Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis prevalence in subjects with severe atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.

OBJECTIVE: Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is characterized by ossification of different entheseal sites. Several metabolic factors have been suggested to be involved in DISH development. We assessed the prevalence of DISH and its relationship to traditional vascular risk factors in a cohort of patients diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: Among the 521 consecutive patients admitted to the heart diseases rehabilitation program in our Rehabilitative Cardiology Unit, only those (n = 436) with recent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), a heart valve replacement (HVR), or congestive heart failure (CHF) were enrolled (45 CHF, 338 CABG, and 53 HVR). All patients underwent a rheumatologic examination, blood sample collections, and chest radiographs. Body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and information about sex, age, smoking habit, and other vascular risk factors were recorded. DISH was established according to the Resnick and Niwayama criteria. RESULTS: In the setting (77.1% men), the mean ± SD age was 65.44 ± 9.66 years and the overall prevalence of DISH was 30.3%. A logistic regression analysis showed that both age (odds ratio [OR] 1.076, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.044-1.109; P < 0.001) and obesity (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.33-3.89; P = 0.003) were significant predictors of the presence of DISH. An increasing OR for the presence of DISH was found for increasing tertiles of age and BMI. No difference resulted according to other traditional vascular risk factors. BMI and age directly correlated with C-reactive protein levels. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of DISH was 30.3%. This is expected because of the study population. Obese and older individuals exhibit a higher risk of DISH development.

Six-minute walking test but not ejection fraction predicts mortality in elderly patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation following coronary artery bypass grafting.

BACKGROUND: Age-related effects on the ability of 6-min walking test (6MWT) and ejection fraction (EF) to predict mortality in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is still debated. DESIGN AND METHODS: In order to verify the role of 6MWT and EF on all-cause mortality in patients undergoing CR following CABG, 882 CABG patients undergoing CR stratified in adults (<65 years) and elderly (≥65 years) were studied. RESULTS: At the admission, EF was 52.6 ± 9.1% in adults and 51.3 ± 8.9% in elderly (p = 0.234, NS) while 6MWT was 343.8 ± 93.5 m in adults and 258.9 ± 95.7 m in elderly (p < 0.001). After 42.9 ± 14.1 months follow up, mortality was 8.2% in adults and 10.9% in elderly (p = 0.176, NS). Cox regression analysis shows that EF ≥ 50% and 6MWT ≥300 m are protective on mortality in all CABG patients before CR. However, EF ≥50% in adults (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.06-0.49, p < 0.005) but not in elderly (HR 1.16, 95% CI 0.45-3.42, p = 0.354, NS) and 6MWT ≥300 m in elderly (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.10-0.79, p = 0.033) but not in adults (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.31-2.12, p = 0.654, NS) exert a protective role on mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that both EF ≥ 50% and 6MWT ≥ 300 m independently protect against mortality in CABG patients before CR. However, their protective role is age dependent. In fact, EF ≥ 50% is protective in adults but not in elderly while 6MWT ≥ 300 m is protective in elderly but not in adult patients.

Efficacy of transdermal nitroglycerin patches evaluated by dipyridamole-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease. Comparison between continuous and intermittent schedule.

Nitrate tolerance remains a problem despite an enormous number of studies on this phenomenon. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of nitroglycerin transdermal patches intermittently or continuously administered to patients with myocardial ischemia evaluated by the echocardiography dipyridamole stress test. We prospectively studied 34 coronary patients with stable myocardial ischemia. A double-blind, randomized, crossover study technique was used. After a run-in period (1 week) they underwent a dipyridamole stress test to evaluate nitrate responsiveness and then were randomized to 1 week of transdermal nitroglycerine 20 mg/24 h (two patches of 10 mg/24) administered either intermittently or continuously for 1 week. During the following week all patients were given placebo. In the final week, therapy was crossed over the alternate regimen. No significant changes in heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and rate-pressure product were observed at basal conditions and at peak of dipyridamole infusion among patients after placebo run-in period, after acute, 1 week of intermittent and 1 week of continuous nitroglycerine administration. At peak of dipyridamole infusion after acute administration of nitrate we observed a significant decrease in wall motion score index with respect to placebo. This pattern was similar during intermittent, but not continuous, patch therapy (p < 0.001). Our results suggest that transdermal nitroglycerin patches are an effective anti-ischemic medication, in reducing transient myocardial ischemia induced by dipyridamole. This anti-ischemic effect is lost when an overnight nitrate free dose interval is not used. Moreover the dipyridamole echocardiographic stress test, besides evaluating myocardial ischemia-induced wall motion abnormalities, is adequate to assess both the efficacy and the tolerance of transdermal nitrate therapy.