Coronary microvascular health in symptomatic patients with prior COVID-19 infection: an updated analysis.

AIMS: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is associated with endothelial dysfunction. We aimed to determine the effects of prior coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the coronary microvasculature accounting for time from COVID-19, disease severity, SARS-CoV-2 variants, and in subgroups of patients with diabetes and those with no known coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cases consisted of patients with previous COVID-19 who had clinically indicated positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and were matched 1:3 on clinical and cardiovascular risk factors to controls having no prior infection. Myocardial flow reserve (MFR) was calculated as the ratio of stress to rest myocardial blood flow (MBF) in mL/min/g of the left ventricle. Comparisons between cases and controls were made for the odds and prevalence of impaired MFR (MFR < 2). We included 271 cases matched to 815 controls (mean ± SD age 65 ± 12 years, 52% men). The median (inter-quartile range) number of days between COVID-19 infection and PET imaging was 174 (58-338) days. Patients with prior COVID-19 had a statistically significant higher odds of MFR <2 (adjusted odds ratio 3.1, 95% confidence interval 2.8-4.25 P < 0.001). Results were similar in clinically meaningful subgroups. The proportion of cases with MFR <2 peaked 6-9 months from imaging with a statistically non-significant downtrend afterwards and was comparable across SARS-CoV-2 variants but increased with increasing severity of infection. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of impaired MFR is similar by duration of time from infection up to 1 year and SARS-CoV-2 variants, but significantly differs by severity of infection.

Prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in COVID-19 related mortality in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and sequelae have been associated with COVID-19. Little is known about the distribution of CVD conditions in COVID-19 related deaths in the US population. METHODS: The public-use dataset by CDC, "Conditions Contributing to COVID-19 Deaths, by State and Age, Provisional 2020-2021", was abstracted as of August 1, 2021. A descriptive analysis was conducted to explore the overall and age-specific prevalence of various CVD and risk factors grouped by pre-specified ICD-10 codes amongst COVID-19 patient deaths. Respective trends over the duration of the pandemic were analyzed using the Mann-Kendall method, including time-periods before and after the introduction of vaccines in January 2021. All time-related analysis was conducted between March 2020 and June 2021. RESULTS: A total of 600,241 COVID-19 related deaths were reported between March 2020 and June 2021. Hypertensive diseases were the most prevalent (19.6%), followed by diabetes (15.9%), ischemic heart disease (IHD;10.9%), heart failure (7.7%), cardiac arrhythmias (7.5%), other diseases of the circulatory system (6.6%), cerebrovascular diseases (5%), and obesity (4.1%). While a significant downward trend was noted for hypertensive diseases over the course of the pandemic, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure (HF), obesity, and other circulatory system diseases demonstrated a significant upward trend. Since the introduction of vaccines, the trends for heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias remained steady while having demonstrated a significant rise in the pre-vaccination time-period. While obesity and other diseases of the circulatory system predominated (>50%) amongst the CVD burden in the younger population (0-24 years and 25-34 years), the percentage occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias, hypertensive diseases, HF, and IHD increased with age. CONCLUSION: Hypertensive diseases, diabetes, and IHD were the most prevalent cardiovascular conditions amongst COVID-19 related deaths. These patterns varied by age. While the trend for hypertensive diseases declined over the course of the pandemic, cardiac arrhythmias, HF, obesity, and other diseases of the circulatory system demonstrated an upward trend. An important limitation is the source of the data being limited to death certificates.

Highlights from Studies Presented at the Virtual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions 2021: Staying Updated with the Latest Advancements in Prevention.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review highlights late-breaking science presented at the Virtual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions 2021 that demonstrated advancements in preventative cardiology and introduced novel therapeutic modalities for the management of chronic kidney disease, heart failure, and COVID-19. RECENT FINDINGS: The studies reviewed include clinical trials that assessed the use of dapagliflozin in patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19 (DARE-19 trial); evinacumab for patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia and pancreatitis; effect of genotype-guided oral P2y12 inhibitors vs conventional clopidogrel on long-term ischemic outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (TAILOR-PCI trial); anticoagulation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (ACTION trial); atorvastatin vs placebo in patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU (INSPIRATION-S trial); rehabilitation therapy in older acute heart failure patients (REHAB-HF trial); and aspirin dosing: a patient-centric trial assessing benefits and long-term effectiveness (ADAPTABLE trial). In addition, we review the results of the American College of Cardiology Global Heart Attack Initiative (GHATI). Finally, we discuss the secondary analysis of the STRENGTH trial assessing the association of achieved levels of omega-3 fatty acid levels and major cardiovascular outcomes. The studies presented at the virtual American College of Cardiology Scientific Session 2021 represent remarkable contributions in the field of cardiovascular disease and prevention.

Racial and geographic disparities in influenza vaccination in the U.S. among individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: Renewed importance in the setting of COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: The importance of receiving an annual influenza vaccine among patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is well established. With the rapid community spread and the possibility of another wave of COVID-19 infections in the fall, receiving an influenza vaccine is of particular importance to mitigate the risk associated with overlapping influenza and COVID-19 infections. METHODS: We utilized cross-sectional data from the 2016 to 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a nationally representative U.S. telephone-based survey of adults 18 years or older. Race/ethnicity was our exposure of interest. We assessed the relative difference in influenza vaccination by race/ethnicity for each U.S. state in the overall U.S. population and among those with ASCVD as prevalence of receipt of influenza vaccination among Blacks or Hispanics minus prevalence among Whites divided by prevalence among Whites. We used multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models to evaluate the association between socioeconomic risk factors and receipt of influenza vaccination. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 1,747,397 participants of whom 21% were older than 65 years, 51% women, 63% White, 12% Black, 17% Hispanic, and 9% with history of ASCVD. The receipt of influenza vaccine was 38% in the overall population and 51% among those with self-reported ASCVD, which translates to approximately to 97 million and 12 million US adults, respectively. The receipt of influenza vaccine among individuals with ASCVD was 54% for Whites, 45% for Blacks, and 42% for Hispanics (p<0.001). In the overall U.S. population, the median (interquartile range) relative difference for influenza vaccination between Blacks and Whites was 17% (-27%, -9%) and -22% (-29%, -9%) between Hispanics and Whites across all U.S. states. Among individuals with and without ASCVD, age older than 65 years, greater than college education, higher income, and having a primary care physician were significantly associated with higher odds of receipt of influenza vaccination, while being employed, lack of healthcare coverage, Black race, and delay in healthcare access were significantly inversely associated with having received an influenza vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: Only 50% patients with ASCVD receive influenza vaccines. The receipt of influenza vaccination among individuals with ASCVD is lower among Blacks and Hispanics compared to Whites with significant state-level variation. There are important socioeconomic determinants that are associated with receipt of the influenza vaccine.

Highlights from Studies in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Presented at the Digital 2020 European Society of Cardiology Congress: Prevention Is Alive and Well.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The review highlights selected studies related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention that were presented at the 2020 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress-The Digital Experience. RECENT FINDINGS: The studies reviewed include clinical trials on novel RNA interference-based lipid-lowering therapies AKCEA-APOCIII-LRx and vupanorsen (AKCEA-ANGPTL3-LRx); the EVAPORATE trial assessing the effects of icosapent ethyl on coronary plaque volume progression; the LoDoCo2 trial evaluating the efficacy of low-dose colchicine in cardiovascular disease risk reduction among patients with chronic coronary artery disease; as well as the EMPEROR-Reduced trial evaluating cardiovascular and renal outcomes with empagliflozin in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. In addition, we review the BPLTTC analysis on blood pressure treatment across blood pressure levels and CVD status and discuss findings from the BRACE CORONA study that examined continuing versus suspending angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blockers in patients on these antihypertensive medications who were hospitalized with COVID-19 infection. The studies presented at the 2020 digital ESC Congress highlight the continuing advancements in the field of CVD prevention.