Risk factors for cardiovascular disease among people with mental illness in Namibia

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among people with mental illness attending the Mental Health Care Centre, Windhoek, Namibia Design: Observational, cross-sectional study. Setting: Mental health Care Centre, Windhoek Central Hospital. Namibia Participants: Adult patients with a mental illness attending the Mental Health Care Centre, Windhoek. Data collection: Within a systematic random sampling method, 385 adult patients with mental illness were recruited between May and December 2017. Statistical analysis: Validated assessment tools were used. Descriptive summary statistics and Chi-squared tests of association were conducted. Results: One-third (31.7%) of participants used alcohol, 21% used nicotine, 21.3% had hypertension, 55% were overweight or obese, 59.2% of females and 11.5% of males had abdominal obesity. About twenty per cent (19.9%) of participants did meet the World Health Organisation recommended level of activity, while more than two-thirds of participants did not participate in moderate or vigorous physical activities. The patient's psychiatric condition was significantly associated with alcohol use (Chi-square=20.450, p=0.002) and physical activity (Chi-square=20.989, p=0.002). The psychiatric condition was not associated with the waist circumference and gender of the participant. Conclusions: The increased prevalence of CVD risk factors in people with mental illness calls for mental health practitioners to screen, monitor and manage these risk factors regularly. Systematically screening and monitoring for cardiovascular risk factors is likely to contribute to National targets and significantly impact cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in people with mental illness

The Analysis between the Socioeconomic Factor and the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk: The 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1st Year), 2016

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to analyze the socioeconomic factors that affect atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk.METHODS: We used data from 3,704 individuals between 40 and 79 years of age, who participated in the Korean National Health Examination and Nutrition Survey in 2016. Socioeconomic groups were categorized by income and education level. We analyzed the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from logistic regression for the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk in each group.RESULTS: Using logistic regression analysis, the odds ratios and 95% CIs of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk based on high, middle, and low socioeconomic factors were 1.0, 1.597 (95% CI, 1.279–1.993), and 5.689 (95% CI, 4.030–8.032), respectively. The results after adjusting for covariates (age, gender, obesity, alcohol consumption) also showed statistical significance.CONCLUSION: We conclude that socioeconomic factors such as income and education level are correlated with increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk.

Association of Cortisol and the Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Men and Women

Obesity and the metabolic syndrome are closely related and have become increasingly prevalent in Korea. The cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors comprising the metabolic syndrome have previously been associated with increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) activity, but the associations have not been extensively examined in non-Caucasian populations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between cortisol, adiposity and the metabolic syndrome in a Korean population. A total of 1,881 adults participated in the study between January 2001 and February 2008. Sociodemographic data were assessed by questionnaires. Body composition, clinic blood pressures as well as metabolic variables including glucose, insulin, and lipid profile were assessed and analyzed in relation to cortisol levels. Mean age of the participants was 58.7 +/- 10.8 yr. Higher levels of cortisol was associated with elevated blood pressure, fasting glucose and total cholesterol in men, and between cortisol and systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose and total cholesterol in women. There was an increased risk for the metabolic syndrome associated with higher cortisol levels in both men (P < 0.001) and women (P = 0.040) adjusting for age and body mass index. Higher cortisol levels are associated with several CVD risk factors and the metabolic syndrome, independent of overall of adiposity level, in Korean men and women.

Waist circumference reference values for screening cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese children and adolescents aged 7-18 years / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To explore the optimal threshold values of waist circumference (WC) in detecting the risk on cardiovascular (CV) among the Chinese children and adolescents. Methods Association of WC and CV risk factors were studied among 65 898 children and adolescents aged 7-18 years whose data were pooled from nine studies carried out in China. Receive-operating characteristic analysis (ROC) and logistic regression were employed to derive optimal age- and sex-specific waist circumference references for predicting the CV risk factors. Results A slight increasing trend of CV risk factors was observed starting from the 75th percentile of waist circumference in the study population, while a remarkable increasing trend occurred from the 90th percentile. The optimal waist circumference thresholds for predicting high blood pressures were at the 75th percentile for both boys and girls, and at the 90th percentiles it could detect at least two of the above three CV risk factors. In comparison with children whose waist circumference was below the 75th percentile, the odds ratio of two CV risk factors doubled among children with waist circumference between 75th and 90th percentile, and increased by 6 times among children with waist circumference above the 90th percentile. The trend of high blood pressure increasing remained significant with waist circumference after having been stratified by BMI category. Conclusion The 75th and the 90th percentile of WC appeared to be the optimal cut-off points for predicting an increased and a substantially increased risk of CV factors in Chinese children and adolescents.

Impact of Diabetes Duration on the Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Korea Type 2 DM Patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact DM duration on cardiovascular disease risk factors in Korean Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. The subject were 250 (male: 134, female: 118) Korean Type 2 DM patients recruited from a general hospital's DM clinic. Anthropometric and hematological variables and dietary intake were assessed. The subject's mean age was 60.2 years and duration of diabetes was 9.5 years. As far as DM duration was concerned, male subjects with long duration (> or = 5 years and longer) showed significantly lower weight, fat free mass, skeletal muscle mass, BMI (p or = 5 years and longer) showed significantly higher fat free mass (p < 0.05) and skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.05), Hemoglobin A1c (p < 0.01), HDL-cholesterol (p < 0.01) and triglyceride (p < 0.05), dietary intakes of protein (p < 0.05) and fat (p < 0.05) compared to those with less 5years of duration. In conclusion, Type II DM patients of long duration had higher blood lipid concentrations and higher carbohydrates intakes. Subjects followed diet prescription strictly showed lower blood lipid concentration, suggesting the effectiveness of diet to manage Type 2 DM patients.

Changes of Plasma Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors according to the Health Practice and Dietary Habits in Healthy Male University Studnets / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the changes of plasma cardiovascular disease(CVD) risk factors in Korea. Overnight fasting plasma levels of total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein(HDL)-cholesterol, triacylglycerol and glucose were analyzed. Blood pressure and anthropometric data were also measured. Health practice factors such as smoking status, alcohol consumption and frequency fo exercise were evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire. Questions regarding dietary habits and food preferences were also asked. Seventy eight percent of the subjects had more than one CVD risk factor. Plasma total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and fasting blood glucose were significantly increased according to the subjects body mass index(kg/m2, BMI), whereas HDL-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein(LDL)-cholesterol and blood pressure showed no significant differences with BMI. Current smokers had significantly high plasma total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels. Alcohol consumption significantly increased plasma total cholesterol and fasting blood sugar, but regular exercise had no effects on the plasma CVD risk factors. Overeating and frequency of fast food consumption were positively correlated with the CVD risk score, whereas intake of grains, meats and vegetables were negatively correlated with that score. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the effects of specific dietary factors on plasma lipid levels. For plasma total cholesterol level, the frequency of fast food intake explained 8% of the variance, followed by habitual overeating, frequency of grain intake and high cholesterol food intake(Model R2=22.4%). For plasma triacylglycerol level, preference of oily foods accounted for 7.5% of the variance, followed by eating breakfast, preference of fruit and frequency of grain intake(Model R2=22.0%). The findings suggest that intervention programs to reduce the risk of CVD should focus on health practice through reducing BMI, smoking cessation and moderate or no alcohol drinking. Moreover, desirable dietary habits such as eating breakfast, not overeating and reduced intake of fast food may improve CVD risk.