Association of Perceived Stress With Incident Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between psychological stress and heart failure (HF) has not been well studied. We sought to assess the relationship between perceived stress and incident HF. METHODS: We used data from the national REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a large prospective biracial cohort study that enrolled community-dwellers aged 45 years and older between 2003 and 2007, with follow-up. We included participants free of suspected prevalent HF who completed the Cohen 4-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4). Our outcome variables were incident HF event, HF with reduced ejection fraction events, and HF with preserved ejection fraction events. We estimated Cox proportional hazard models to determine if PSS-4 quartiles were independently associated with incident HF events, adjusting for sociodemographics, social support, unhealthy behaviors, comorbid conditions, and physiologic parameters. We also tested interactions by baseline statin use, given its anti-inflammatory properties. RESULTS: Among 25,785 participants with a mean age of 64 ± 9.3 years, 55% were female and 40% were Black. Over a median follow-up of 10.1 years, 1109 ± 4.3% experienced an incident HF event. In fully adjusted models, the PSS-4 was not associated with HF or HF with reduced ejection fraction. However, PSS-4 quartiles 2-4 (compared with the lowest quartile) were associated with incident HF with preserved ejection fraction (Q2 hazard ratio 1.37, 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.88; Q3 hazard ratio 1.42, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.95; Q4 hazard ratio 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.92). Notably, this association was attenuated among participants who took a statin at baseline (P for interaction = .07). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated perceived stress was associated with incident HF with preserved ejection fraction but not HF with reduced ejection fraction.

Differences in Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death Between Blacks and Whites.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have consistently demonstrated that blacks have an approximate 2-fold higher incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) than whites; however, these analyses have lacked individual-level sociodemographic, medical comorbidity, and behavioral health data. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether racial differences in SCD incidence are attributable to differences in the prevalence of risk factors or rather to underlying susceptibility to fatal arrhythmias. METHODS: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study is a prospective, population-based cohort of adults from across the United States. Associations between race and SCD defined per National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria were assessed. RESULTS: Among 22,507 participants (9,416 blacks and 13,091 whites) without a history of clinical cardiovascular disease, there were 174 SCD events (67 whites and 107 blacks) over a median follow-up of 6.1 years (interquartile range: 4.6 to 7.3 years). The age-adjusted SCD incidence rate (per 1,000 person-years) was higher in blacks (1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4 to 2.2) compared with whites (0.7; 95% CI: 0.6 to 0.9), with an unadjusted hazard ratio of 2.35; 95% CI: 1.74 to 3.20. The association of black race with SCD risk remained significant after adjustment for sociodemographics, comorbidities, behavioral measures of health, intervening cardiovascular events, and competing risks of non-SCD mortality (hazard ratio: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.39 to 2.77). CONCLUSIONS: In a large biracial population of adults without a history of cardiovascular disease, SCD rates were significantly higher in blacks as compared with whites. These racial differences were not fully explained by demographics, adverse socioeconomic measures, cardiovascular risk factors, and behavioral measures of health.

Albuminuria, kidney function, and sudden cardiac death: Findings from The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study.

BACKGROUND: Moderate-to-severe kidney disease increases risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). Limited studies have evaluated how mild degrees of kidney dysfunction impact SCD risk. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of albuminuria, which is one of the earliest biomarkers of kidney injury, and SCD. METHODS: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study is a prospective, population-based cohort of U.S. adults. Associations between albuminuria, which is categorized using urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and SCD were assessed independently and in combination. RESULTS: After median follow-up of 6.1 years, we identified 335 SCD events. Compared to participants with ACR <15 mg/g, those with higher levels had an elevated adjusted risk of SCD (ACR 15-30 mg/g, hazard ratio [HR] 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-2.11; ACR >30 mg/g, HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.17-2.11). In contrast, compared to the group with eGFR >90 mL/min/1.73 m2, the adjusted risk of SCD was significantly elevated only among those with eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.06-2.58). The subgroup with eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 1003) comprised 3.7% of REGARDS, whereas ACR 15-30 mg/g (n = 3089 [11.3%]) and ACR >30 mg/g (n = 4040 [14.8%] were far more common. In the analysis that combined ACR and eGFR categories, albuminuria consistently identified individuals with eGFR ≥60 mLmin/1.73 m2 who were at significantly increased SCD risk. CONCLUSION: Low levels of kidney injury as measured by ACR predict an increase in SCD risk.

Change in physical activity after smoking cessation: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.

AIMS: To estimate physical activity trajectories for people who quit smoking, and compare them to what would have been expected had smoking continued. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5115 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA) study, a population-based study of African American and European American people recruited at age 18-30 years in 1985/6 and followed over 25 years. MEASUREMENTS: Physical activity was self-reported during clinical examinations at baseline (1985/6) and at years 2, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 and 25 (2010/11); smoking status was reported each year (at examinations or by telephone, and imputed where missing). We used mixed linear models to estimate trajectories of physical activity under varying smoking conditions, with adjustment for participant characteristics and secular trends. FINDINGS: We found significant interactions by race/sex (P = 0.02 for the interaction with cumulative years of smoking), hence we investigated the subgroups separately. Increasing years of smoking were associated with a decline in physical activity in black and white women and black men [e.g. coefficient for 10 years of smoking: -0.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.20 to -0.07, P < 0.001 for white women]. An increase in physical activity was associated with years since smoking cessation in white men (coefficient 0.06; 95% CI = 0 to 0.13, P = 0.05). The physical activity trajectory for people who quit diverged progressively towards higher physical activity from the expected trajectory had smoking continued. For example, physical activity was 34% higher (95% CI = 18 to 52%; P < 0.001) for white women 10 years after stopping compared with continuing smoking for those 10 years (P = 0.21 for race/sex differences). CONCLUSIONS: Smokers who quit have progressively higher levels of physical activity in the years after quitting compared with continuing smokers.

Association between urinary albumin excretion and coronary heart disease in black vs white adults.

IMPORTANCE: Excess urinary albumin excretion is more common in black than white individuals and is more strongly associated with incident stroke risk in black vs white individuals. Whether similar associations extend to coronary heart disease (CHD) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the association of urinary albumin excretion with CHD events differs by race. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective cohort study of black and white US adults aged 45 years and older who were enrolled within the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study between 2003 and 2007 with follow-up through December 31, 2009. We examined race-stratified associations of urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) in 2 groups: (1) incident CHD among 23,273 participants free of CHD at baseline; and (2) first recurrent CHD event among 4934 participants with CHD at baseline. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Expert-adjudicated incident and recurrent myocardial infarction and acute CHD death. RESULTS: A total of 616 incident CHD events (421 nonfatal MIs and 195 CHD deaths) and 468 recurrent CHD events (279 nonfatal MIs and 189 CHD deaths) were observed over a mean time of 4.4 years of follow-up. Among those free of CHD at baseline, age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates of CHD per 1000 person-years of follow-up increased with increasing categories of ACR in black and white participants, with rates being nearly 1.5-fold greater in the highest category of ACR (>300 mg/g) in black participants (20.59; 95% CI, 14.36-29.51) vs white participants (13.60; 95% CI, 7.60-24.25). In proportional hazards models adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and medications, higher baseline urinary ACR was associated with greater risk of incident CHD among black participants (hazard ratio [HR] comparing ACR >300 vs <10 mg/g, 3.21 [95% CI, 2.02-5.09]) but not white participants (HR comparing ACR >300 vs <10 mg/g, 1.49 [95% CI, 0.80-2.76]) (P value for interaction = .03). Among those with CHD at baseline, fully adjusted associations of baseline urinary ACR with first recurrent CHD event were similar between black participants (HR comparing ACR >300 vs <10 mg/g, 2.21 [95% CI, 1.22-4.00]) vs white participants (HR comparing ACR >300 vs <10 mg/g, 2.48 [95% CI, 1.61-3.78]) (P value for interaction = .53). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Higher urinary ACR was associated with greater risk of incident but not recurrent CHD in black individuals when compared with white individuals. These data confirm that black individuals appear more susceptible to vascular injury.

Capnography enhances surveillance of respiratory events during procedural sedation: a meta-analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if capnography, in addition to standard monitoring, identified more respiratory complications than standard monitoring alone. DESIGN: Meta-analysis. SETTING: University medical center. MEASUREMENTS: The electronic databases PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library (Cochrane Reviews, CENTRAL) were searched for studies published between 1995-2009 reporting adverse respiratory events during procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) with clearly defined end-tidal carbon dioxide threshold, adult population, clear study design, P-value calculation, similar outcome and predictor variable definitions, and binary independent and dependent variable raw data. Five such studies were evaluated independently. A meta-analysis of these studies was performed. MAIN RESULTS: During PSA, cases of respiratory depression were 17.6 times more likely to be detected if monitored by capnography than cases not monitored by capnography (95% CI, 2.5-122.1; P < 0.004). CONCLUSION: End-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring is an important addition in detecting respiratory depression during PSA.