The Pandemic of Coronary Heart Disease in South Asia: What Clinicians Need to Know.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: South Asia has around 1/6th of the current global population. Epidemiological studies suggest that South Asians living in South Asia and diaspora are at an increased risk of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs). This is due to an interplay of genetic, acquired, and environmental risk factors. Due to its increasing share of the global population, clinicians need to know the reasons for this early predisposition, and strategies for early identification and mitigation. RECENT FINDINGS: South Asians have earlier onset of cardiometabolic risk factors such as insulin resistance, hypertension, and central adiposity. This increased risk is seen in both native South Asians and the diaspora. South Asians have earlier onset of ASCVD due to an earlier onset of cardiometabolic risk factors. Health promotion and early identification of these risk factors are essential to mitigate this ongoing crisis.

Comparing eligibility for statin therapy for primary prevention under 2022 USPSTF recommendations and the 2018 AHA/ACC/ multi-society guideline recommendations: From National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

INTRODUCTION: The United States Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF) recently released recommendations for statin therapy eligibility for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We report the proportion and the absolute number of US adults who would be eligible for statin therapy under these recommendations and compare them with the previously published 2018 American Heart Association (AHA)/ American College of Cardiology (ACC)/ Multisociety (MS) Cholesterol guidelines. METHODS: We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2020 of adults aged 40-75 years without prevalent self-reported atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol <190 mg/dL. The 2022 USPSTF recommends statin therapy for primary prevention in those with a 10-year ASCVD risk of ≥10% and ≥ 1 CVD risk factor (diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, or smoking). The 2018 AHA/ ACC/ MS Cholesterol guideline recommends considering statin therapy for primary prevention for those with diabetes mellitus, or 10-year ASCVD risk ≥20% or 10-year ASCVD risk 7.5 to <20% after accounting for risk-enhancers and shared decision making. Survey recommended weights were used to project these proportions to national estimates. RESULTS: Among 1799 participants eligible for this study, the weighted mean age was 56.0 ± 0.5 years, with 53.0% women (95% confidence interval [CI] 49.7, 56.3), and 10.6% self-reported NH Black individuals (95% CI 7.7, 14.3). The weighted mean 10-year ASCVD risk was 9.6 ± 0.3%. The 2022 USPSTF recommendations and the 2018 AHA/ ACC/ MS Cholesterol guidelines indicated eligibility for statin therapy in 31.8% (95% CI 28.6, 35.1) and 46.8% (95% CI 43.0, 50.5) adults, respectively. These represent 33.7 million (95% CI 30.4, 37.2) and 49.7 million (95% CI 45.7, 53.7) adults, respectively. For those with diabetes mellitus, 2022 USPSTF recommended statin therapy in 63.0% (95% CI 52.1, 72.7) adults as compared with all adults with diabetes aged 40-75 years under the 2018 AHA/ ACC/ MS Cholesterol guidelines. CONCLUSION: In this analysis of the nationally representative US population from 2017 to 2020, approximately 15% (~16.0 million) fewer adults were eligible for statin therapy for primary prevention under the 2022 USPSTF recommendations as compared to the 2018 AHA/ ACC/ MS Cholesterol guideline.

Role of left ventricle deformation analysis in stress echocardiography for significant coronary artery disease detection: A diagnostic study meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: We compared the diagnostic accuracy of longitudinal strain (LS) imaging during stress echocardiography with visual assessment of wall motion (WM) for detecting significant coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: Our systematic search included studies reporting diagnostic measures for LS imaging and visual assessment of WM for detecting significant CAD during stress echocardiography. Summary diagnostic accuracy measures including area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and likelihood ratios (LRs) were estimated. RESULTS: In thirteen studies with 978 patients, ten studies used invasive coronary angiography as the reference standard. Pooled AUC for diagnosing significant CAD was 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.89-0.94) for LS imaging as compared to 0.83 (95% CI 0.80-0.86), P < 0.001 for visual assessment of WM. LS imaging had higher sensitivity (88% [95% CI 84-92] vs 74% [95% CI 68-80], P < 0.001) and comparable specificity to visual assessment of WM (80% [95% CI 72-87] vs 83% [95% CI 74-90], P = 0.592). The DOR for LS imaging and visual assessment of WM was 31 and 15, P = 0.254, respectively. The positive LR was 4.5 for both; negative LR was 0.14 and 0.31, P = 0.002 for LS imaging and visual assessment of WM, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal strain imaging during stress echocardiography has better diagnostic accuracy for detecting significant CAD as compared to visual assessment of WM. Studies using larger sample size and standardized techniques of strain measurement are required to further ascertain the added advantage of strain measurement over visual assessment alone.

Racial disparity in utilization of therapeutic modalities among multiple myeloma patients: a SEER-medicare analysis.

Outcomes have improved considerably in multiple myeloma (MM), but disparities among racial-ethnic groups exist. Differences in utilization of novel therapeutics are likely contributing factors. We explored such differences from the SEER-Medicare database. A utilization analysis of lenalidomide, thalidomide, bortezomib, and stem cell transplant (SCT) was performed for patients diagnosed with MM between 2007 and 2009, including use over time, use by race, time-dependent trends for each racial subgroup, and survival analysis. A total of 5338 MM patients were included with median 2.4-year follow-up. Within the first year of MM diagnosis, utilization of lenalidomide, bortezomib, SCT, and more than one novel agent increased over time while utilization of thalidomide decreased. There was significantly lower utilization of lenalidomide among African-Americans (P < 0.01), higher thalidomide use among Hispanics and Asians (P < 0.01), and lower bortezomib use among Asians (P < 0.01). Hispanics had the highest median number of days to first dose of bortezomib (P = 0.02) and the lowest utilization of SCT (P < 0.01). Hispanics and Asians were the only groups without notable increases in lenalidomide and bortezomib use, respectively. SCT utilization increased over time for all except African-Americans. SCT use within the first year after diagnosis was associated with better overall survival (HR 0.52; 95% CI: 0.4-0.68), while bortezomib use was associated with inferior survival (HR 1.14; 95% CI 1.02-1.28). We noted considerable variability in MM therapeutics utilization with seeming inequity for racial-ethnic minorities. These trends should be considered to eliminate drug access and utilization disparities and achieve equitable benefit of therapeutic advances across all races.

Acute Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation after Oxaliplatin Infusion.

Oxaliplatin is one of the most commonly used drugs for patients with colorectal cancer. It has rarely been associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) with only 3 previously reported cases. In all those instances, the patients had started receiving oxaliplatin, developed evidence of DIC during the course of planned treatment, and recovered with supportive care. We report a case of a 71-year-old man with colorectal cancer treated successfully with an oxaliplatin-based regimen who had disease relapse after 3 years. When treated again with oxaliplatin, he developed signs of an acute hypersensitivity reaction, and eventually had signs and symptoms consistent with DIC despite appropriate management. This case is unique in that a DIC reaction evolving from a hypersensitivity reaction occurred after the patient had already tolerated the drug years earlier. It suggests a possible immune-mediated etiology to this rare occurrence that should be kept in mind while utilizing this commonly employed drug.