-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: No studies have compared first cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and non-CVD death between races in a competing risks framework, which examines risks for numerous events simultaneously.
We used competing Cox models to estimate hazards for first CVD events and non-CVD death within and between races in 3 multicenter, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored cohorts. Of 14 569 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study participants aged 45 to 64 years with mean follow-up of 10.5 years, 11.6% had CVD and 5.0% had non-CVD death as first events; among 4237 Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) study participants aged 65 to 84 years and followed for 8.5 years, these figures were 43.2% and 15.7%, respectively. Middle-aged blacks were significantly more likely than whites to experience any CVD as a first event; this disparity disappeared by older adulthood and after adjustment for CVD risk factors. The pattern of results was similar for Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants. Traditional Cox and competing risks models yielded different results for coronary heart disease risk. Black men appeared somewhat more likely than white men to experience coronary heart disease with use of a standard Cox model (hazard ratio 1.06; 95% CI 0.90, 1.26), whereas they appeared less likely than white men to have a first coronary heart disease event with use of a competing risks model (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.60, 1.00).
CVD affects blacks at an earlier age than whites; this may be attributable in part to elevated CVD risk factor levels among blacks. Racial disparities in first CVD incidence disappear by older adulthood. Competing risks analyses may yield somewhat different results than traditional Cox models and provide a complementary approach to examining risks for first CVD events.
Circulation 06/2012; 126(1):50-9. · 14.74 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Religious involvement has been associated with improved health outcomes but greater obesity in older adults. No longitudinal study of young adults has examined the prospective association of religious involvement with incident cardiovascular risk factors (RFs) and subclinical disease (subCVD).
We included 2433 participants of the CARDIA study, aged 20 to 32 in 1987 when religiosity was assessed, who were followed for 18 years. Multivariable-adjusted regression models were fitted to assess prospective associations of frequency of religious participation at baseline with incidence of RFs and prevalence of subCVD after 18 years' follow up.
The high frequency of religious participation was associated with a significantly greater incidence of obesity in unadjusted models (RR 1.57, 95% CI 1.14-1.73) and demographic-adjusted models (RR 1.34, 95% CI 1.09-1.65) but not after additional adjustment for baseline RFs (RR 1.17, 95% CI .97-1.41). When religious participation was treated dichotomously, any religious participation, compared with none, was associated with significantly lower subCVD.
Frequent religious participants are more likely to become obese between young adulthood and middle age; this association is confounded by demographic and other factors. Nonetheless, young adults with frequent participation may represent an opportunity for obesity prevention.
Preventive Medicine 12/2011; 54(2):117-21. · 3.22 Impact Factor
-
The American journal of medicine 06/2011; 124(8):702-4. · 4.47 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Religious involvement has been associated with improved health practices and outcomes; however, no ethnically diverse community-based study has examined differences in cardiac risk factors, subclinical cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events across levels of religiosity.
We included 5474 white, black, Hispanic, and Chinese participants who attended examination 2 of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). We compared cross-sectional differences in cardiac risk factors and subclinical CVD and longitudinal CVD event rates across self-reported levels of religious participation, prayer/meditation, and spirituality. Multivariable-adjusted regression models were fitted to assess associations of measures of religiosity with risk factors, subclinical CVD, and CVD events. MESA participants (52.4% female; mean age, 63) with greater levels of religious participation were more likely to be female and black. After adjustment for demographic covariates, participants who attended services daily, compared with never, were significantly more likely to be obese (adjusted odds ratio 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 1.72) but less likely to smoke (adjusted odds ratio 0.39, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.58). Results were similar for those with frequent prayer/meditation or high levels of spirituality. There were no consistent patterns of association observed between measures of religiosity and presence/extent of subclinical CVD at baseline or incident CVD events during longitudinal follow-up in the course of 4 years.
Our results do not confirm those of previous studies associating greater religiosity with overall better health risks and status, at least with regard to CVD. There was no reduction in risk for CVD events associated with greater religiosity.
Circulation 02/2010; 121(5):659-66. · 14.74 Impact Factor
-
Rodolfo Citro,
Paolo Voci,
Francesco Pizzuto,
Anton Giulio Maione,
Marco Mariano Patella,
Eduardo Bossone,
Gennaro Provenza,
Giovanni Gregorio,
Enrica Mariano, Matthew Feinstein,
Georgeos Athanassopoulos,
Paolo Emilio Puddu
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Transthoracic Doppler echocardiography is a valuable tool to measure coronary flow reserve (CFR) and detect in-stent restenosis (ISR) after percutaneous coronary angioplasty in selected series of patients.
To assess the usefulness of coronary flow reserve measured by echocardiography in detecting significant (> or =70%) ISR of the left anterior descending coronary artery in a large unselected population.
Two hundred and twenty-three patients (age 61 +/- 10 years; 168 men) treated with left anterior descending stenting underwent CFR measurement by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography and venous adenosine infusion 24-72 h before control coronary angiography. Coronary-active drugs were continued, and patients with multiple risk factors and old anterior-apical myocardial infarction were included.
Significant ISR occurred in 56 patients (25%). Patients with ISR had higher basal coronary flow velocity (27 +/- 10 cm/s vs. 24 +/- 7 cm/s; P < 0.002) and lower CFR (1.5 +/- 0.5 vs. 2.7 +/- 0.6; P < 0.0001) than those without ISR. A linear relation was found between ISR and CFR (r = -0.73; P < 0.0001) and remained significant after adjustment for blood pressure and heart rate (r = -0.74; P < 0.0001). A CFR less than two identified significant ISR (sensitivity 88%, specificity 88%, area under the curve = 0.943; P < 0.001). In a multivariate model of CFR prediction, myocardial infarction and heart rate were slightly contributory (ss = -0.19, P < 0.01; ss = -0.16, P < 0.03, respectively), whereas ISR had a large influence (ss = -0.66; P < 0.0001). The inverse correlation between ISR and CFR persisted in patients with myocardial infarction (r = -0.64; P < 0.0001) and in those treated with beta-blockers (r = -0. 71; P < 0.0001).
Echocardiographic measurement of CFR detects significant left anterior descending ISR in unselected patients with multiple risk factors, old anterior-apical myocardial infarction, and taking beta-blockers.
Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine 12/2008; 9(12):1254-9. · 1.51 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: An atherosclerotic plaque requires a nutrient blood supply, which is predominantly derived from arterial vasa vasorum. A variety of factors (environmental and genetic) contribute to the initiation and growth of atherosclerosis within vessel walls. Chemotactic factors, such as tissue ischemic and hypoxic factors, stimulate the release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) proteins, resulting in vessel wall angiogenesis. These developments often precede the formation of the luminal plaque. In this report, we describe the use of contrast-enhanced carotid ultrasound (CECU) imaging for the detection and quantification of intra-plaque neovascularization. The efficacy of CECU was measured against the neovascular density observed within the tissue specimens obtained at the time of carotid endarterectomy surgery. The objective of this study was to provide a histologic correlation between CECU and carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque neovascularization. Fifteen patients with significant atherosclerotic carotid artery disease received a CECU examination prior to undergoing a carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Two patients received bilateral endarterectomies, resulting in a total of 17 cases. At the time of surgery, carotid plaque samples were surgically removed and stained with specific vascular markers (CD31, CD34, von Willebrand factor, and hemosiderin) designed to identify the presence and degree of neovascularization. The intra-plaque neovascularization recorded on preoperative CECU was correlated with the degree of neovascularization noted in the tissue specimens. The CECU neovascularization was correlated to CD31-stained tissue specimens. This correlation value was 0.68 using Spearman's rank method. When CECU results were correlated with the other histologic markers (CD34, von Willebrand factor, and hemosiderin), a correlation of 0.50 was obtained. In conclusion, contrast-enhanced carotid ultrasound correlated to the presence and degree of intra-plaque neovascularization as determined from histology specimens.
Vascular Medicine 12/2007; 12(4):291-7. · 1.46 Impact Factor
