Sex- and race-specific associations of bone mineral density with incident heart failure and its subtypes in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested an association between bone mineral density (BMD) and heart failure (HF) risk that may be race-dependent. METHODS: We evaluated the relationship between BMD and incident HF in a cohort of older adults, the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study (n = 2835), and next performed a pooled analysis involving a second older cohort, the Cardiovascular Health Study (n = 1268). Hip BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in both cohorts and spine BMD by computed tomography in a subset from Health ABC. RESULTS: In Health ABC, lower BMD at the total hip was associated with higher incident HF in Black women after multivariable adjustment. Similar associations were found for BMD at the femoral neck and spine. In both cohorts, pooled analysis again revealed an association between lower total hip BMD and increased risk of HF in Black women (HR = 1.41 per 0.1-g/cm2 decrement [95% CI = 1.23-1.62]), and showed the same to be true for White men (HR = 1.12 [1.03-1.21]). There was a decreased risk of HF in Black men (HR 0.80 [0.70-0.91]), but no relationship in White women. The associations were numerically stronger with HFpEF for Black women and White men, and with HFrEF for Black men. Findings were similar for femoral neck BMD. Sensitivity analyses delaying HF follow-up by 2 years eliminated the association in Black men. CONCLUSIONS: Lower BMD was associated with higher risk of HF and especially HFpEF in older Black women and White men, highlighting the need for additional investigation into underlying mechanisms.

Atrial ectopy as a mediator of the association between race and atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Blacks have a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) despite having more AF risk factors, but the mechanism remains unknown. Premature atrial contraction (PAC) burden is a recently identified risk factor for AF. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the burden of PACs explains racial differences in AF risk. METHODS: PAC burden (number per hour) was assessed by 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring in a randomly selected subset of patients in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Participants were followed prospectively for the development of AF, diagnosed by study ECG and hospital admission records. RESULTS: Among 938 participants (median age 73 years; 34% black; 58% female), 206 (22%) developed AF over a median follow-up of 11.0 years (interquartile range 6.1-13.4). After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, coronary disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, alcohol consumption, smoking status, and study site, black race was associated with a 42% lower risk of AF (hazard ratio 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40-0.85; P = .005). The baseline PAC burden was 2.10 times (95% CI 1.57-2.83; P <.001) higher in whites than blacks. There was no detectable difference in premature ventricular contraction (PVC) burden by race. PAC burden mediated 19.5% (95% CI 6.3-52.5) of the adjusted association between race and AF. CONCLUSION: On average, whites exhibited more PACs than blacks, and this difference statistically explains a modest proportion of the differential risk of AF by race. The differential PAC burden, without differences in PVCs, by race suggests that identifiable common exposures or genetic influences might be important to atrial pathophysiology.

Effect of New Oral Anticoagulants on Prescribing Practices for Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) on prescribing practices in older adults with atrial fibrillation (AF). DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study. SETTING: Academic medical center in St. Louis, Missouri. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 75 and older with AF admitted to the hospital from October 2010 through September 2015 (N = 6,568, 50% female, 15% non-white). MEASUREMENTS: Information on NOACs and warfarin prescribed at discharge was obtained from hospital discharge summaries, and linear regression was used to examine quarterly trends in their use. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess independent predictors of anticoagulant use. RESULTS: NOAC use increased over time (correlation coefficient (r) = 0.87, P < .001), warfarin use did not change (r = -0.16, P = .50), and overall anticoagulant use (NOACs and warfarin) increased (r = 0.68, P = .001). NOAC use increased over time in all age groups (75-79, 80-84, 85-89) except aged 90 and older, but increasing age attenuated the rate of NOAC uptake. There was no consistent relationship between age and warfarin or overall anticoagulant use, except that individuals aged 90 and older had consistently lower use. Overall, fewer than 45% of participants were prescribed an anticoagulant. In multivariable analysis, younger age, white race, female sex, higher hemoglobin, higher creatinine clearance, being on a medical service, hypertension, stroke or transient ischemic attack, no history of intracranial hemorrhage, and a modified HAS-BLED score of less than 3 increased the likelihood of receiving NOACs. CONCLUSION: Prescription of anticoagulants for AF increased in older adults primarily because of an increase in the use of NOACs. Nonetheless, fewer than 45% of participants were prescribed an anticoagulant. Additional research is needed to optimize prescribing practices for older adults with AF.

Bone Mineral Density and Risk of Heart Failure in Older Adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study.

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing evidence of a common link between bone and heart health, the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and heart failure (HF) risk remains insufficiently studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated whether BMD measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was associated with incident HF in an older cohort. Cox models were stratified by sex and interactions of BMD with race assessed. BMD was examined at the total hip and femoral neck separately, both continuously and by World Health Organization categories. Of 1250 participants, 442 (55% women) developed HF during the median follow-up of 10.5 years. In both black and nonblack women, neither total hip nor femoral neck BMD was significantly associated with HF; there was no significant interaction by race. In black and nonblack men, total hip, but not femoral neck, BMD was significantly associated with HF, with evidence of an interaction by race. In nonblack men, lower total hip BMD was associated with higher HF risk (hazard ratio, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.01-1.26] per 0.1 g/cm2 decrement), whereas in black men, lower total hip BMD was associated with lower HF risk (hazard ratio, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.59-0.94]). There were no black men with total hip osteoporosis. Among nonblack men, total hip osteoporosis was associated with higher HF risk (hazard ratio, 2.83 [95% CI, 1.39-5.74]) compared with normal BMD. CONCLUSIONS: Among older adults, lower total hip BMD was associated with higher HF risk in nonblack men but lower risk in black men, with no evidence of an association in women. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and to study potential underlying pathways.

Concurrent Ramsay Hunt syndrome and disseminated herpes zoster in a patient with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (RHS) is a rare complication of latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection that can occur in immunocompetent host. It usually involves ipsilateral facial paralysis, ear pain and facial vesicles. Disseminated herpes zoster is another complication of VZV infection typically seen in immunocompromised hosts. We describe a patient with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who presented simultaneously with RHS and disseminated herpes zoster. While other complications have been documented to coexist with RHS, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the literature of concurrent RHS with disseminated herpes zoster.