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van Doorn, Sander; Geersing, Geert-Jan; Kievit, Rogier F; van Mourik, Yvonne; Bertens, Loes C; van Riet, Evelien E S; Boonman-de Winter, Leandra J; Moons, Karel G M; Hoes, Arno W; Rutten, Frans H
Fuller, Rosemary Hines; Perel, Pablo; Navarro-Ruan, Tamara; Nieuwlaat, Robby; Haynes, Robert Brian; Huffman, Mark D
doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312571pmid: 29572248
ObjectiveTo evaluate and compare the effect of interventions for improving adherence to medications for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) secondary prevention.MethodsWe extracted eligible trials from a 2014 Cochrane systematic review on adherence for any condition. We updated the search from CENTRAL, Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts and trial registers through November 2016. Study reports needed to be from a randomised controlled trial, incorporate participants identified as having ASCVD and interventions aimed at improving adherence to medicines for secondary prevention of ASCVD and measure both adherence and a clinical outcome. Two reviewers independently determined the eligibility of studies, extracted data and conducted a narrative synthesis.ResultsWe identified 17 trials (n=17 448 participants). Most trials had high risk of bias in at least one domain. The intervention group adherence rates ranged from 44%to99% and the comparator group adherence rates ranged from 13% to 96%. Three distinct interventions reported improvements in both adherence and clinical outcomes: short message service (65% vs 13% of participants with high adherence in the intervention vs control group), a fixed-dose combination pill (86% vs 65% adherence, risk ratio of being adherent, 1.33; 95% CI 1.26 to 1.41) and a community health worker-based intervention (97% in the intervention group compared with 92% in the control group; OR=2.62, 95% CI 1.32 to 5.19).ConclusionsWe identified three interventions that demonstrated improvements in adherence and clinical outcomes. Ongoing, longer-term trials will help determine whether short-term changes in adherence can be maintained and lead to differences in clinical events.
Hutchings, David Charles; Anderson, Simon George; Caldwell, Jessica L; Trafford, Andrew W
doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312865pmid: 29519873
Novel cardioprotective agents are needed in both heart failure (HF) and myocardial infarction. Increasing evidence from cellular studies and animal models indicate protective effects of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors, drugs usually reserved as treatments of erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. PDE5 inhibitors have been shown to improve contractile function in systolic HF, regress left ventricular hypertrophy, reduce myocardial infarct size and suppress ischaemia-induced ventricular arrhythmias. Underpinning these actions are complex but increasingly understood cellular mechanisms involving the cyclic GMP activation of protein kinase-G in both cardiac myocytes and the vasculature. In clinical trials, PDE5 inhibitors improve symptoms and ventricular function in systolic HF, and accumulating epidemiological data indicate a reduction in cardiovascular events and mortality in PDE5 inhibitor users at high cardiovascular risk. Here, we focus on the translation of underpinning basic science to clinical studies and report that PDE5 inhibitors act through a number of cardioprotective mechanisms, including a direct myocardial action independent of the vasculature. We conclude that future clinical trials should be designed with these mechanisms in mind to identify patient subsets that derive greatest treatment benefit from these novel cardioprotective agents.
Benziger, Catherine P; Zavala-Loayza, José Alfredo; Bernabe-Ortiz, Antonio; Gilman, Robert H; Checkley, William; Smeeth, Liam; Malaga, German; Miranda, Juan Jaime
doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312255pmid: 29326111
BackgroundThe prevalence of and factors associated with ideal cardiovascular health (ICH) by sociodemographic characteristics in Peru is not well known.MethodsThe American Heart Association’s ICH score comprised 3 ideal health factors (blood pressure, untreated total cholesterol and glucose) and 4 ideal health behaviours (smoking, body mass index, high physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption). ICH was having 5 to 7 of the ideal health metrics. Baseline data from the Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, a prospective cohort study in adults aged ≥35 years in 4 Peruvian settings, was used (n=3058).ResultsNo one met all 7 of ICH metrics while 322 (10.5%) had ≤1 metric. Fasting plasma glucose was the most prevalent health factor (72%). Overall, compared with ages 35–44 years, the 55–64 years age group was associated with a lower prevalence of ICH (prevalence ratio 0.54, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.74, P<0.001). Compared with those in the lowest tertile of socioeconomic status, those in the middle and highest tertiles were less likely to have ICH after adjusting for sex, age and education (P<0.001).ConclusionThere is a low prevalence of ICH. This is a benchmark for the prevalence of ICH factors and behaviours in a resource-poor setting.
doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312610pmid: 29305563
ObjectiveThe present study tested the hypothesis that arterial stiffness will be elevated across overall and specific inflammatory disorders compared with an inflammation-free comparison group.MethodsAdults (n=171 125) aged 40–70 years from the UK Biobank who were cardiovascular disease (CVD) free and who had their arterial stiffness assessed at the time of study recruitment between 2006 and 2010 were included. The main exposure was represented by a global measure of chronic inflammatory disorders. Two inflammatory biomarker measures (eg, leucocytes count, granulocytes count) were included as markers of inflammation severity. The arterial stiffness index assessed by a non-invasive technique represented the study primary outcome measure.ResultsA total of 5976 (3%) participants diagnosed with inflammatory disorders and 165 149 participants without an inflammatory disorder had data on arterial stiffness. Adjusted linear regression analyses revealed a 14% increment in mean arterial stiffness for chronic inflammatory disorders (beta coefficient (β) 1.14, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.24, P=0.002) compared with no chronic inflammatory disorder. Arterial stiffness tended to increase (P value=0.031) with tertiles of leucocytes and granulocytes count. For instance, mean arterial stiffness values increased from 1.11 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.29) in the first tertile to 1.17 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.34) in the second tertile, and 1.21 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.39) in the third tertile of leucocytes count. There was evidence for similar associations with some of the most common individual inflammatory disorders, including psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.ConclusionArterial stiffness was associated with multiple chronic inflammatory disorders. An increasing trend in mean arterial stiffness was also documented with increasing tertiles of different inflammatory biomarkers. Future studies are needed to investigate the discriminant value of arterial stiffness to predict major CVD events within various inflammatory disorders.
Tikhonoff, Valérie; Kuznetsova, Tatiana; Thijs, Lutgarde; Cauwenberghs, Nicholas; Stolarz-Skrzypek, Katarzyna; Seidlerová, Jitka; Malyutina, Sofia; Gilis-Malinowska, Natasza; Swierblewska, Ewa; Kawecka-Jaszcz, Kalina; Filipovský, Jan; Narkiewicz, Krzysztof; Lip, Gregory Y H; Casiglia, Edoardo;
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ObjectiveHeart failure (HF) often coexists in atrial fibrillation (AF) but is frequently unrecognised due to overlapping symptomatology. Furthermore, AF can cause elevated natriuretic peptide levels, impairing its diagnostic value for HF detection. We aimed to assess the prevalence of previously unknown HF in community-dwelling patients with AF, and to determine the diagnostic value of the amino-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) for HF screening in patients with AF.MethodsIndividual participant data from four HF-screening studies in older community-dwelling persons were combined. Presence or absence of HF was in each study established by an expert panel following the criteria of the European Society of Cardiology. We performed a two-stage patient-level meta-analysis to calculate traditional diagnostic indices.ResultsOf the 1941 individuals included in the four studies, 196 (10.1%) had AF at baseline. HF was uncovered in 83 (43%) of these 196 patients with AF, versus 381 (19.7%) in those without AF at baseline. Median NTproBNP levels of patients with AF with and without HF were 744 pg/mL and 211 pg/mL, respectively. At the cut-point of 125 pg/mL, sensitivity was 93%, specificity 35%, and positive and negative predictive values 51% and 86%, respectively. Only 23% of all patients with AF had an NTproBNP level below the 125 pg/mL cut-point, with still a 13% prevalence of HF in this group.ConclusionsWith a prevalence of nearly 50%, unrecognised HF is common among community-dwelling patients with AF. Given the high prior change, natriuretic peptides are diagnostically not helpful, and straightforward echocardiography seems to be the preferred strategy for HF screening in patients with AF.
doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2017-312488pmid: 29440183
ObjectiveData on the contribution of ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) components to the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) are limited. We prospectively tested the hypothesis that ABP may represent a potentially modifiable risk factor for the development of AF in a European population study.MethodsWe recorded daytime blood pressure (BP) in 3956 subjects randomly recruited from the general population in five European countries. Of these participants, 2776 (70.2%) underwent complete 24-hour ABP monitoring. Median follow-up was 14 years. We defined daytime systolic BP load as the percentage BP readings above 135 mm Hg. The incidence of AF was assessed from ECGs obtained at baseline and follow-up and from records held by general practitioners and/or hospitals.ResultsOverall, during 58 810 person-years of follow-up, 143 participants experienced new-onset AF. In adjusted Cox models, each SD increase in baseline 24 hours, daytime and night-time systolic BP was associated with a 27% (P=0.0056), 22% (P=0.023) and 20% (P=0.029) increase in the risk for incident AF, respectively. Conventional systolic BP was borderline associated with the risk of AF (18%; P=0.06). As compared with the average population risk, participants in the lower quartile of daytime systolic BP load (<3%) had a 51% (P=0.0038) lower hazard for incident AF, whereas in the upper quartile (>38%), the risk was 46% higher (P=0.0094).ConclusionsSystolic ABP is a significant predictor of incident AF in a population-based cohort. We also observed that participants with a daytime systolic BP load >38% had significantly increased risk of incident AF.