Does clinical practice supported by artificial intelligence improve hypertension care management? A pilot systematic review.

Although artificial intelligence (AI) is considered to be a promising tool, evidence for the effectiveness of AI-supported clinical practice for lowering blood pressure (BP) in the real world is scarce. We conducted a systematic review to elucidate whether AI-supported clinical care improves BP control. We identified two randomized control trials (RCTs) in a literature search. The results revealed no significant difference between AI-supported care and usual care in a random-effects model meta-analysis of RCTs (AI vs. usual care: systolic/diastolic BP difference: -2.13 [95% confidence interval: -4.72 to 0.46] / -1.03 [-2.52 to 0.46]). In this review, we were unable to clarify whether AI-supported clinical practice improved BP control compared with usual care. Further studies will be needed to provide robust evidence for the effectiveness of AI-supported care in clinical settings.

Skipping Breakfast and Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease in the General Japanese Population: The Iki City Epidemiological Study of Atherosclerosis and Chronic Kidney Disease (ISSA-CKD).

INTRODUCTION: Breakfast-skipping habits are associated with adverse health outcomes including coronary heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes mellitus. However, it remains uncertain whether skipping breakfast affects chronic kidney disease (CKD) risk. This study aimed to examine the association between skipping breakfast and progression of CKD. METHODS: We retrospectively conducted a population-based cohort study using the data from the Iki City Epidemiological Study of Atherosclerosis and Chronic Kidney Disease (ISSA-CKD). Between 2008 and 2019, we included 922 participants aged 30 years or older who had CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or proteinuria) at baseline. Breakfast skippers were defined as participants who skipped breakfast more than 3 times per week. The outcome was CKD progression defined as a decline of at least 30% in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from the baseline status. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CKD progression, adjusted for other CKD risk factors. RESULTS: During a follow-up period with a mean of 5.5 years, CKD progression occurred in 60 (6.5%) participants. The incidence rate (per 1,000 person-years) of CKD progression was 21.5 in the breakfast-skipping group and 10.7 in the breakfast-eating group (p = 0.029), respectively. The multivariable-adjusted HR (95% CI) for CKD progression was 2.60 (95% CI: 1.29-5.26) for the breakfast-skipping group (p = 0.028) compared with the group eating breakfast. There were no clear differences in the association of skipping breakfast with CKD progression in subgroup analyses by sex, age, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, baseline eGFR, and baseline proteinuria. CONCLUSION: Skipping breakfast was significantly associated with higher risk of CKD progression in the general Japanese population.

Relationship between abdominal circumference and the incidence of hyperuricemia in the general Japanese population.

In this study, we aimed to separately evaluate the relationship between waist circumference and the incidence of hyperuricemia in men and women in the general Japanese population. We performed a population-based longitudinal study using data from the annual health examination of residents of Iki City, Japan. A total of 5567 participants without hyperuricemia at baseline were included in the analysis. The men and women were placed into groups according to the tertile of waist circumference. The outcome was incident hyperuricemia (uric acid > 416 µmol/L [7.0 mg/dL]). The relationship between waist circumference and the incidence of hyperuricemia was investigated using Cox proportional hazards models. During the follow-up period, hyperuricemia developed in 697 people (551 men and 146 women). The incidence (per 1000 person-years) of hyperuricemia increased with increasing waist circumference in the men (34.9 for tertile 1, 49.9 for tertile 2 and 63.3 for tertile 3; Ptrend < 0.001) and women (5.5 for tertile 1, 6.3 for tertile 2 and 11.9 for tertile 3; Ptrend < 0.001). Significant associations were identified after adjustment for potential confounders (men: Ptrend < 0.001; women: Ptrend = 0.014). In conclusion, both men and women with larger waist circumferences were at higher risks of subsequent hyperuricemia.

Association between serum ALT levels and incidence of new-onset diabetes in general population of Japanese: a longitudinal observational study (ISSA-CKD).

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to clarify the relationship between serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels and incidence of new-onset diabetes in a Japanese general population. SETTING: Population-based retrospective cohort study using annual health check-up data for residents of Iki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5330 Japanese individuals (≥30 years old) without diabetes at baseline were analysed. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Serum ALT levels were determined using an enzymatic method and were classified into gender-specific quartile groups as follows: group 1 (3-16 U/L in men and 3-13 U/L in women), group 2 (17-21 U/L in men and 14-16 U/L in women), group 3 (22-29 U/L in men and 17-22 U/L in women) and group 4 (30-428 U/L in men and 23-268 U/L in women). The study outcome was the incidence of diabetes (fasting glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L, non-fasting glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L, glycated haemoglobin ≥6.5% or use of glucose-lowering therapies). RESULTS: After an average follow-up period of 5.0 years, 279 individuals developed diabetes. The incidence rate of diabetes increased with elevation of serum ALT levels (0.7% per 100 person-years in group 1, 0.9% in group 2, 0.9% in group 3 and 1.7% in group 4) (p<0.001 for trend). This association was significant after adjustment for other risk factors including age, sex, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, smoking, current daily alcohol intake and regular exercise (p<0.001 for trend). Comparable associations were observed between men and women (p=0.459 for interaction). CONCLUSION: Serum ALT levels were associated with future development of diabetes in the general Japanese population.

Urate-lowering drugs for chronic kidney disease with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and hypertension: a randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION: Xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors may slow down chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. The comparative effectiveness of the different urate-lowering drugs is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether urate-lowering therapy with an XO inhibitor (febuxostat) and that with a uricosuric drug (benzbromarone) are comparable in slowing renal function decline in patients with CKD complicated with hypertension and hyperuricemia. METHODS: This study was an open-label randomized parallel-group clinical trial of 95 patients with stage G3 CKD in Japan. The patients had hypertension and hyperuricemia without a history of gout. They were randomized to receive febuxostat ( n  = 47; febuxostat group) or benzbromarone ( n  = 48; benzbromarone group) and titrated to reduce their serum urate level to <6.0 mg/dl. The primary end-point was change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline to 52 weeks. The secondary end-points included changes in uric acid level, blood pressure, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, and XO activity. RESULTS: Of the 95 patients, 88 (92.6%) completed the trial. There were no significant differences in change in eGFR (in ml/min/1.73 m 2 ) between the febuxostat [-0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI), -2.00 to 1.55] and benzbromarone (-2.18, 95% CI, -3.84 to -0.52) groups (difference, 1.95; 95% CI, -0.48 to 4.38; P  = 0.115) nor in the secondary end-points, except for XO activity. Febuxostat significantly reduced XO activity ( P  = 0.010). There were no significant differences in primary and secondary outcomes between the groups. A decrease in eGFR was significantly less in the febuxostat group than that of the benzbromarone group in the CKDG3a, but not in CKDG3b, in the subgroup analysis. There were no adverse effects specific to either drug. CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences were found in the effects of febuxostat and benzbromarone in renal function decline in stage G3 CKD complicated with hyperuricemia and hypertension.

Elevation in white blood cell count and development of hyper LDL cholesterolemia.

To investigate the relationship between white blood cell (WBC) count and incidence of hyper-low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolemia in a population-based longitudinal study. This is a retrospective study using data of annual health check-ups for residents of Iki City, Japan. A total of 3312 residents (≥ 30 years) without hyper-LDL cholesterolemia at baseline were included in this analysis. Primary outcome was incidence of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia (LDL cholesterol levels ≥ 3.62 mmol/L and/or use of lipid lowering drugs). During follow-up (average 4.6 years), 698 participants development of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia (incidence 46.8 per 1000 person-years). Higher incidence of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia was observed among participants with higher leukocyte count (1st quartile group: 38.5, 2nd quartile group: 47.7, 3rd quartile group: 47.3, and 4th quartile group: 52.4 per 1,000 person-years, P = 0.012 for trend). Statistically significant relation was observed even after adjustment for age, gender, smoking, alcohol intake, leisure-time exercise, obesity, hypertension and diabetes: hazard ratio 1.24 (95% confidence interval 0.99 to 1.54) for 2nd quartile group, 1.29 (1.03-1.62) for 3rd quartile group and 1.39 (1.10-1.75) for 4th quartile group, compared with 1st quartile group (P for trend = 0.006). Increased WBC count was related to incidence of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia in general Japanese population.

Marital status, household size, and lifestyle changes during the first COVID-19 pandemic: NIPPON DATA2010.

Stay-at-home strategies taken during the COVID-19 pandemic changed our lifestyle drastically. Although marital status and household size are important social determinants of health that affect lifestyle, their impacts on lifestyle during the pandemic are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between marital status, household size, and lifestyle changes during the first pandemic in Japan. Questionnaire surveys on lifestyle changes from before to during the first COVID-19 pandemic were conducted on October 2020 in Japan. Classified into age groups, multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the combined association of marital status and household size on lifestyle, adjusted for potential confounders including socioeconomic factors. In our prospective cohort study, 1928 participants were included. Among older participants, the singles living alone were likely to perceive more unhealthy lifestyle changes (45.8%), compared with the married (33.2%), and significantly associated with at least one unhealthy change [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.81, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1,18-2.78], mainly due to decreased physical activity and increased alcohol consumption. Meanwhile, the younger participants showed no significant association between marital status, household size, and unhealthy changes, while those living alone had 2.87 times higher odds of weight gain (≥ 3 kg) than the married (adjusted OR: 2.87, 95% CI: 0.96-8.54) during the pandemic. Our findings suggest that older singles living alone are potentially vulnerable subgroups to drastic social changes which warrant special attention to prevent adverse health outcomes and additional burden on health systems in the following future.

Serum triglyceride levels and incidence of hypertension in a general Japanese population: ISSA-CKD study.

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between fasting and nonfasting serum triglyceride (TG) levels and the incidence of hypertension in a general Japanese population. We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using annual health check-up data of residents of Iki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. A total of 3202 participants without hypertension at baseline were included in the present analysis. TG levels were classified as quartile 1 (<0.82 mmol/L), quartile 2 (0.83-1.13 mmol/L), quartile 3 (1.14-1.70 mmol/L) and quartile 4 (≥1.71 mmol/L) for men, and as quartile 1 (<0.70 mmol/L), quartile 2 (0.71-0.96 mmol/L), quartile 3 (0.97-1.34 mmol/L) and quartile 4 (≥1.35 mmol/L) for women. The outcome was incident hypertension. During an average follow-up of 4.4 years, 983 participants developed hypertension, according to the Cox proportional hazards model. The annual incidence of hypertension increased with an elevation in TG levels for men (5.88% in quartile 1, 8.30% in quartile 2, 7.62% in quartile 3, and 9.82% in quartile 4). This association was significant, even after adjustment for other risk factors: hazard ratio 1.41 [95% CI 1.07-1.85] for quartile 2, 1.30 [0.99-1.71] for quartile 3, and 1.59 [1.22-2.08] for quartile 4 compared with quartile 1 (p = 0.041 for trend). In contrast, there was no clear association between serum TG levels and the incidence of hypertension after adjustment for confounding factors among women (p = 0.240 for trend). High levels of serum TG were associated with the future incidence of hypertension in a general population of Japanese men but were not associated with that in women. Casual serum triglyceride levels and incidence of hypertension in a general Japanese population: ISSA-CKD study.

Body weight and lifestyle changes under the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: a cross-sectional study from NIPPON DATA2010.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on people's lifestyles such as causing body weight changes. This study examined associations among lifestyle changes and body weight during the COVID-19 pandemic among the Japanese population. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: A nationwide survey of the general Japanese population. PARTICIPANTS: Total participants were 2244 men and women, of which 911 young/middle-aged (30-69 years old) and 899 older adults (70 years and older) were analysed separately. OUTCOME: Changes in lifestyle (physical activity, dietary habits and alcohol intake) and body weight during the first wave of COVID-19 in spring 2020. RESULTS: Under the COVID-19 pandemic, 24.1% and 10.1% of Japanese respondents reported weight gain and reduction, respectively. Multivariable-adjusted stepwise logistic regression analyses revealed that the young/middle-aged respondents in the group increased body weight, weight gain was significantly associated with decrease in physical activity (OR 4.01, 95% CI 2.83 to 5.69) and both increase (OR 5.82, 95% CI 3.85 to 8.80) and decrease (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.52 to 4.93) in eating between meals. In the group that decreased body weight, body weight reduction was significantly associated with increase in physical activity (OR 3.66, 95% CI 1.94 to 6.90), decrease in eating between meals (OR 5.97, 95% CI 3.11 to 11.48) and both increase and decrease in alcohol intake in the young/middle age. For the older adults, body weight gain was higher in women than in men, and significantly associated with higher quartile of regional COVID-19 infection, decrease in physical activity (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.98 to 4.49), increase in home-cooked meals and increase in eating between meals (OR 4.22, 95% CI 2.55 to 6.99). On the other hand, body weight reduction was significantly associated with decreases in physical activity (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.62 to 4.27), home-cooked meals and eating between meals (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.61) in the older adults. CONCLUSION: Changes in physical activity and eating between meals were associated with body weight change under the COVID-19 pandemic among Japanese.

A Comparison of Segment-Specific and Composite Measures of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and their Relationships with Coronary Calcium.

AIMS: The utility of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) as a marker for coronary heart disease is under heavy debate. This is predominantly due to the lack of a standard definition of cIMT, leading to inconsistent results. We investigated and compared the relationships of five different measures of cIMT with coronary calcium. METHODS: Japanese men aged 40-79y ( n=869) from Shiga Epidemiological Study of Subclinical Atherosclerosis were examined. Mean cIMT was measured in three segments of the carotid arteries: common carotid artery (CCAmean), internal carotid artery (ICAmean) and bifurcation (Bifmean). Mean cIMT of average values (Mean cIMT) and mean cIMT of maximum values (Mean-Max cIMT) of all segments combined were assessed. Coronary calcium was assessed as coronary artery calcification (CAC). Ordinal logistic regression was used to determine the odds ratio (OR) of higher CAC per 1 standard deviation higher cIMT measure. Analyses were adjusted for cardiovascular covariates and stratified by age quartiles. RESULTS: All cIMT measures had positive associations with CAC (p＜0.001): [OR, 95% Confidence Interval]: ICAmean [1.23, 1.07-1.42], CCAmean [1.27, 1.08-1.49], Bifmean [1.33, 1.15-1.53], Mean cIMT [1.42, 1.22-1.66], and Mean-Max [1.50, 1.28-1.75]. In age-stratified analyses, only Mean-Max cIMT maintained a significant relationship with CAC in every age quartile (p＜0.05), while CCAmean had some of the weakest associations among age quartiles. CONCLUSIONS: Mean-Max cIMT had consistently stronger associations with coronary calcium, independent of important confounders, such as age. The most oft-used measure, CCAmean, was no longer associated with coronary calcium after age-adjustment and stratification.

Association between pulse pressure and progression of chronic kidney disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between pulse pressure (PP) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression among the general population in Japan. We conducted a population-based cohort study of the residents of Iki Island, Nagasaki, Japan, from 2008 to 2018. We identified 1042 participants who had CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or the presence of proteinuria) at baseline. Cox's proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the association between PP and progression of CKD. During a 4.66-year mean follow-up, there were 241 cases of CKD progression (incident rate: 49.8 per 1000 person-years). A significant increase existed in CKD progression per 10 mmHg of PP elevation, even when adjusted for confounding factors [adjusted hazard ratio 1.17 (1.06-1.29) p < 0.001]. Similar results were obtained even after dividing PP into quartiles [Q2: 1.14 (0.74-1.76), Q3: 1.35 (0.88-2.06), Q4: 1.87 (1.23-2.83) p = 0.003 for trend]. This trend did not change significantly irrespective of baseline systolic or diastolic blood pressures. PP remained a potential predictive marker, especially for eGFR decline. In conclusion, we found a significant association between PP and CKD progression. PP might be a potential predictive marker for CKD progression.

Effect of chronic kidney disease on the association between hyperuricemia and new-onset hypertension in the general Japanese population: ISSA-CKD study.

We aimed to investigate the association between serum uric acid (SUA) level and development of hypertension as well as the interaction effect of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on this relationship in the general Japanese population. We included 7895 participants aged ≥30 years from the ISSA-CKD study, a population-based retrospective cohort study that used annual health check-up data of residents from Iki Island, Japan. After the exclusion of 1881 with l < 1-year follow-up, 2812 with hypertension at baseline, and 165 with missing information on SUA, a total of 3037 participants were enrolled in this analysis. Participants were divided into four groups according to the quartiles of SUA level at baseline, and multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for new-onset hypertension were calculated. Stratified analyses were performed for each subgroup (defined by sex, age, alcohol intake, and CKD) to assess the interaction effects. During a mean follow-up period of 4.4 years, 943 participants developed hypertension. The first quartile group was set as the reference group, and the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for new-onset hypertension were 1.11 (0.90-1.36) in the second quartile, 1.25 (1.02-1.54) in the third quartile, and 1.35 (1.07-1.70) in the fourth quartile compared with those in the reference group (p = .007 for trend). The stratified analyses showed that the association between SUA and hypertension was significantly stronger in participants with CKD than in those without CKD (p = .035 for interaction). SUA level is an independent risk factor for new-onset hypertension. This tendency was significantly stronger in participants with CKD.

Eating before bed and new-onset hypertension in a Japanese population: the Iki city epidemiological study of atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between eating before bed and the development of hypertension in a general Japanese population. We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using annual health check-up data collected from the residents of Iki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. In total, 2930 participants without hypertension at baseline (mean age 57.0 years, male 42.8%) were included in the present analysis. Eating before bed was defined as eating within 2 h of bedtime. The outcome of this study was incident hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg or initiation of blood pressure-lowering medications). Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. During an average follow-up of 4.5 years, 909 participants developed hypertension. The incidence (per 1000 person-years) of hypertension in the group of individuals who ate before bed was 82.8, whereas that in the group of individuals who did not eat before bed was 65.8. The association was significant even after adjusting for other risk factors, including age, sex, current smoking status, current alcohol intake, regular exercise, obesity, elevated blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia, with a hazard ratio of 1.23 (95% CI: 1.05-1.44) for the group of individuals who ate before bed compared with the group of individuals who did not eat before bed (P = 0.01 for trend). Eating before bed was correlated with a future risk of developing hypertension in the general Japanese population.

Comparison of Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in the Prediction of Diabetes: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study.

INTRODUCTION: Both body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are associated with diabetes risk, and the difference between them in predictive ability for diabetes is still contentious. We conducted a population-based study to investigate and compare the association of them with diabetes by sex. METHODS: This study included a total of 4754 subjects aged 40-80 years with no diabetes at baseline between 2008 and 2017. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, we calculated hazard ratios for diabetes according to tertiles of BMI or WC. Harrell's C statistics was applied to assess and compare the predictive ability of the models using BMI and WC. RESULTS: Both BMI and WC showed the significant positive trends with diabetes risk. In men, the extreme tertiles (BMI > 25.1 kg/m2 and WC > 88.0 cm) provided 1.58-fold or 2.04-fold higher risk compared with the first tertiles (< 22.6 kg/m2 and < 81.2 cm). In women, BMI > 24.4 kg/m2 showed 3.28-fold higher risk than the first tertile (< 21.6 kg/m2), whereas WC ≥ 78.2 cm was more than twice as likely to suffer from diabetes as WC < 78.2 cm. BMI and WC showed a comparative performance in predicting diabetes in both sexes (P value 0.447 in men, and 0.337 in women). CONCLUSION: Both BMI and WC showed a positive association with diabetes and offered a comparative predictive performance for diabetes in both sexes. The cut-off points, BMI 25.1 kg/m2 and WC 88.0 cm in men and BMI 24.4 kg/m2 and WC 78.2 cm in women, might contribute to the effective prevention strategies for diabetes.

Effects of Weight Gain after 20 Years of Age and Incidence of Hyper-Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterolemia: The Iki Epidemiological Study of Atherosclerosis and Chronic Kidney Disease (ISSA-CKD).

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term weight gain from the age of 20 on incidence of hyper-low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolemia in the general population of Japanese people. METHODS: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using annual health checkup data for residents of Iki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. A total of 3179 adult (≥30 years old) men and women without hyper-LDL cholesterolemia at baseline, who underwent two or more health checkups were included in the analysis. Information on weight gain (≥10 kg) after 20 years of age was obtained using questionnaire. The outcome of this study was development of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia defined as LDL-cholesterol level ≥3.62 mmol/L and/or initiation of lipid-lowering medications. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up period of 4.53 years, 665 of the 3179 participants developed hyper-LDL cholesterolemia (46.5/1000 person-years). The incidence of hyper-LDL cholesterolemia was higher in participants with a weight gain of ≥10 kg (55.3/1000 person-years) than among those with a weight gain of <10 kg (41.8/1000 person-years). This association remained statistically significant even after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, daily drinking, exercise, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes (multivariable hazard ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval 1.08-1.58, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: A weight gain of ≥10 after 20 years of age affected the development of hyper-LDL cholesterol regardless of age, sex, and obesity in a general population of Japanese.

Eating Speed and Incidence of Diabetes in a Japanese General Population: ISSA-CKD.

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether eating speed was associated with the incidence of diabetes in a Japanese general population. METHODS: A total of 4853 Japanese individuals without diabetes at baseline were analyzed. Self-reported eating speed was categorized as slow, medium, and fast on the basis of questionnaire responses. The study outcome was the incidence of diabetes. RESULTS: After an average follow-up period of 5.1 years, 234 individuals developed diabetes. The incidence of diabetes per 1000 person-years was 4.9 in the slow eating speed group, 8.8 in the medium eating speed group, and 12.5 in the fast eating speed group, respectively (*** p < 0.001 for trend). The HRs were 1.69 (95%CI 0.94-3.06) for the medium eating speed and 2.08 (95%CI 1.13-3.84) for the fast eating speed, compared to the slow eating speed (* p = 0.014 for trend) after adjustment for age, gender, smoking status, drinking, exercise, obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. CONCLUSION: Faster eating speed increased a risk for the incidence of diabetes in a general Japanese population.

Association between serum uric acid and new onset and progression of chronic kidney disease in a Japanese general population: Iki epidemiological study of atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Although several risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been proposed, it remains unclear whether elevated serum uric acid (SUA) is negatively association with kidney function. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association between SUA and new onset and progression of CKD in a Japanese general population. METHODS: This was a population-based retrospective cohort study using annual health checkup data of residents of Iki Island. A total of 5,507 adults (979 with CKD and 4,528 without) were included. The outcomes were new onset of CKD among participants without CKD at baseline, and progression of CKD among those with CKD. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the association between SUA and new onset and progression of CKD. RESULTS: During mean follow-up of 4.6 years, 757 cases of new onset of CKD and 193 with progression of CKD were observed. SUA was significantly associated with new onset of CKD (adjusted hazard ratio 1.13, [95% confidence interval 1.03-1.24] per standard deviation [SD] increase in SUA). In contrast, SUA was not significantly associated with progression of CKD (hazard ratio 1.08, [0.92-1.27] per SD increase). Similar results were obtained when classifying uric acid as categorical. CONCLUSION: SUA was significantly associated with increased risk for new onset of CKD, but not with progression of CKD among a Japanese general population.

White blood cell count and incidence of hypertension in the general Japanese population: ISSA-CKD study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between the white blood cell (WBC) count and hypertension in the general Japanese population. METHODS: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using annual health check-up data of residents of Iki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. A total of 2935 participants without hypertension at baseline were included in the present analysis. WBC counts were classified as tertile 1 (<4700/µL), tertile 2 (4700-5999/µL), and tertile 3 (≥6000/µL). The outcome was incident hypertension (blood pressure ≥140 mmHg). Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULT: During an average follow-up of 4.5 years, 908 participants developed hypertension. The incidence (per 100 person-years) of hypertension increased with an elevation in the WBC count (6.3 in tertile 1, 7.0 in tertile 2, and 7.4 in tertile 3). This association was significant, even after adjustment for other risk factors, including age, sex, current smoking habits, current alcohol intake, exercise habits, obesity, elevated blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. The hazard ratios were 1.07 for tertile 2 (95% CI 0.90-1.26) and 1.27 for tertile 3 (95% CI 1.06-1.51) compared with the reference group of tertile 1 (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The WBC count was associated with future development of hypertension in the general Japanese population.

Risk of Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation According to Sex in Patients Aged Younger Than 75 Years: A Large-Scale, Observational Study Using Real-World Data.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether women have a higher risk of stroke than men. This study aimed to clarify the effects of a sex difference on the risk of ischaemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: Health check and insurance claims data were used of people who were aged <75 years from 2005 to 2017 in Japan. Patients with AF who were not on anticoagulation therapy were identified. After excluding patients with artificial valves (n=28), haematological disease (n=1,124), aged ≤20 years (n=207), and taking anticoagulant therapy (n=11,848), 9,733 remained for inclusion into the study. The primary outcome was hospital admission due to ischaemic stroke. RESULTS: Of the 9,733 participants, 7,079 (72.7%) were men. The mean age of women (54.4 years) was significantly higher than that of men (53.2 years). During a mean 2.5-year follow-up period, 143 ischaemic stroke events occurred. Female sex was not associated with ischaemic stroke (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.13 [0.78-1.66]). When stratified using the CHA2DS2-VASc score, the annual incidence of ischaemic stroke was similarly low among women with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 (0.8%) and men with a score of 0 (0.7%). The incidence of ischaemic stroke increased with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2 in women and 1 in men. CONCLUSIONS: In this large-scale, real-world study of patients with AF, the risk of ischaemic stroke among those aged <75 years was comparable between women and men. These findings are consistent with the current guidelines, which do not recommend anticoagulant therapy for women with no other risk factors (CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1).

Differences between home blood pressure and strictly measured office blood pressure and their determinants in Japanese men.

Conventional office blood pressure (OBP) and home blood pressure (HBP) measurements are often inconsistent. The purpose of this research was (1) to test whether strictly measured OBP values with sufficient rest time before measurement (st-OBP) is comparable to HBP at the population level and (2) to ascertain whether there are particular determinants for the difference between HBP and st-OBP at the individual level. Data from a population-based group of 1056 men aged 40-79 years were analyzed. After a five-min rest, st-OBP was measured twice. HBP was measured after a 2-min rest every morning for seven consecutive days. To determine factors related to ΔSBP (HBP minus st-OBP measurements), multiple linear regression analyses and analyses of covariance were performed. While st-OBP and HBP were comparable (136.5 vs. 137.2 mmHg) at the population level, ΔSBP varied with a standard deviation of 13.5 mmHg. Smoking was associated with a larger ΔSBP regardless of antihypertensive usage, and BMI was associated with a larger ΔSBP in participants using antihypertensive drugs. The adjusted mean ΔSBP in the highest BMI tertile category was 4.6 mmHg in participants taking antihypertensive drugs. st-OBP and HBP measurements were comparable at the population level, although the distribution of ΔSBP was considerably broad. Smokers and obese men taking antihypertensive drugs had higher HBP than st-OBP, indicating that their blood pressure levels are at risk of being underestimated. Therefore, this group would benefit from the addition of HBP measurements.