor's office in times of high stress than do those individuals with an external locus of control orientation. It should be noted that this study did not assess changes in physician use through time and that information on stress was gathered 18 months prior to the gathering of information on physician utilization.     

Genetic risk factors in acute coronary disease

OBJECTIVE: We investigate whether each of the following: HPA-1, Factor V Leiden, prothrombin gene variant and the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR) mutation, are risk factors for acute coronary disease in Portuguese patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 100 blood donors and 52 patients with an established diagnosis of myocardial infarction or unstable angina were evaluated for genetic risk factors, by determining HPA-1 genotype, Factor V Leiden, Prothrombin 20210 variant and MTHFR mutation. RESULTS: We found a prevalence of 2.0% for Factor V Leiden, 5.0% for the Prothrombin 20210 variant and 66% for the MTHFR mutation in blood donors. These values are similar to those found in the patients (1.9, 3.8 and 58%, respectively). We found that 28/100 controls had the PI(A2) polymorphism, a frequency statistically different from that in the patients (23/52). This difference was even more pronounced in patients less than 60 years old (27/96 vs. 13/24). CONCLUSION: Factor V Leiden, Prothrombin 20210 variant and MTHFR mutation do not seem to represent risk factors for acute coronary disease. However, the PI(A2) polymorphism could have a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. The presence of multiple genetic factors, more than single ones, could influence the development and outcome of myocardial infarction and unstable angina. Larger studies are needed in order to have a better insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disease, along with its prevention and the development of new treatments.