Comparison of time domain heart rate variability parameters between smokers and non-smokers

Background: Cigarette smoking induced sympathetic overdrive is one of the major independent modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. There is altered autonomic activity with increased adrenergic activity in chronic smoking which also predisposes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. There are several tests that can determine the Autonomic Activity. Among them, heart rate variability (HRV), especially the time domain parameters of it, is simple, easy to perform, and non-invasive test for diagnosing autonomic dysfunction in the smokers. Aims and Objectives: The aims of this study were to compare the time domain parameters of HRV in smokers and non-smokers. Materials and Methods: The present study was carried out at autonomic function laboratory and cardiovascular function laboratory, Department of Physiology, Government Medical College, Bhavnagar, among 200 subjects, out of which 100 were smokers and 100 were non-smokers, in age group of 20–50 years. Results: There was a significant increase in mean heart rate, blood pressure, and R-R interval in smokers as compared to the non-smokers. There was also a significant decrease in all time domain parameters of HRV which suggests profound sympathetic overdrive and a decrease in vagal tone due to the actions of nicotine presents in tobacco smoke. Conclusions: Cigarette smoking plays a major role in degradation and decreased function of autonomic nervous system.

Fenotipos clínicos en el síndrome de apnea obstructiva del sueño / Clinical phenotypes in obstructive sleep apnea

El síndrome de apnea e hipopnea obstructiva del sueño se caracteriza por episodios repetitivos de obstrucción de vía aérea superior y es reconocida cada vez más, como un trastorno heterogéneo y complejo, proponiéndose múltiples fenotipos en base a su mecanismo patogénico, alteraciones polisomnográficas y la presentación clínica. El fenotipo clínico se enfoca en identificar características de un paciente basándose en signos, síntomas, antropometría, comorbilidades, medidas fisiológicas, anatómicas o respuesta al tratamiento. Al ser una enfermedad sub diagnosticada, de alta prevalencia y que produce elevada morbi-mortalidad, se debe estar atento a la pesquisa precoz y en las poblaciones de riesgo. Su diagnóstico se basa en el índice de apnea-hipopnea (IAH) y se requiere un IAH •5 eventos/hora para confirmar el diagnóstico. Sin embargo, cada vez hay más evidencia que el IAH por sí solo es insuficiente para comprender la presentación clínica, respuesta al tratamiento, calidad de vida y mortalidad de los pacientes con apnea del sueño. El fenotipo clínico puede servir de este modo, para entender mejor las diferentes formas de presentación teniendo como finalidad la medicina personalizada con el objetivo de favorecer la conducta terapéutica individualizada. El objetivo de esta revisión es abordar los fenotipos clínicos y proponer una huella digital en los pacientes con apnea del sueño

Obstructive sleep apnea and hypopnea syndrome is characterized by repetitive episodes of upper airway obstruction and is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous and complex disorder, proposing multiple phenotypes based on its pathogenic mechanism, polysomnographic alterations, and clinical presentation. The clinical phenotype focuses on identifying a patient's characteristics based on signs, symptoms, anthropometry, comorbidities, physiological, anatomical measures or response to treatment. As it is an underdiagnosed disease of high prevalence associated to high morbidity and mortality, we must be alert to early screening and risk populations. Diagnosis is based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) AHI •5 events/hour is required to confirm it, however, there is increasing evidence that AHI alone is insufficient to understand the clinical presentation, the response to treatment, the quality of life and the mortality of patients with sleep apnea. In this way, the clinical phenotype can serve to better understand the different forms of presentation and looks for a personalized medicine that favors an individualized therapeutic behavior. The aim of this review is to address clinical phenotypes and propose a fingerprint in patients with sleep apnea

Major cardiovascular adverse events in Fabry disease patients receiving agalsidase alfa / Eventos cardiovasculares mayores en pacientes con enfermedad de Fabry tratados con agalsidasa alfa

Abstract Cardiovascular mortality (CVM) has become the major contributor to overall Fabry disease (FD) mortality in the enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) era. Our objectives were to describe causes and potential predictors of mortality in FD adult patients in Argentina, and to assess risk of major adverse cardio vascular events (MACE) in the ERT era. We retrospectively studied 93 consecutive patients treated with alpha-galactosidase A (median follow up: 9.5 years from start of ERT). Mean age at ERT starting was 35±16.3 years. Prevalence of cardiomyopathy and renal disease reached 47% and 41%, respectively. Eleven subjects (11.8%, 95%CI: 5-18%) died during follow up (1.24/100 patient-years). Mean overall survival was 71 years (95%CI: 66-75 years). Seven cases were considered as CVM; main causes were sudden death and stroke. Risk of MACE was 14% (95%CI: 6.9-21.1%; 1.47 events/100 patient-years from start of ERT). All but 2 subjects had at least one comorbid cardiovascular risk factor; however, 86% of patients remained free of MACE during follow-up. CVM remained low and our study was underpowered for detection of predictors of mortality, but it is worth noting that age at diagnosis and ERT starting, left ventricular mass index and renal disease trended to correlate with CVM. Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia were lower in FD patients when compared to population level data. As in the Argentinean general population, CVM was the leading cause of mortality among this cohort of consecutive FD patients treated with agalsidase alfa.

Resumen La mortalidad cardiovascular (MCV) se ha convertido en el principal contribuyente a la mortalidad general por enfermedad de Fabry (EF) en la era de la terapia de reemplazo enzimático (TRE). Nuestros objetivos fueron describir las causas y posibles predictores de mortalidad en pacientes adultos con EF en la Argentina, y evaluar el riesgo de eventos cardiovasculares mayores (MACE) en la actual era de TRE. Se estudiaron 93 pacientes consecutivos tratados con agalsidasa-alfa por una mediana de 9.5 años tras iniciar TRE. La edad al inicio de TRE fue 35 ± 16.3 años. La prevalencia de cardiomiopatía y enfermedad renal alcanzó 47% y 41%, respectivamente. Once sujetos (11.8%; IC95%: 5-18%) murieron durante el seguimiento (1.24/100 pacientes/año). La supervivencia global fue 71 años (IC95%: 66-75 años). Siete casos fueron considerados como MCV; las principales causas fueron muerte súbita e ictus. El riesgo de MACE fue 14% (IC95%: 6.9-21.1%; 1.47 eventos/100 pacientes/año desde la ERT). Todos menos 2 sujetos tenían al menos un factor de riesgo cardiovascular, pero el 86% permaneció libre de MACE. Los eventos de MCV fueron escasos. El estudio tuvo reducido poder estadístico para detectar predictores de mortalidad, pero la edad al diagnóstico y al iniciar la TRE, índice de masa ventricular izquierda y enfermedad renal tendieron a correlacionarse con MCV. La prevalencia de hipertensión, diabetes y dislipidemia fue menor en comparación con la población general. Como ocurre con la población general en Argentina, los eventos cardiovasculares fueron la principal causa de muerte en esta cohorte de pacientes consecutivos con EF tratados con agalsidasa-alfa.

Metformina y sus efectos cardiovasculares

La enfermedad cardiovascular (ECV) es una de las principales causas de morbi-mortalidad a nivel mundial y produce un enorme gasto económico en la sociedad. Hay múltiples factores de riesgo cardiovascular (CV), entre ellos: el tabaco, la obesidad, la hipertensión arterial, el colesterol y la diabetes mellitus (DM). Esta última se considera como un factor independiente para el desarrollo de ECV y de insuficiencia cardíaca (IC). Como la prevalencia de la DM se va incrementando en el mundo; así lo hace, paralelamente a la IC. Se ha demostrado en estudios preclínicos y clínicos que metformina, un fármaco antidiabético, reduce los eventos CV en los pacientes con DM. La creciente evidencia sugiere que metformina tiene un efecto protector sobre la arteria coronaria más allá de sus efectos hipoglucémicos. Dada su disponibilidad global, vía de administración y costo, metformina proporciona una opción terapéutica alternativa y adicional para la prevención primaria y secundaria de la ECV en DM y no diabéticos por igual. Es una medicación segura con efectos beneficiosos sobre la HbA1c, sobre la reducción de peso y además no produce hipoglucemia cuando es usada como monoterapia. También se sabe que metformina podría tener beneficio terapéutico tanto en la IC con FEVI preservada como en la IC con FEVI reducida. El objetivo de esta revisión es demostrar los beneficios de metformina en la reducción de la ECV, además confirmar su seguridad y protección a nivel CV.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and produces an enormous economic expense in society. There are multiple cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, including: tobacco, obesity, arterial hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus (DM). The latter is considered an independent factor for the development of CVD and heart failure (HF). As the prevalence of DM is increasing in the world; it does so, in parallel with the HF. Metformin, an antidiabetic drug, has been shown in preclinical and clinical studies to reduce CV events in patients with DM. Growing evidence suggests that metformin has a protective effect on the coronary artery beyond its hypoglycemic effects. Given its global availability, route of administration, and cost, metformin provides an additional and alternative therapeutic option for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD in DM and non-diabetics alike. It is a safe medication with beneficial effects on HbA1c, on weight reduction and also does not produce hypoglycemia when used as monotherapy. It is also known that metformin could have therapeutic benefit in both HF with preserved LVEF and HF with reduced LVEF. The objective of this review is to demonstrate the benefits of metformin in reducing CVD, in addition to confirming its safety and protection at the CV level.

As doenças cardiovasculares (DCV) são uma das principais causas de morbimortalidade em todo o mundo e geram um enorme gasto econômico para a sociedade. Existem múltiplos fatores de risco cardiovascular (CV), incluindo: tabaco, obesidade, hipertensão arterial, colesterol e diabetes mellitus (DM). Este último é considerado um fator independente para o desenvolvimento de DCV e insuficiência cardíaca (IC). Como a prevalência de DM está aumentando no mundo; ele o faz, em paralelo com o IC. Metformina, um medicamento antidiabético, demonstrou em estudos pré-clínicos e clínicos reduzir os eventos CV em pacientes com DM. Evidências crescentes sugerem que a metformina tem um efeito protetor na artéria coronária além de seus efeitos hipoglicêmicos. Dada sua disponibilidade global, via de administração e custo, a metformina oferece uma opção terapêutica adicional e alternativa para a prevenção primária e secundária de DCV em DM e não diabéticos. É um medicamento seguro com efeitos benéficos na HbA1c, na redução de peso e também não produz hipoglicemia quando usado em monoterapia. Sabe-se também que metformina pode ter benefício terapêutico tanto na IC com FEVE preservada quanto na IC com FEVE reduzida. O objetivo desta revisão é demonstrar os benefícios de metformina na redução das DCV, além de confirmar sua segurança e proteção em nível de CV.

Relación entre el consumo habitual de café y la mortalidad general y cardiovascular: revisión de revisiones sistemáticas de la literatura / Relationship between habitual coffee consumption and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: systematic review of reviews

El objetivo de este estudio fue establecer la relación entre consumo habitual de café y la mortalidad general y cardiovascular. En una búsqueda sistemática en Medline, EMBASE, LILACS y Cochrane se seleccionaron y analizaron revisiones sistemáticas y meta-análisis por una pareja de investigadores. De 181 referencias, 74 fueron seleccionadas por título y resumen; luego de eliminar duplicados y según el puntaje de calidad obtenido por AMSTAR, se consideraron 5 artículos para extracción y análisis. El consumo moderado de café (3 o 4 tazas) disminuye la mortalidad general, tanto comparado con el no consumo (RR= 0,83; IC95%: 0,79-0,88; I2= 83% para 3 tazas, y RR=0,84 IC95%: 0,82-0,87; I2= 58% para 4), como con un consumo mínimo (RR= 0,88; IC95%: 0,84-0,93; I2= 68,7% para 4 tazas, y RR= 0,87; IC95%: 0,83-0,91; I2= 59,8% para consumo entre 3 y 4 tazas). La mortalidad cardiovascular se reduce si se compara con el no consumo, para 4 tazas (RR= 0,80; IC95%: 0,74-0,86; I2= 58%) y (RR= 0,83; IC95%: 0,75-0,92, I2 = 92%) y para 3 tazas (RR= 0,81; IC95%: 0,72-0,90; I2= 92%) y RR (0,79; IC95% 0.74-0.84; I2= 58%). Como conclusión, el consumo habitual de 3 y 4 tazas de café reduce la mortalidad general y cardiovascular.

The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between habitual coffee consumption and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. A systematic review was conducted using Medline, EMBASE, LILACS and Cochrane databases. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis were selected and analyzed. From 181 systematic reviews, 74 were selected by title and summary; after eliminating duplicates. According to the quality score of the AMSTAR tool, five articles were selected for information extraction and analysis. Moderate coffee consumption (3 or 4 cups) decreased overall mortality, compared to non-consumption (RR= 0.83, 95% CI: 0.79-0.88; I2= 83% for 3 cups, and RR= 0.84, 95% CI: 0.82-0.87; I2= 58% for 4 cups) and minimum consumption (RR= 0.88, 95% CI: 0.84-0.93; I2= 68.7% for 4 cups, and RR= 0.87, 95% CI: 0.83-0.91; I2= 59.8% between 3 and 4 cups). Cardiovascular mortality was reduced when compared to non-consumption, for 4 cups (RR= 0.80, 95% CI: 0.74-0.86; I2= 58%) and (RR= 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75-0.92; I2= 92%), and for 3 cups (RR= 0.81, 95 CI: 0.72-0.90; I2= 92%; RR= 0.79, 95% CI: 0.74-0.84; I2= 58%). In conclusion, habitual coffee consumption between 3 and 4 cups reduces the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

Recomendaciones latinoamericanas para el manejo de la hipertensión arterial en adultos (RELAHTA 2)

RESUMEN Se presenta la segunda parte de las recomendaciones latinoamericanas para el manejo de la Hipertensión Arterial (HTA) en adultos. En una primera fase se han descripto los aspectos más relevantes de la epidemiología, aspectos fisiopatológicos, cómo hacer diagnóstico, pautas terapéuticas, urgencias y emergencias hipertensivas, poblaciones especiales, hipertensión refractaria y la aplicación de las guías en la vida real. En esta segunda parte, se emiten recomendaciones respondiendo a preguntas específicas para prevención primaria, secundaria, terciaria y cuaternaria. En general pocas recomendaciones al respecto del manejo de la hipertensión arterial surgen desde la clínica médica/ medicina interna, a pesar de dos situaciones: la mayoría de los pacientes con hipertensión arterial son evaluados y manejados por los clínicos, y la clínica médica es la especialidad que permite la mirada holística e integrada de los problemas de salud del adulto, permitiendo agregar el enfoque biográfico al biológico, comprender e interpretar no solo el problema de salud sino sus causas y consecuencias (que muchas veces suelen corresponder a diferentes parénquimas, lo cual en el modelo fragmentado haría transitar al paciente por distintas especialidades). El bajo porcentaje de pacientes hipertensos controlados obliga a todos los profesionales involucrados en el manejo de los mismos a optimizar recursos y detectar problemas que se asocien a un control deficitario como la sub utilización del tratamiento farmacológico, baja tasa de pacientes tratados con estrategia combinada (la mayoría de los pacientes actualmente recibe monoterapia), falta de prescripción adecuada de los cambios en el estilo de vida, baja adherencia terapéutica e inercia clínica. En la presente publicación se presentan recomendaciones efectuadas por especialistas en clínica médica / medicina interna para el manejo de la hipertensión arterial en adultos, respondiendo preguntas de prevención primaria, secundaria, terciaria, y cuaternaria.

ABSTRACT The second part of the Latin American recommendations for the management of Arterial Hypertension (HTA) in adults is presented. In a first phase, the most relevant aspects of epidemiology, physiopathological aspects, how to diagnose, therapeutic guidelines, hypertension emergencies, special populations, refractory hypertension and the application of guides in real life have been described. In this second part, recommendations are issued answering specific questions for primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary prevention. In general, few recommendations regarding the management of arterial hypertension arise from the medical clinic / internal medicine, despite two situations: the majority of patients with hypertension are evaluated and managed by the clinicians, and the medical clinic is the specialty that allows the holistic and integrated look of the health problems in adults, allowing to add the biographical approach to the biological, to understand and interpret not only the health problem but its causes and consequences (which often correspond to different parenchyma, which in the fragmented model would make the patient move through different specialties). The low percentage of controlled hypertensive patients forces all the professionals involved in the management of them to optimize resources and detect problems that are associated with a deficit control such as the under utilization of pharmacological treatment, low rate of patients treated with combined strategy (the most patients currently receive monotherapy), lack of adequate prescription of changes in lifestyle, low therapeutic adherence and clinical inertia. This publication presents recommendations made by specialists in medical clinic/internal medicine for the management of hypertension in adults, answering primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary prevention questions.

Effect of serum uric acid level on prognosis in maintenance hemodialysis patients / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective@#To analyze the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) level and clinical indicators in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, and explore its influence on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality.@*Methods@#This study was a retrospective cohort study. Patients who received MHD from the blood purification center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 1, 2011 to December 30, 2015 were enrolled in the queue. They were divided into 3 groups according to the first and third quantile of the SUA level quartiles, and the baseline data of clinical and laboratory examinations were compared. The correlation between SUA level and clinical indicators was analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression model were used to examine the association between SUA and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in MHD patients.@*Results@#A total of 201 patients were enrolled in the study. The age of the patients was (56.9±16.7) years and the baseline SUA level was (531.1±137.9) μmol/L. Patients were divided into 3 groups with the first quantile (442 μmol/L) and the third quantile (620 μmol/L) of the SUA quartiles as the boundary points: group 1 (SUA<442 μmol/L, n=52), group 2 (SUA 442-620 μmol/L, n=101) and group 3 (SUA>620 μmol/L, n=48). The results showed that the patients in group 1 were older and had more proportion of patients with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases than those in group 3 (all P<0.05). Compared to group 3, the serum albumin, serum phosphorus and serum creatinine were lower in group 1, while the hypersensitive C-reactive protein was higher (all P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that SUA level was positively correlated with albumin (r=0.135, P=0.047), blood phosphorus (r=0.269, P<0.001) and serum creatinine (r=0.333, P<0.001), and negatively correlated with hypersensitive C-reactive protein (r=-0.216, P=0.002). After a median follow-up of 49.8 months, 66(32.8%) all-cause deaths and 32(15.9%) cardiovascular deaths were recorded. Kaplan-Meier method showed that with the decrease of SUA, all-cause mortality (Log-rank χ2=18.27, P<0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (Log-rank χ2=15.04, P=0.001) increased. After adjusting for age, gender, comorbidity and other factors using the Cox proportional hazards model, the all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality decreased by 20.1% (HR=0.799, 95% CI 0.651-0.980, P=0.031) and 29.6% (HR=0.704, 95% CI 0.524-0.946, P=0.020) for each 100 μmol/L increase in baseline SUA. Compared to group 1, all-cause mortality (HR=0.332, 95%CI 0.142-0.774, P=0.011) and cardiovascular mortality (HR=0.140, 95%CI 0.030-0.657, P=0.013) were lower in the group 3.@*Conclusion@#Low SUA level increases the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in MHD patients.

Effect of serum uric acid level on prognosis in maintenance hemodialysis patients / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective To analyze the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) level and clinical indicators in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, and explore its influence on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Methods This study was a retrospective cohort study. Patients who received MHD from the blood purification center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of SunYat-sen University from January 1, 2011 to December 30, 2015 were enrolled in the queue. They were divided into 3 groups according to the first and third quantile of the SUA level quartiles, and the baseline data of clinical and laboratory examinations were compared. The correlation between SUA level and clinical indicators was analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression model were used to examine the association between SUA and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in MHD patients. Results A total of 201 patients were enrolled in the study. The age of the patients was (56.9 ± 16.7) years and the baseline SUA level was (531.1±137.9)μmol/L. Patients were divided into 3 groups with the first quantile (442μmol/L) and the third quantile (620 μmol/L) of the SUA quartiles as the boundary points: group 1 (SUA<442 μmol/L, n=52), group 2 (SUA 442-620 μmol/L, n=101) and group 3 (SUA>620 μmol/L, n=48). The results showed that the patients in group 1 were older and had more proportion of patients with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases than those in group 3 (all P<0.05). Compared to group 3, the serum albumin, serum phosphorus and serum creatinine were lower in group 1, while the hypersensitive C-reactive protein was higher (all P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that SUA level was positively correlated with albumin (r=0.135, P=0.047), blood phosphorus (r=0.269, P<0.001) and serum creatinine (r=0.333, P<0.001), and negatively correlated with hypersensitive C-reactive protein (r=-0.216, P=0.002). After a median follow-up of 49.8 months, 66(32.8％) all-cause deaths and 32 (15.9％) cardiovascular deaths were recorded. Kaplan-Meier method showed that with the decrease of SUA, all-cause mortality (Log-rank χ2=18.27, P<0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (Log-rank χ2=15.04, P=0.001) increased. After adjusting for age, gender, comorbidity and other factors using the Cox proportional hazards model, the all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality decreased by 20.1％(HR=0.799, 95％CI 0.651-0.980, P=0.031) and 29.6％(HR=0.704, 95％CI 0.524-0.946, P=0.020) for each 100μmol/L increase in baseline SUA. Compared to group 1, all-cause mortality (HR=0.332, 95％CI 0.142-0.774, P=0.011) and cardiovascular mortality (HR=0.140, 95％CI 0.030-0.657, P=0.013) were lower in the group 3. Conclusion Low SUA level increases the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in MHD patients.

Conceito e aspectos epidemiológicos da hipertensão arterial / Concepts and epidemiological aspects of arterial hypertension

Este artigo trata na primeira parte dos conceitos fisiológicos de pressão arterial, depois dos conceitos patológicos da Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmicas (HAS), sua importância seus desafios. Incorporamos conceitos de Epidemiologia Básica. As medidas de ocorrências mais importantes como prevalência de HAS, no Brasil e no mundo, as proporções das mortes cardiovasculares em nosso meio com suas taxas proporcionais. Concluindo que é alta a prevalência de HAS sua mortalidade vem crescente e dentre muitas causas pode perceber os crescentes fatores de risco cardiovasculares bem como o subfinancia mento do Sistema único de saúde (SUS).

This article deals in the first part of the physiological concepts of blood pressure, after the pathological concepts of Systemic Arterial Hypertension (SAH), its importance its challenges. We incorporate concepts of Basic Epidemiology. The most important measures such as the prevalence of SAH in Brazil and in the world, the proportions of cardiovascular deaths in our country with their proportional rates. Concluding that the prevalence of hypertension is high, its mortality is increasing and among many causes can perceive the increasing cardiovascular risk factors as well as the underfunding of the single health system (SUS).

Decomposition of mortality rates from cardiovascular disease in the adult population: a study for Brazilian micro-regions between 1996 and 2015 / Decomposição das taxas de mortalidade por doenças cardiovasculares na população adulta: um estudo para as microrregiões brasileiras entre 1996 e 2015 / Descomposición de las tasas de mortalidad por enfermedades cardiovasculares en la población adulta: un estudio para las microrregiones brasileñas entre 1996 y 2015

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most serious health issues and the leading cause of death worldwide, causing 30% of deaths in Brazil alone in recent years. However, CVD mortality rates are not uniformly distributed across the country. Brazil is marked by important regional differences resulting from socioeconomic inequality and limited access to health services. Given the spatial distribution of causes and heterogeneity of deaths from cardiovascular disease in Brazil, both at macro and micro levels, the goal of this paper is to investigate how age composition effects and age-specific mortality rates are related to the observed difference in deaths from cardiovascular disease in the adult population (over 30 years of age), by sex, in Brazilian micro-regions from 1996 to 2015. The results suggest there has been a decrease in mortality rates resulting from cardiovascular disease, and that both the effects of age structure and level may have influenced the variation of these deaths in Brazil over the period analyzed. These findings indicate that the Brazilian epidemiological transition is not uniform across and within regions of the country.

As mortes por doenças cardiovasculares constituem um dos mais sérios problemas de saúde, pois representam a primeira causa de morte em todo o planeta, inclusive no Brasil (algo em torno de 30% nos últimos anos). Entretanto, a mortalidade devido a essa causa não se apresenta de maneira uniforme no território brasileiro, uma vez que o país ainda possui importantes disparidades regionais resultantes das desigualdades socioeconômicas e de acesso aos sistemas de saúde. Diante disso, o objetivo deste artigo é verificar como efeitos de idade e taxas podem explicar o diferencial observado de mortes por doenças cardiovasculares na população adulta, por sexo, nas microrregiões brasileiras, no período de 1996 a 2015. Para tanto, e após a correção dos sub-registro de óbitos, foi utilizada a técnica de decomposição. Os resultados sugerem que há uma diminuição nas taxas de mortes por doenças cardiovasculares e que tanto o efeito da estrutura etária como o do nível podem ter influenciado na variação destas mortes registradas no Brasil ao longo do período analisado. Estes achados indicam que a transição epidemiológica brasileira não é uniforme entre e mesmo dentro dos próprios estados e, consequentemente, o Brasil ainda tem um extenso percurso para caminhar.

El número de muertes por enfermedades cardiovasculares es uno de los más graves problemas de salud, ya que representan la principal causa de muerte en toda la Tierra, incluso en Brasil (alrededor del 30% en los últimos años). Sin embargo, la mortalidad por esta causa no se presenta de manera uniforme en el territorio brasilero, ya que el país todavía tiene importantes diferencias regionales que resultan de las desigualdades socioeconómicas y del acceso a los sistemas de salud. En este sentido, el propósito de este artículo es ver cómo los efectos de edad y tasas pueden explicar la diferencia que se observa entre muertes por enfermedades cardiovasculares en la población adulta por sexo en las microrregiones brasileñas en el período 1996-2015. Para ello, luego de la corrección del subregistro de muertes, se utilizó la técnica de descomposición. Los resultados sugieren una disminución en las tasas de muertes por enfermedades cardiovasculares, y que tanto el efecto de la estructura de edad como el nivel pueden haber influido en la variación de estas muertes registradas en Brasil durante el período de análisis. Estos hallazgos indican que la transición epidemiológica brasileña no es uniforme entre, e incluso dentro, de los propios estados y que, en consecuencia, Brasil aún tiene un largo camino por recorrer.

Associations of low serum total bilirubin level with all?cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in peritoneal dialysis patients / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objective To investigate the association of low serum total bilirubin (TBIL) levelwith all?cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in peritoneal dialysis patients. Methods As a single ? center, retrospective, cohort study, all the patients who underwent peritoneal dialysis catheterization in the Department of Nephrology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat?sen University and started peritoneal dialysis for more than 3 months from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010 were included. Demographics, baseline clinical and laboratory test results were collected. All patients were followed up until December 31, 2012. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to their baseline serum TBIL levels (interquartile range). Kaplan?Meier method was used to compare the survival rate of each group. Cox regression model was used to analyze the association of TBIL with all?cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of low TBIL level. Results A total of 880 peritoneal dialysis patients with baseline TBIL data were enrolled in this study, with age of (48.0 ± 15.4) years old, among whom 59.0％ were male. Median TBIL was 4.5 μmol/L and interquartile range was 3.4?5.8 μmol/L. The comparison between TBIL quartile groups showed that the difference in proportion of diabetics, Charlson comorbidity index, hemoglobin, serum albumin, serum calcium, intact parathyroid hormone, urea nitrogen, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was statistically significant (all P<0.05), while the difference in body mass index (BMI), estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, uric acid and phosphorus was not statistically significant. After a median follow?up of 31 months, 194 patients died, 104 of which were cardiovascular deaths. Kaplan?Meier curves showed higher all?cause mortality in patients with TBIL≤3.4 μmol/L (Q1 group) (P=0.032) and there was no statistical difference in the cardiovascular mortality among different groups. After adjusting for biochemical indicators such as demographics, comorbidities, and liver function, taking baseline TBIL Q2 level (3.4<TBIL≤4.5 μmol/L) as a reference, the hazard ratio for all?cause death in patients with TBIL≤3.4 μmol/L was 1.702 (95％CI 1.093-2.650, P=0.019), and the hazard ratio for cardiovascular death was 1.760 (95％CI 0.960-3.227, P=0.068). Multiple logistic regression analysis results showed that diabetes (OR=1.065, 95％CI 1.010-1.122, P=0.019) and high BMI (OR=1.838, 95％CI 1.056-3.197, P=0.031) were risk factors for baseline serum TBIL≤3.4 μmol/L. However, high hemoglobin (OR=0.990, 95％CI 0.982-0.998, P=0.011), high serum albumin (OR=0.950, 95％CI 0.916-0.985, P=0.006) and high ALT (OR=0.998, 95％CI 0.976-0.999, P=0.036) were the protective factors for patients with baseline serum TBIL≤3.4 μmol/L. Conclusion Baseline serum TBIL≤3.4 μmol/L in peritoneal dialysis patients is independently associated with all?cause mortality, and is not significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality; and baseline serum TBIL≤3.4 μmol/L occurred is associated with diabetes, high body mass index, low levels of hemoglobin, serum albumin and ALT.

Safety of ticagrelor and clopidogrel for acute coronary syndromes: A systemic analysis / 解放军医学杂志

Objective To systemically evaluate the different on the incidence of cardiovascular events of platelet aggregation inhibitors ticagrelor and clopidogrel for acute coronary syndrome (ACS),so provide cardiovascular event reference for the selection ofACS platelet inhibitors.Methods Articles were collected according to the inclusion criteria from the database CNKI,Chongqing VIP,Taylor & Francis Open Access Journals,Wanfang,Cochrane Library,SinoMed,EMbase and PubMed from Jan.2000 to May 2017.Review Manager 5.3 was used for data analysis to get the odds ratio (OR) as final effect value.Publication bias of the literatures and the sensitivity of the study were also analyzed with the software.Results A total of 12 articles involving 86 849 patients were included,i.e.,8 random controlled trials,2 case control studies and 2 cohort studies.Quality assessment with Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews shows that,most studies gave low risks in 7 bias aspects.Jadad score assessment was employed in 8 random controlled trials,with 4 studies getting 3 points,3 getting 4 points and 1 getting 5 points,implying the significant quality of the included studies.Meta-analysis showed that compared with clopidogrel,significantly lower cardiovascular mortality (OR=0.80,95％CI:0.72-0.89,P＜0.01) and incidence of myocardial infarction (OR=0.78,95％CI:0.61-0.99,P＜0.05)were with ticagrelor.Conclusion Compared to clopidogrel,ticagrelor may lead to lower cardiovascular mortality and incidence of myocardial infarction in treatment of ACS.

Calcium intake: good for the bones but bad for the heart? An analysis of clinical studies

ABSTRACT The proper dietary calcium intake and calcium supplementation, when indicated, are important factors in the acquisition of peak bone mass during youth and in the prevention of fractures in old age. In addition to its deposition in bone, calcium confers an increase in its resistance and exhibits important activities in different enzymatic pathways in the body (e.g., neural, hormonal, muscle-related and blood clotting pathways). Thus, calcium supplementation can directly or indirectly affect important functions in the body, such as the control of blood pressure, plasma glucose, body weight, lipid profile and endothelial function. Since one publication reported increased cardiovascular risk due to calcium supplementation, many researchers have studied whether this risk actually exists; the results are conflicting, and the involved mechanisms are uncertain. However, studies that have evaluated the influence of the consumption of foods rich in calcium have reported no increase in the cardiovascular risk, which suggests that nutritional intake should be prioritized as a method for supplementation and that the use of calcium supplements should be reserved for patients who truly need supplementation and are unable to achieve the recommended daily nutritional intake of calcium.

Low level of 25 (OH)D predict mortality in maintenance hemodialysis patients / 重庆医学

Objective To analyze the relationship between the level of 25 (OH )D and mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (M HD) patients .Methods This study was a prospective cohort study .We enrolled 156 M HD patients of Sichuan people′s hospital dialysis center in July of 2010 .The patients were divided into three groups according to the level of 25(OH)D .The three groups were normal(25(OH)D>30 ng/mL) ,insufficient(15 ng/mL<25(OH)D≤30 ng/mL) and deficient(25(OH)D≤15 ng/mL) re‐spectively .All the patients were follow‐up 40 months ;the end point was all‐cause and cardiovascular death .Results After follow‐up 40 months ,there were 26 deaths (16 .7% ) and 13 cardiovascular deaths among the 156 cases .There were 15 deaths (30 .6% ) in in‐sufficient group ,among which there were nine cardiovascular deaths ;there were eight deaths (11 .6% ) in deficient group ,among which there were three cardiovascular deaths ;there were three deaths (7 .9% ) in normal group ,among which there was one cardio‐vascular death .There was statistically significance either between all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality of deficient and normal group or between deficient and insufficient group (P<0 .05) .The Kaplan‐Meier curve analysis showed 25(OH)D≤15 ng/mL was the independent risk factor of the all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality(P<0 .05) .Cox regression showed 25(OH)D≤15 ng/mL was the independent risk factor of the all‐cause mortality in crude analysis (RR=4 .43 ,95% CI:1 .28-15 .32 ,P<0 .05) and adjus‐ted analysis (RR=4 .92 ,95% CI 1 .23-19 .66 ,P<0 .05) .Cox regression showed 25(OH)D≤15 ng/mL was the risk factor of the cardiovascular mortality in crude analysis(RR=8 .12 ,95% CI:1 .04 -64 .15 ,P=0 .047) .Conclusion 25(OH)D≤15 ng/mL was the risk factor and predictor of the all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality in M HD patients .

Spatial analysis of PM10 and cardiovascular mortality in the Seoul metropolitan area

OBJECTIVES: Numerous studies have revealed the adverse health effects of acute and chronic exposure to particulate matter less than 10 mum in aerodynamic diameter (PM10). The aim of the present study was to examine the spatial distribution of PM10 concentrations and cardiovascular mortality and to investigate the spatial correlation between PM10 and cardiovascular mortality using spatial scan statistic (SaTScan) and a regression model. METHODS: From 2008 to 2010, the spatial distribution of PM10 in the Seoul metropolitan area was examined via kriging. In addition, a group of cardiovascular mortality cases was analyzed using SaTScan-based cluster exploration. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) was applied to investigate the correlation between PM10 concentrations and cardiovascular mortality. RESULTS: An examination of the regional distribution of the cardiovascular mortality was higher in provincial districts (gu) belonging to Incheon and the northern part of Gyeonggido than in other regions. In a comparison of PM10 concentrations and mortality cluster (MC) regions, all those belonging to MC 1 and MC 2 were found to belong to particulate matter (PM) 1 and PM 2 with high concentrations of air pollutants. In addition, the GWR showed that PM10 has a statistically significant relation to cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSIONS: To investigate the relation between air pollution and health impact, spatial analyses can be utilized based on kriging, cluster exploration, and GWR for a more systematic and quantitative analysis. It has been proven that cardiovascular mortality is spatially related to the concentration of PM10.

A Reverse Dipping Pattern Predicts Cardiovascular Mortality In a Clinical Cohort

An abnormal dipping pattern in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a cardiovascular (CV) risk factor. However, its impact on CV mortality has not been investigated sufficiently in clinical practice to be considered a standard parameter. We assessed the association between abnormal dipping patterns and increased CV mortality in a tertiary hospital in Korea. Our retrospective cohort study included 401 patients who underwent ABPM between 1994 and 1996 in Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. The patients were classified as risers ( or =0% drop, n=294). The follow-up period was 120 months. The frequency of CV mortality was 14.0% in risers and 5.8% in others. A Cox regression analysis found a significant association between dipping pattern and CV mortality, after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking and hypercholesterolemia. Risers were at greater risk of CV death than others (RR, 3.02, P=0.022), but there was no difference in event rates between dippers and non-dippers. The reverse dipping pattern may be more frequent in clinical settings than in the population at large, and it is strongly associated with increased risk of CV mortality in Korea.

Relation between K469E gene polymorphism of ICAM-1 and recurrence of ACS and cardiovascular mortality

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the relation between K469E gene polymorphism of intercellular adhesion molecular-1 (ICAM-1) and the recurrence of ACS and cardiovascular mortality.@*METHODS@#A total of 185 patients with ACS hospitalized in Department of Cardiology in our hospital from Sep 2007 to Sep 2008 were selected as objectives. Polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze K469E gene polymorphism of ICAM-1. According to the genotypes, they were divided into two groups: group with K allele (KK+KE) and group without K allele (EE). The two groups were followed up prospectively for five years and blood lipid, blood pressure, blood glucose, recurrence and death of ACS were collected when the patients left hospital. The relation between ICAM-1 gene polymorphism and the recurrence of ACS and cardiovascular mortality was analyzed by Logistic regression.@*RESULTS@#After long-term follow-up, it was found that ACS recurred on 71 cases (38.4%) and 10 cases died, among which 3 cases died of cardiovascular disease. The recurrence of ACS and cardiovascular mortality in group with K allele were remarkably higher than that in group without K allele (P0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#K469E gene polymorphism of ICAM-1 was related to ACS recurrence and cardiovascular mortality, K allele probably an independent risky factor and hypertension and to which the level of HDL-C were closely related.

Inflamación subclínica en enfermedad renal crónica: marcadores, causas y mortalidad cardiovascular / Subclinical inflammation in chronic renal failure: markers, causes and cardiovascular mortality

Los pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica (ERC) sometido a hemodiálisis de mantenimiento (HD) tienen un riesgo de mortalidad cardiovascular y general muy elevado. La uremia se ha asociado a inflamación sistémica. Esta inflamación ha sido relacionada con la mortalidad general y cardiovascular de estos pacientes. La elevación de la proteína C reactiva, uno de los marcadores de inflamación más comunes es predictiva de mortalidad cardiovascular en la población en diálisis. Otros marcadores de: inflamación predictivos de eventos adversos en diálisis son la interleukina -6 y el factor de necrosis tumoral alfa. Recientemente otro marcador de inflamación, la pentraxina 3 (PTX3) ha demostrado ser un predictor de mortalidad, y en pacientes en HD se ha relacionado con enfermedad cardiovascular y malnutrición calóricoproteica. Varios estudios han demostrado que contaminaciones con muy pequeñas cantidades de endotoxinas bacterianas producen una respuesta inflamatoria subclínica. En los pacientes en HD hay varias fuentes de endotoxemia, como fluidos, tejidos y cuerpos extraños. Los líquidos de diálisis están contaminados con bacterias Gram-negalivas y sustancias inductoras de citoquinas derivadas de estos microorganismos. La presencia de biofilms incrementa el riesgo de una contaminación continua de estos líquidos. La periodontitis severa está asociada a incrementos en las concentraciones séricas de hs-CRP y es frecuente en pacientes en HD y trasplantados. Las uremia per se puede ser una causa de translocación de endotoxina desde el intestino. Finalmente otras fuentes de infección oculta que pueden llevar a una respuesta inflamatoria subclínica son la presencia de catéteres para diálisis, las fístulas arteriovenosas no funcionantes y los injertos no funcionantes.

Patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis (HD) have a very high risk of total and cardiovascular mortality. Uremia is associated with systemic inflammation. This inflammation is related to the general and cardiovascular mortality of these patients. Elevation of C reactive protein (CRP), one of the most common inflammation rnarkers is predictive of cardiovascular rnortality in the dialysis population. Other inflammation markers that are predictive of adverse events in dialysis are interleukin -6 and Tumor necrosis factor alfa. Recently another inflammation marker, pentraxin 3 (PTX3) have shown to be a predictor of rnortality, and in HD patients it has been related to cardiovascular disease and calorie –protein malnutrition. Several studies have shown that contaminations very small quantities of bacterial endotoxins produce a subclinical inflammatory response. In patients on HD there are several] sources of endetoxin, as fluids, tissues and foreign bodies. Dialysis fluids are contaminated with Gram-negative bacteria and substances that can induce cytokine production derived from theses microorganisms. The presence of biofilms increases the risk of a continuous contamination of these fluids. Severe periodontitis is associated with increased serurn concentrations uf high sensitivity-CRP and this is frequent in patients in HD and transplanted patients. Uremia per se can be a cause of endotoxin translocation from the intestine. Finally other sources of occult infection that can lead to a subclinical inflammatory response are the presence of catheters for dialysis, nonfunctioning grafts or fistulas and non-Functioning kidney grafts.

The Influence on Cardiovascular Mortality of the Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Postmenopausal Women / 대한폐경학회지

OBJECTIVES: Metabolic syndrome components, insulin resistance and central obesity cause type 2 diabetes and hypertension. This will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Women after menopause are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Several researchers studied that in menopause, metabolic syndrome increased cardiovascular mortality. We studied the impact on cardiovascular mortality of postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome in the Republic of Korea. METHODS: Twenty four thousand nine hundred forty nine postmenopausal women aged 40 years or older were enrolled at health promotion centers of national university hospital located in 18 regions during 1994-2004. Age, weights, height, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein were evaluated and history taking about alcohol consumption, smoking, and exercise was performed. In addition, subjects who died of cardiac disease were analyzed from January 1995 to December 2009. RESULTS: Metabolic syndrome was higher in postmenopausal women with increased in age, BMI, blood pressure (BP), FBG, cholesterol, TG. Thirty cardiac deaths occurred during the observation period. Factors affecting cardiac death were age, smoking, FBG and when age and smoking were controlled. FBG was an important factor affecting cardiovascular mortality in our study. When controlling age, smoking, and alcohol consumption, metabolic syndrome caused an increased relative risk of cardiovascular mortality. Survival rate was much lower in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome than those without metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: Metabolic syndrome in Korean postmenopausal women increased cardiovascular mortality.

Prediction of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality by albuminuria in middle-to-old-aged Chinese population / 中华肾脏病杂志

Objectives To investigate the relationship between albuminuria and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in middle-to-old-aged Chinese population. Methods A total of 2500 residents aged more than 40 years old were selected using random cluster sampling in Shougang community, Beijing, and 2315 of them took part in the survey finally. Morning urinary samples were collected. Urinary albumin and creatinine were measured. Albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) was calculated and used as an index of albuminuria. The subjects were grouped according to ACR: normoalbuminuria (NO, ACR＜ 30 mg/g), microalbuminuria (MI, ACR 30-299 mg/g), and macroalbuminuria (MA, ACR ≥ 300 mg/g). Albuminuria (AL) group consisted of MI group and MA group. Cardiovascular risk factors were also investigated. Then all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality were collected after 4 years. The Cox model was used to analyze the relationship between albuminuria and all-cause mortality after adjusting for confounders. Results The prevalence of microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria was 7.6% and 1.4% respectively. After 4 years follow-up,the cardiovascular mortality was 2.7/1000 person-years in NO group, 19.9/1000 person-years in MI group, and 11.5/1000 person-years in MA group and the all-cause mortality was 6.6/1000,25.9/1000 and 57.5/1000 person-years respectively. After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, body mass index, serum lipids, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease at baseline and serum creatinine, the hazard ratio (HR) of cardiovascular mortality in AL group was 5.26 [95% confidence intervals (CI) 2.26-12.24] compared with NO group; the HR of all-cause mortality was 3.34 (95% CI 1.82-6.15). Among patients without cardiovascular disease at baseline, the corresponding HRs were 6.92 (95%CI 1.80-26.58) and 2.85 (95%CI 1.22-6.65) respectively.Conclusion In the population studied, albuminuria is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality.