Changes in Dietary Behavior among Coronary and Hypertensive Patients: A Longitudinal Investigation Using the Health Action Process Approach.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Nutrition plays an important role in the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of CVDs. The present longitudinal study used the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) to investigate changes in dietary behavior in coronary patients (CPs) affected by acute coronary syndrome and hypertensive patients (HPs) affected by essential arterial hypertension. METHODS: CPs (N = 250) and HPs (N = 246) completed a questionnaire during three measurement points (baseline, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up). Statistical analyses included a repeated measures ANOVA and a multi-sample structural equation model. RESULTS: HPs showed no changes in dietary behavior, whereas CPs improved their nutrition at 6 months and then maintained the healthier diet. The multi-sample analysis indicated equivalence of the HAPA model for both patient populations. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide further evidence for the generalisability of the HAPA model, shedding light on dietary behavior among CVD patients and particularly on hypertensive patients which has received little attention. Moreover, the equivalence of the model suggests that the process of change is almost identical for individuals who are at high risk for a coronary event (i.e. HPs) and individuals who have already had the event (i.e. CPs).

Effectiveness of risk minimization measures for cabergoline-induced cardiac valve fibrosis in clinical practice in Italy.

On June 2008, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) introduced changes to the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for cabergoline and pergolide, to reduce the risk of cardiac valvulopathy in users of these drugs. To assess the effectiveness of EMA recommendations in Italian clinical practice, we retrospectively reviewed medical charts of patients with degenerative Parkinsonism treated with cabergoline in three large Italian clinics between January 2006 and June 2012. The prevalence and the severity of cardiac valve regurgitation were assessed in patients who stopped cabergoline therapy prior to June 2008 or continued therapy after that date. In addition, the proportion of patients undergoing echocardiographic examination in each cohort was evaluated. A total of 61 patients were available for evaluation. The proportion of patients who underwent a baseline echocardiographic examination increased from 64 % in the period before the 2008 SPC changes to 71 % among those who continued treatment after that date. However, only 18 and 29 % of patients underwent at least two echocardiographic examinations during the pre-SPC and cross-SPC change period, respectively. No severe cardiac valve regurgitation was documented in any of the study patients using cabergoline either prior or after 26th June 2008. Our findings show that the 2008 changes to the SPC resulted in an increase in physicians' awareness of cabergoline-induced valvulopathy risk in Italy. However, only a small percentage of patients underwent serial echocardiography. Further efforts are needed to achieve better compliance with the prescribing guidelines for cabergoline treated patients in clinical practice.

Cardiac rehabilitation and mid-term follow-up after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of patient outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has usually been based on survival and clinical improvement. Studies on quality of life are limited, and data from comprehensive assessments after the procedure are lacking. METHODS: Sixty patients referred for cardiac rehabilitation after TAVI underwent in-hospital and after-discharge multidimensional assessments to evaluate clinical, functional, and nutritional statuses, degree of autonomy, cognitive impairment, depression and quality of life. RESULTS: On admission to rehabilitation, approximately half of the patients had severe functional impairment and dependence for basic activities of daily living. During their hospital stay, one-third of the patients suffered significant clinical complications and two had to be transferred to the implantation center. Despite this, the overall outcome was very good. All of the remaining patients were clinically stable at discharge and functional status, autonomy and quality of life were improved in most. During a mean follow-up of 540 days (range: 192-738 days), five patients died from noncardiac causes, three were hospitalized for cardiac events, and nine for non cardiac reasons. Functional status and autonomy remained satisfactory in the majority of patients and most continued to live independently. CONCLUSIONS: Patients referred for rehabilitation after TAVI are often very frail, with a high grade of functional impairment, dependence on others and high risk of clinical complications. During a rehabilitation programme, based on a multidimensional assessment and intervention, most patients showed significant improvement in functional status, quality of life, and autonomy, which remained stable in the majority of subjects during mid-term follow-up.

Cardiac rehabilitation and mid-term follow-up after transcatheter aortic valve implantation / 老年心脏病学杂志（英文版）

Background Evaluation of patient outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has usually been based on sur-vival and clinical improvement. Studies on quality of life are limited, and data from comprehensive assessments after the procedure are lack-ing. Methods Sixty patients referred for cardiac rehabilitation after TAVI underwent in-hospital and after-discharge multidimensional as-sessments to evaluate clinical, functional, and nutritional statuses, degree of autonomy, cognitive impairment, depression and quality of life. Results On admission to rehabilitation, approximately half of the patients had severe functional impairment and dependence for basic ac-tivities of daily living. During their hospital stay, one-third of the patients suffered significant clinical complications and two had to be trans-ferred to the implantation center. Despite this, the overall outcome was very good. All of the remaining patients were clinically stable at dis-charge and functional status, autonomy and quality of life were improved in most. During a mean follow-up of 540 days (range:192–738 days), five patients died from noncardiac causes, three were hospitalized for cardiac events, and nine for non cardiac reasons. Functional status and autonomy remained satisfactory in the majority of patients and most continued to live independently. Conclusions Patients re-ferred for rehabilitation after TAVI are often very frail, with a high grade of functional impairment, dependence on others and high risk of clinical complications. During a rehabilitation programme, based on a multidimensional assessment and intervention, most patients showed significant improvement in functional status, quality of life, and autonomy, which remained stable in the majority of subjects during mid-term follow-up.

Validity of the Talk Test for exercise prescription after myocardial revascularization.

BACKGROUND: For exercise prescription, rating of perceived exertion is the subjective tool most frequently used in addition to methods based on percentage of peak exercise variables. The aim of this study was the validation of a subjective method widely called the Talk Test (TT) for optimization of training intensity in patients with recent myocardial revascularization. DESIGN AND METHODS: Fifty patients with recent myocardial revascularization (17 by coronary artery bypass grafting and 33 by percutaneous coronary intervention) were enrolled in a cardiac rehabilitation programme. Each patient underwent three repetitions of the TT during three different exercise sessions to evaluate the within-patient and between-operators reliability in assessing the workload (WL) at TT thresholds. These parameters were then compared with the data of a final cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and the WL range between the individual aerobic threshold (AeT) and anaerobic threshold (AnT) was considered as the optimal training zone. RESULTS: The within-patient and between-operators reliability in assessing TT thresholds were satisfactory. No significant differences were found between patients' and physiotherapists' evaluations of WL at different TT thresholds. WL at Last TT+ was between AeT and AnT in 88% of patients and slightly

The risk of new onset heart failure associated with dopamine agonist use in Parkinson's disease.

The aim of present study was to investigate the risk of heart failure associated with dopamine agonist use in patients with Parkinson's disease. The data sources of this study were four different population-based, healthcare databases in United Kingdom, Italy and Netherlands. A case control study nested within a cohort of Parkinson's disease patients who were new users of either dopamine agonist or levodopa was conducted. Incident cases of heart failure were identified and validated, using Framingham criteria. Controls were matched to cases on age, gender and database. To estimate the risk of newly diagnosed heart failure with ergot and non-ergot derived dopamine agonists, as compared to levodopa, odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated through conditional logistic regression. In the cohort of 25,459 Parkinson's disease patients (11,151 new users of dopamine agonists, 14,308 new users of levodopa), 518 incident heart failure cases were identified during follow-up. Compared to levodopa, no increased risk of heart failure was found for ergot dopamine agonists (odds ratio: 1.03; 95% confidence interval: 0.69-1.55). Among non-ergot dopamine agonists, only pramipexole was associated with an increased risk of heart failure (odds ratio: 1.61; 95%confidence interval: 1.09-2.38), especially in the first three months of therapy (odds ratio: 3.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.74-5.39) and in patients aged 80 years and older (odds ratio: 3.30; 95% confidence interval: 1.62-7.13). The results of this study indicate that ergot dopamine agonist use in Parkinson's disease patients was not associated with an increased risk of newly diagnosed heart failure. Among non-ergot dopamine agonists, we observed a statistically significant association between pramipexole use and heart failure, especially during the first months of therapy and in very old patients.

Training prescription in patients on beta-blockers: percentage peak exercise methods or self-regulation?

BACKGROUND: Exercise prescription based on percentage of peak exercise variables has many limitations in patients taking beta-blockers. The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy and safety of a training protocol based on the rating of perceived exercise (RPE) in patients taking beta-blockers after cardiac surgical revascularization. DESIGN AND METHODS: 71 patients treated with beta-blockers after recent coronary artery bypass grafting were randomly allocated to two different programmes with training intensity adjusted to keep heart rate close to first ventilatory threshold (36 subjects, AeT group) or RPE between grades 4 and 5 of 10-point category-ratio BORG scale (35 subjects, RPE group). RESULTS: In the RPE group, mean training workloads and heart rate values were significantly higher than in the AeT group; during the last week of the programme, six RPE patients were training very close to anaerobic threshold. Aerobic peak capacity increased similarly in the two groups. Considering the potential effects on training intensity of prescriptions based on percentages of peak exercise variables, we found that only percentage heart rate reserve and peak workload methods were reliable in defining a safe upper limit of training intensity, with values of 50% and 65% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Self-regulation of exercise training intensity between grades 4 and 5 of the 10-point category-ratio BORG scale is effective but may promote overtraining in some patients without significant functional advantages. For these reasons, RPE method should be integrated with objective indices based on percentage of heart rate reserve or of peak workload.

Risk of cardiac valve regurgitation with dopamine agonist use in Parkinson's disease and hyperprolactinaemia: a multi-country, nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that ergot dopamine agonists may induce cardiac valve regurgitation (CVR) in persons with Parkinson's disease. It is unclear whether the CVR risk is increased with ergot-dopamine agonist use in persons with hyperprolactinaemia, in whom the dose is much lower. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to explore the association between different dopamine agonists and CVR in patients with Parkinson's disease or hyperprolactinaemia. DESIGN: Nested case-control studies conducted separately in cohorts of Parkinson's disease and hyperprolactinaemia patients. Cases were patients who developed newly diagnosed CVR. Controls were CVR-free patients from the same cohorts and were matched to cases by age, sex, database and calendar year. SETTING AND PATIENTS: Study patients were identified from over 4.5 million persons in The Health Improvement Network (THIN; UK), Health Search (Italy), and Integrated Primary Care Information (IPCI; the Netherlands) general practice databases in the years 1996-2007. The Parkinson's disease cohort included new users of dopamine agonists or levodopa, while the hyperprolactinaemia cohort included new users or non-users of dopamine agonists. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Risk of newly diagnosed CVR with dopamine agonist use compared with levodopa use in the Parkinson's disease cohort, and dopamine agonist-naïve patients in the hyperprolactinaemia cohort. RESULTS: In the Parkinson's disease cohort (7893 dopamine agonist users, 11 766 levodopa users), 85 incident CVR cases were identified. Increased CVR risk was observed for ergot dopamine agonists (adjusted OR [OR(adj)] 3.82; 95% CI 2.14, 6.81), but not for non-ergot dopamine agonists (OR(adj) 1.20; 95% CI 0.63, 2.29). In the hyperprolactinaemia cohort (6740 dopamine agonist users and 14 299 dopamine agonist-naïve patients), 37 CVR cases were identified during a mean follow-up of 4.5 years and 3.5 years for new users and non-users of dopamine agonists, respectively. However, no association with ever use of ergot dopamine agonists was observed (OR(adj) 0.47; 95% CI 0.20, 1.19). CONCLUSION: Ergot-derived dopamine agonists are associated with an increased risk of CVR in Parkinson's disease but not in hyperprolactinaemia patients.

Regression of cardiac valvulopathy related to ergot-derived dopamine agonists.

AIMS: In a previous echocardiographic prevalence study we reported a significant increase in the frequency of heart valve regurgitation in patients with Parkinson's disease taking the ergot-derived dopamine agonists pergolide and cabergoline versus controls. We followed-up our original cohort of patients to ascertain whether valvulopathy regressed after discontinuation of treatment and/or its incidence increased over time. METHODS: Prospective follow-up of 101 patients treated with ergot-derived dopamine agonists included in the prevalence study: 53 given pergolide and 48 cabergoline (64% male; 66.4 ± 8.7 years of age, 11.5 ± 5.9 years of disease, 21.8 ± 5.9 months of follow-up); 55 stopped treatment while 46 continued. The main outcomes measures, were: echocardiographic quantification of regurgitant valve disease, abnormal leaflet, or cusp thickening and measurement of mitral valve tenting area. RESULTS: Valve abnormalities regressed in about one third of patients with significant multivalvular and in about half of the patients with monovalvular regurgitation who withdrew; no progression was observed in remaining patients. Patients continuing ergot-derived dopamine agonists showed progression of cardiac valvulopathy: seven new cases with three to four regurgitation grade of any valve occurred during follow-up; this regarded also patients who had been on pergolide for many years. CONCLUSION: Owing to the persistence of risk of heart valve damage over time and the lack of its mid-term reversibility in many patients, we believe that pergolide and cabergoline should be prescribed only when therapeutic alternatives with a better risk/benefit ratio are unavailable and the patient has access to echocardiography.

Valvular heart disease and the use of dopamine agonists for Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Ergot-derived dopamine receptor agonists, often used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, have been associated with an increased risk of valvular heart disease. METHODS: We performed an echocardiographic prevalence study in 155 patients taking dopamine agonists for Parkinson's disease (pergolide, 64 patients; cabergoline, 49; and non-ergot-derived dopamine agonists, 42) and 90 control subjects. Valve regurgitation was assessed according to American Society of Echocardiography recommendations. The mitral-valve tenting area was also measured and used as a quantitative index for leaflet stiffening and apical displacement of leaflet coaptation. RESULTS: Clinically important regurgitation (moderate to severe, grade 3 to 4) in any valve was found with significantly greater frequency in patients taking pergolide (23.4%) or cabergoline (28.6%) but not in patients taking non-ergot-derived dopamine agonists (0%), as compared with control subjects (5.6%). The relative risk for moderate or severe valve regurgitation in the pergolide group was 6.3 for mitral regurgitation (P=0.008), 4.2 for aortic regurgitation (P=0.01), and 5.6 for tricuspid regurgitation (P=0.16); corresponding relative risks in the cabergoline group were 4.6 (P=0.09), 7.3 (P<0.001), and 5.5 (P=0.12). The mean mitral tenting area was significantly greater in ergot-treated patients and showed a linear relationship with the severity of mitral regurgitation. Patients treated with ergot derivatives who had grade 3 to 4 regurgitation of any valve had received a significantly higher mean cumulative dose of pergolide or cabergoline than had patients with lower grades. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of clinically important valve regurgitation was significantly increased in patients taking pergolide or cabergoline, but not in patients taking non-ergot-derived dopamine agonists, as compared with control subjects. These findings should be considered in evaluating the risk-benefit ratio of treatment with ergot derivatives.