Women and Cardiovascular Disease—Prevention of Heart Disease

The specific characteristics of cardiovascular (CV) disease in women are discussed, emphasizing that coronary heart disease (CHD) is the major health problem in women but, overall, women are still less likely to die of CHD than men. This is clarified by the fact that women under age 75 are more likely to die from a myocardial infarction when one occurs and that CHD, when it is present, is especially malignant in women under the age of 50. Separate from risk are the issues of prevention and treatment. The latest in prevention with aggressive treatment of cholesterol especially is emphasized and discussed. Regardless of gender, the guidelines for low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol lowering have become more and more intensive with benefit accruing to the patient with high CV risk of either sex at levels of LDL cholesterol below 70 mg/dl. Inflammatory risk factors as well as homocysteine and lipoprotein (a) have been shown to make a difference and their control has assumed increased importance. There are now multiple therapeutic options for attaining blood lipid goals and the major therapeutic options are discussed. Statins are still primary in controlling LDL cholesterol but numerous other medications contribute secondary additional benefits or are primary because of specific metabolic problems such as the metabolic syndrome and hypertriglyceridemia. When CHD is established or the risk for CHD is high, it is essential to treat aggressively all major risk factors: hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Such management delays development of clinical CHD and saves lives.     

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Women Veterans at VA Medical Facilities

BACKGROUND

Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and obesity in middle adulthood each elevate the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The prevalence of these conditions among women veterans is incompletely described.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the prevalence of CVD risk factors among women veterans in middle adulthood.

DESIGN

Serial cross-sectional studies of data from the Diabetes Epidemiologic Cohorts (DEpiC), a national, longitudinal data set including information on all patients in the Veterans Health Administration (VA).

PARTICIPANTS

Women veterans (n?=?255,891) and men veterans (n?=?2,271,605) aged 35–64 receiving VA care in fiscal year (FY) 2010.

MAIN MEASURES

Prevalence of CVD risk factors in FY2010 by age and, for those aged 45–54 years, by race, region, period of military service, priority status, and mental illness or substance abuse; prevalence by year from 2000 to 2010 in women veterans receiving VA care in both 2000 and 2010 who were free of the factor in 2000.

KEY RESULTS

Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes were common among women and men, although more so among men. Hypertension was present in 13 % of women aged 35–44 years, 28 % of women aged 45–54, and 42 % of women aged 55–64. Hyperlipidemia prevalence was similar. Diabetes affected 4 % of women aged 35–44, and increased more than four-fold in prevalence to 18 % by age 55–64. The prevalence of obesity increased from 14 % to 18 % with age among women and was similarly prevalent in men. The relative rate of having two or more CVD risk factors in women compared to men increased progressively with age, from 0.55 (35–44 years) to 0.71 (45–54) to 0.73 (55–64). Most of the women with a factor present in 2010 were first diagnosed with the condition in the 10 years between 2000 and 2010.

CONCLUSIONS

CVD risk factors are common among women veterans aged 35–64. Future research should investigate which interventions would most effectively reduce risk in this population.

     

Heart Rate as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease

Almost all the epidemiological studies that aimed to answer the question of the relationship between heart rate and all-cause or cardiovascular morbidity and mortality reported that a high heart rate was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. This relationship has been found to be generally stronger in men than among women. The increase in the cardiovascular risk, associated with the acceleration of heart rate, was comparable to the increase in risk observed with high blood pressure. It has been shown that an increase in heart rate by 10 beats per minute was associated with an increase in the risk of cardiac death by at least 20%, and this increase in the risk is similar to the one observed with an increase in systolic blood pressure by 10 mm Hg. It has also been shown that heart rate recorded in elderly men has a strong predictive value in survival to a very old age. Taken together, these results indicate that the risk associated with accelerated heart rate is not only statistical significant but also clinically relevant and that it should be taken into account in the evaluation of the patients. Although the association between elevated heart rate and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has been demonstrated in a large number of epidemiological studies, tachycardia has remained a neglected cardiovascular risk factor until very recently. For the first time, the recent guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology and the European Society of Hypertension indicate than an accelerated heart rate is considered as an independent risk factor and potentially as a target for pharmacologic therapies, especially in high-risk patients.     

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Knowledge of Symptoms Among Vietnamese Americans

BACKGROUND  There are few population-based studies of cardiovascular risk factors, knowledge, and related behaviors among Vietnamese Americans. OBJECTIVE  To describe cardiovascular risk factors, knowledge, and related behaviors among Vietnamese Americans and compare the results to non-Hispanic whites. DESIGN  Comparison of data from two population-based, cross-sectional telephone surveys. PARTICIPANTS  Vietnamese Americans in Santa Clara County, California, and non-Hispanic whites in California, aged 18 and older. MEASUREMENTS  Survey measures included sociodemographics, diagnoses, body mass index, fruit and vegetable intake, exercise, and tobacco use. Knowledge of symptoms of heart attack and stroke was collected for Vietnamese Americans. MAIN RESULTS  Compared to non-Hispanic whites (n = 19,324), Vietnamese Americans (n = 4,254) reported lower prevalences of obesity, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and hypertension, and similar prevalences of stroke and hypercholesterolemia. Fewer Vietnamese Americans consumed fruits and vegetables five or more times daily (27.8% vs 16.3%, p < 0.05), and more reported no moderate or vigorous physical activity (12.1% vs 40.1%, p < 0.05). More Vietnamese men than non-Hispanic White men were current smokers (29.8% vs 19.0%, p < 0.05). Vietnamese Americans who spoke Vietnamese were more likely than those who spoke English to eat fruits and vegetables less frequently, engage in no moderate or vigorous physical activity, and, among men, be current smokers. Only 59% of Vietnamese Americans knew that chest pain was a symptom of heart attack. CONCLUSIONS  There are significant disparities in risk factors and knowledge of symptoms of cardiovascular diseases among Vietnamese Americans. Culturally appropriate studies and interventions are needed to understand and to reduce these disparities.     

Elevated Heart Rate: A Major Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease

Mounting evidence shows that elevated heart rate is associated with a greater risk of developing hypertension and atherosclerosis and that it is a potent predictor of cardiovafsscular morbidity and mortality. These relationships have been shown not only in general populations but also among hypertensive individuals, with important implications for the treatment of hypertension. In spite of this evidence heart rate has been overlooked as a risk factor, but the fact that in most studies the risk related to fast heart rate remained highly significant after controlling for major risk factors for atherosclerosis suggests that it plays a direct role in the induction of the risk. The clustering of several risk factors for coronary artery disease in subjects with fast heart rate suggests that sympathetic overactivity accounts for the increased cardiovascular morbidity in subjects with tachycardia. In fact, experimental studies have shown that a heightened sympathetic tone can cause obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance which in the long run can promote the development of atherosclerosis. Moreover, experimental studies in the animal suggest that the heamodynamic disturbances related to high heart rate have a direct impact on the arterial wall promoting the development of atherosclerotic plaques. Preliminary results in the experimental animal and pooled data from intervention studies in patients with myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure suggest that drug‐induced reduction of heart rate may be beneficial in several clinical conditions.     

Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease

Survival of infants born with congenital heart disease (CHD) is improving tremendously and although most of them have mild lesions, others might be considered as only being palliated and undergo many medical or surgical interventions. Patients with CHD will be exposed to the same problematic of the modern lifestyle such as increased prevalence of obesity, decreased physical activities, and exposure to smoking, which leads to acquired cardiovascular disease. We specifically investigated specific cardiovascular risk factors such as: malnutrition, smoking exposure, hypertension, integrity of the coronary and systemic arteries, thromboembolism, ventricular dysfunction, inflammation, and arrhythmias. Patients with CHD are often submitted to extremes of nutrition: as infants, they often do not meet their metabolic requirements, and as they grow older, they tend to exceed them, as seen in the general population. Some heart lesions are more prone to systemic hypertension throughout life, such as coarctation of the aorta, but surprisingly other lesions are also prone to hypertension such as Ebstein anomaly, pulmonary valve stenosis, or regurgitation. Early coronary artery atherosclerosis is also a concern in these patients. Lesions typically at risk are localized in zones of increased turbulence or high pressure or having had previous surgical manipulations. Thromboembolism is also frequent and mostly associated with arrhythmias, heart failure, multiple catheterizations, and specific surgical repairs. Finally, the complexity of heart lesions or abnormal hemodynamics lead to inflammation, heart failure, or arrhythmias. These complex interactions of risk factors ultimately lead to a decreased life expectancy.     

Cocaine and the Long-Term Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women

BackgroundCocaine is associated with acute cardiovascular complications, but the long-term cardiovascular risks of cocaine use are poorly understood. We examined the association between cocaine use disorders and long-term cardiovascular morbidity in women.MethodsWe analyzed a longitudinal cohort of 1,296,463 women in Quebec, Canada between 1989 and 2020. The exposure included cocaine use disorders prior to or during pregnancy. The outcome was cardiovascular hospitalization up to 31 years later. We used adjusted Cox regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of cocaine use disorders with cardiovascular hospitalization.ResultsThe cohort included 2954 women with cocaine use disorders. Compared with women without an identified cocaine disorder, women with cocaine use disorders had 1.55 times greater risk of future cardiovascular hospitalization during 3 decades of follow-up (95% CI, 1.37-1.75). Cocaine use disorders were strongly associated with inflammatory heart disease (HR 4.82; 95% CI, 2.97-7.83), cardiac arrest (HR 2.93; 95% CI, 1.46-5.88), valve disease (HR 3.09; 95% CI, 2.11-4.51), and arterial embolism (HR 2.22; 95% CI, 1.19-4.14). The association between cocaine use disorder and cardiovascular hospitalization was most marked after 5 to 10 years of follow-up (HR 2.15; 95% CI, 1.70-2.72).ConclusionsWomen with cocaine use disorders have a high risk of cardiovascular hospitalization up to 3 decades later. Substance use reduction and cardiovascular risk surveillance may help reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in women with cocaine use disorders.     

Cardiovascular Imaging for Ischemic Heart Disease in Women: Time for a Paradigm Shift

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women. Women have a unique phenotype of ischemic heart disease with less calcified lesions, more nonobstructive plaques, and a higher prevalence of microvascular disease compared with men, which may explain in part why current risk models to detect obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) may not work as well in women. This paper summarizes the sex differences in the functional and anatomical assessment of CAD in women presenting with stable chest pain and provides an approach for using multimodality imaging for the evaluation of suspected ischemic heart disease in women in accordance to the recently published American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines for the evaluation and diagnosis of chest pain. A paradigm shift in the approach to imaging ischemic heart disease women is needed including updated risk models, a more profound understanding of CAD in women where nonobstructive disease is more prevalent, and algorithms focused on the evaluation of ischemia with nonobstructive CAD and myocardial infarction with nonobstructive CAD.     

影响女性冠心病的相关危险因素

冠心病的发病因素较多,本文重点讨论影响女性冠心病发生的相关危险因素。     

Heterogenous Distribution of Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Events in Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease

ObjectivesThe authors sought to assess the distribution of 5-year risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events (myocardial infarction, revascularizations, ischemic stroke) and death among symptomatic patients with varying degrees of coronary artery disease (CAD) ascertained from computed tomography angiography (CTA).BackgroundCTA is used increasingly as the first-line test for evaluating patients with symptoms suggestive of CAD. This creates the daily clinical challenge of best using the information available from CTA to guide appropriate downstream allocation of preventive treatments.MethodsAmong 21,275 patients from the Western Denmark Heart Registry, the authors developed a model predicting 5-year risk for CVD and death based on traditional risk factors and CAD severity. Only events occurring >90 days after CTA were included.ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 4.2 years, 1,295 CVD events and deaths occurred. The median 5-year risk for events was 4% (interquartile range: 3% to 8%), and ranged from <5% to >50% in individual patients. The degree of CAD severity was the strongest risk factor; however, traditional risk factors also contributed significantly to risk. Thus, risk distributions in patients with varying degree of CAD overlapped considerably, and patients with extensive nonobstructive CAD could have higher estimated risk than patients with obstructive CAD (stenosis >50%). Among patients with obstructive CAD, 12% had 5-year risk <10% whereas 24% had risk >20%. A similar large overlap in risk was found when revascularizations were excluded from the endpoint.ConclusionsThe 5-year risk for CVD events and death varies substantially in symptomatic patients undergoing CTA, even in the presence of obstructive CAD. These results provide support for individual risk assessment to improve potential benefit when allocating preventive therapies following CTA.     

绝经后妇女骨质疏松症与心血管病危险因素的相关性研究

目的探讨绝经后妇女骨密度与冠心病危险因素的相关性研究。方法选取2007年10月—2011年10月航空总医院心内科门诊及住院的绝经后妇女460例,分为骨质疏松组和非骨质疏松组,记录其存在的心血管病危险因素。结果骨质疏松组中,吸烟、高血脂、糖尿病、冠心病所占的比例高于非骨质疏松组,两组比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。多因素logistic回归分析显示,糖尿病,高脂血症是绝经后妇女骨质疏松患者的主要危险因素。雌激素水平与绝经后妇女骨密度呈负相关,绝经后妇女体内雌激素水平明显下降。结论老年人骨质疏松是一个全身性疾病,与高脂血症等心血管疾病的危险因素密切相关,治疗时应采取系统全身性措施,绝经后妇女骨质疏松患者更应采取积极的预防和治疗措施。