Ki Chul Sung

Samsung, South Korea

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Publications (64)236.2 Total impact

  • Article: Saccular Coronary Artery Aneurysm and Fistula with Organized Thrombi.
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    ABSTRACT: Saccular coronary artery aneurysm, associated with coronary artery fistula, is a very rare condition. A 48-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for the evaluation of an abnormal shadow on the left cardiac border from a chest X-ray film during regular medical health examination. A huge saccular aneurysm with organized thrombi in the proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD) and coronary artery fistulae from LAD and conus branch of the right coronary artery to pulmonary artery was diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography, multi-detector computer tomography (MDCT), and coronary angiography. The patient received surgical treatment, including thrombectomy of aneurysm, ligation of the inlet and outlet of aneurysmal sac, coronary artery bypass graft (left internal mammary artery-to-distal LAD), and ligation of fistulae. The postoperative course was uneventful, and postoperative echocardiography and MDCT revealed patent bypass graft; however, a small fistula from proximal LAD across aneurysmal sac to pulmonary artery was observed.
    Korean Circulation Journal 02/2013; 43(2):127-131.
  • Article: Safety and Efficacy of Fimasartan in Patients with Arterial Hypertension (Safe-KanArb Study) : An Open-Label Observational Study.
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    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) play a key role in hypertension therapy. Recently, fimasartan, the ninth ARB, was developed, but its safety and efficacy have not been well established. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether age, sex, concomitant disease, and current antihypertensive medications affect the safety and efficacy of fimasartan in patients with arterial hypertension. METHODS: This was a large-scale, open-label observational study to determine the safety and efficacy of fimasartan in patients with hypertension. Patients who were treated for more than 2 months with fimasartan (60 or 120 mg, once daily) were recruited, and the data were systematically collected using electronic case report forms. Written informed consent forms were obtained from all patients. RESULTS: A total of 14,151 patients (50.7 % males; mean age 59 ± 12 years) were evaluated, of whom 37.9 % were never treated with fimasartan, 53.5 % were switched to fimasartan, and 8.5 % had fimasartan added to their treatment. Overall, fimasartan reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) from 145.4 ± 18.1 to 126.8 ± 12.6 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from 88.7 ± 11.8 to 79.0 ± 8.7 mmHg (all p < 0.001). The pulse rate decreased from 74.4 ± 10.3 to 71.9 ± 9.2 beats/min in comparison with before treatment (p < 0.001). The reductions were similar between sexes, age groups, and patients with and without co-morbidities, and were not dependent on prior or concomitant treatment with other antihypertensive drugs. Adverse events were reported in 3.31 % (treatment-emergent) and 2.35 % (drug-related) of patients; there were no dose differences for adverse events. The most frequent adverse events were dizziness (1.55 %) and headache (0.52 %); other adverse events were rare. The responder rate (DBP to <90 mmHg or a reduction of ≥10 mmHg) and the goal rate (combined SBP/DBP <140/90 mmHg) were 85.0 and 75.6 %, respectively. Global drug compliance was rated as excellent, very good, good, and poor in 68.1, 26.9, 3.4, and 1.7 % of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: The safety, efficacy, and compliance of fimasartan were found to be excellent in a large patient population that included patients potentially at higher risk for adverse events.
    American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs 01/2013; · 1.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Relationship between Insulin Resistance and Coronary Artery Calcium in Young Men and Women.
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    ABSTRACT: The gender disparity in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is greatest between young men and women. However, the causes of that are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between insulin resistance and the presence of coronary artery calcium (CAC) to identify risk factors that may predispose young men and women to CVD. Insulin resistance and CVD risk factors were examined in 8682 Korean men and 1829 women aged 30-45 years old. Insulin resistance was estimated using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and CAC was measured using computed tomography. Women were less likely to be insulin resistant (upper quartile of HOMA-IR, 18% vs. 27%, p<0.001) and had a lower prevalence of CAC (1.6% vs. 6.4%, p<0.001). Even when equally insulin resistant men and women were compared, women continued to have lower prevalence of CAC (3.1% vs. 7.2%, p = 0.004) and a more favorable CVD risk profile. Finally, after adjustment for traditional CVD risk factors, insulin resistance remained an independent predictor of CAC only in men (p = 0.03). Young women have a lower risk for CVD and a lower CAC prevalence compared with men. This favorable CVD risk profile in women appears to occur regardless of insulin sensitivity. Unlike men, insulin resistance was not a predictor of CAC in women in this cohort. Therefore, insulin resistance has less impact on CVD risk and CAC in young women compared with men, and insulin resistance alone does not explain the gender disparity in CVD risk that is observed at an early age.
    PLoS ONE 01/2013; 8(1):e53316. · 4.09 Impact Factor
  • Article: Ferritin is independently associated with the presence of coronary artery calcium in 12 033 men.
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    ABSTRACT: Ferritin concentrations are often increased in patients with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus, but few reports have examined the associations between ferritin and atherosclerosis. We investigated whether any relationship between ferritin and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) >0 (as a marker of atherosclerosis) was independent of potential confounders, such as iron-binding capacity (transferrin), low-grade inflammation, and cardiovascular risk factors. Data were analyzed from a South Korean occupational cohort of 12 033 men who underwent a cardiac computed tomography estimation of CACS and measurements of multiple cardiovascular risk factors. One-thousand three- hundred-fifteen of 12 033 (11.2%) subjects had a CACS >0. For people with a CACS >0, median (interquartile range) ferritin concentration was 196.8 (136.3-291.9) compared with 182.2 (128.1-253.6) in people with a CACS=0; P<0.001. In the highest ferritin quartile, 14.7% (442/3008) of subjects had a CACS >0 compared with 9.7% (292/3010) in the lowest quartile (P<0.0001). With increasing ferritin quartiles, there were also higher proportions of people with diabetes mellitus (P<0.0001), hypertension (P<0.0001), coronary heart disease (P=0.003), and a Framingham Risk Score >10% (P<0.0001). In logistic regression modeling with CACS >0 as the outcome, ferritin but not transferrin was independently associated with CACS >0 (odds ratio for highest quartile versus lowest quartile, 1.66 [95% CI, 1.3-1.98]; P=0.0001). Increased ferritin concentrations are associated with the presence of a marker of early coronary artery atherosclerosis, independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors including Framingham risk score, transferrin, preexisting vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome factors, and low-grade inflammation.
    Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 07/2012; 32(10):2525-30. · 6.37 Impact Factor
  • Article: Fatty Liver, Insulin Resistance, and Features of Metabolic Syndrome: Relationships with coronary artery calcium in 10,153 people.
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    ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) coexists with insulin resistance (IR), but it is uncertain whether NAFLD and IR contribute independently to atherosclerosis. We tested whether fatty liver, IR, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) features (waist, glucose, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol [HDL-C], and blood pressure) were associated with a marker of atherosclerosis (coronary artery calcium [CAC] score >0), independently of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease (CVD). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data were analyzed from a South Korean occupational cohort of 10,153 people who all received ultrasound measurements of fatty liver and a cardiac computed tomography CAC score. IR was defined by homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) ≥75th percentile. Odds ratios (ORs) (95% CIs) for the presence of a CAC score >0 were estimated using logistic regression. RESULTS There were 915 people with a CAC score >0. MetS features were increased (glucose, blood pressure, triglyceride, and waist) or decreased (HDL-C) among people with a CAC score >0 (all comparisons against CAC score ≤0; P < 0.0001). Of subjects with a CAC score >0, 55% had fatty liver and 33.7% were insulin resistant. Fatty liver (OR 1.21 [95% CI 1.01-1.45]; P = 0.04) and HOMA-IR (1.10 [1.02-1.18]; P = 0.02) were associated with CAC score >0, independently of all MetS features, conventional cardiovascular risk factors, and prior evidence of CVD. The presence of IR and fatty liver combined was associated with CAC score >0 (1.53 [1.20-1.95]; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Fatty liver and HOMA-IR are both associated with a CAC score >0 (independently of each other), features of MetS, conventional cardiovascular risk factors, and existing CVD.
    Diabetes care 07/2012; 35(11):2359-64. · 8.09 Impact Factor
  • Article: Predicting incident fatty liver using simple cardiometabolic risk factors at baseline.
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    ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes and chronic liver disease but identifying patients who have NAFLD without resorting to expensive imaging tests is challenging. In order to help identify people for imaging investigation of the liver who are at high risk of NAFLD, our aim was to: a) identify easily measured risk factors at baseline that were independently associated with incident fatty liver at follow up, and then b) to test the diagnostic performance of thresholds of these factors at baseline, to predict or to exclude incident fatty liver at follow up. METHODS: 2589 people with absence of fatty liver on ultrasound examination at baseline were reexamined after a mean of 4.4 years in a Korean occupational cohort study. Multi-variable logistic regression analyses were used to identify baseline factors that were independently associated with incident fatty liver at follow up. The diagnostic performance of thresholds of these baseline factors to identify people with incident fatty liver at follow-up was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: 430 incident cases of fatty liver were identified. Several factors were independently associated with incident fatty liver: increased triglyceride (per mmol/l increase) OR 1.378 [95%CIs 1.179, 1.611], p < 0.0001; glucose (per mmol/l increase) OR 1.215 [95%CIs 1.042, 1.416], p = 0.013; waist (per cm increase) OR 1.078 [95%CIs 1.057, 1.099], p < 0.001; ALT (per IU/L increase) OR 1.009 [95%CIs 1.002, 1.017], p = 0.016; and platelets (per 1x109/L increase) OR 1.004 [1.001, 1.006], p = 0.001; were each independently associated with incident fatty liver. Binary thresholds of the five factors were applied and the area under the ROC curve for incident fatty liver was 0.75 (95%CI 0.72-0.78) for the combination of all five factors above these thresholds. CONCLUSION: Simple risk factors that overlap considerably with risk factors for type 2 diabetes allow identification of people at high risk of incident fatty liver at who use of hepatic imaging could be targeted.
    BMC Gastroenterology 07/2012; 12(1):84. · 2.42 Impact Factor
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    Article: Effect of nonalcoholic Fatty liver disease on the development of type 2 diabetes in nonobese, nondiabetic korean men.
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    ABSTRACT: We have a limited understanding of the effect of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on the development of type 2 diabetes. The study subjects included male who had received biennial medical check-ups between 2005 and 2009 and who had been diagnosed with fatty liver disease. The subjects with sustained NAFLD (FL, n=107) and sustained non-NAFLD (NFL, n=1,054) were followed to determine the development of type 2 diabetes. In the FL group, there were more subjects with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), type 2 diabetes and high HOMA-IR than there were in the NFL group during the 5-year follow-up period (32.7 vs. 17.6%, 1.9 vs. 0.3%, 17.9 vs. 5.2% respectively, p<0.05). The FL group showed a higher risk than NFL group for abnormal glucose metabolism as determined using IFG (odds ratio [OR], 2.13; confidence interval [CI], 1.36 to 3.35), type 2 diabetes (OR, 7.63; 95% CI, 1.03 to 56.79) and high HOMA-IR (OR, 3.25; 95% CI, 1.79 to 5.91) and metabolic parameters such as body mass index (OR, 3.35; 95% CI, 1.87 to 6.02), triglyceride (OR, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.92 to 4.86) and fasting blood sugar (OR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.39 to 3.41). Sustained NAFLD appears to be associated with an increased risk for the development of type 2 diabetes and deterioration of metabolic parameters in non-obese, non-diabetic Korean men.
    Gut and liver 07/2012; 6(3):368-73. · 0.83 Impact Factor
  • Article: Estimation of plasma apolipoprotein B concentration using routinely measured lipid biochemical tests in apparently healthy Asian adults.
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    ABSTRACT: Increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) concentration is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) but a substantial risk of cardiovascular disease often remains after LDL concentrations have been treated to target. Apolipoprotein B (apo B) is the major apolipoprotein contained within atherogenic lipoproteins such as LDL, and apo B is a more reliable indicator of cardiovascular risk than LDL concentration. Our aim was to develop a formula for calculating apo B using lipid biochemistry measurements that are commonly available in clinical practice. We examined the clinical and laboratory data from 73,047 Koreans who underwent a medical health check that included apolipoprotein B concentration. The study sample was randomly divided into a training set for prediction model building and a validation set of equal size. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to develop a prediction model equation for estimating apo B and to validate the developed model. The best results for estimating apo B were derived from an equation utilising LDL and triglyceride (TG) concentrations [ApoB = -33.12 + 0.675*LDL + 11.95*ln(tg)]. This equation predicted the apo B result with a concordance correlation coefficient (CCC and 95%CIs) = 0.936 (0.935,0.937)). Our equation for predicting apo B concentrations from routine analytical lipid biochemistry provides a simple method for obtaining precise information about an important cardiovascular risk marker.
    Cardiovascular Diabetology 05/2012; 11:55. · 3.35 Impact Factor
  • Article: Reduced lung function is independently associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in Korean men.
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    ABSTRACT: Reduced lung function is associated with incident insulin resistance and diabetes. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between lung function and incident type 2 diabetes in Korean men. This study included 9,220 men (mean age: 41.4 years) without type 2 diabetes at baseline who were followed for five years. Subjects were divided into four groups according to baseline forced vital capacity (FVC) (% predicted) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (% predicted) quartiles. The incidence of type 2 diabetes at follow-up was compared according to FVC and FEV1 quartiles. The overall incidence of type 2 diabetes was 2.2%. Reduced lung function was significantly associated with the incidence of type 2 diabetes after adjusting for age, BMI, education, smoking, exercise, alcohol, and HOMA-IR. Both FVC and FEV1 were negatively associated with type 2 diabetes (P < 0.05). In non-obese subjects with BMI < 25, the lowest quartile of FVC and FEV1 had a significantly higher odds ratio for type 2 diabetes compared with the highest quartile after adjusting for age and BMI (2.15 [95% CI 1.02-4.57] and 2.19 [95% CI 1.09-4.42]). Reduced lung function is independently associated with the incidence of type 2 diabetes in Korean men.
    Cardiovascular Diabetology 04/2012; 11:38. · 3.35 Impact Factor
  • Article: Combined influence of insulin resistance, overweight/obesity, and fatty liver as risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
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    ABSTRACT: There is dissociation between insulin resistance, overweight/obesity, and fatty liver as risk factors for type 2 diabetes, suggesting that different mechanisms are involved. Our aim was to 1) quantify risk of incident diabetes at follow-up with different combinations of these risk factors at baseline and 2) determine whether each is an independent risk factor for diabetes. We examined 12,853 subjects without diabetes from a South Korean occupational cohort, and insulin resistance (IR) (homeostasis model assessment-IR ≥75th centile, ≥2.0), fatty liver (defined by standard ultrasound criteria), and overweight/obesity (BMI ≥25 kg/m(2)) identified at baseline. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident diabetes at 5-year follow-up were estimated using logistic regression. We identified 223 incident cases of diabetes from which 26 subjects had none of the three risk factors, 37 had one, 56 had two, and 104 had three. In the fully adjusted model, the OR and CI for diabetes were 3.92 (2.86-5.37) for IR, 1.62 (1.17-2.24) for overweight/obesity, and 2.42 (1.74-3.36) for fatty liver. The OR for the presence of all three factors in a fully adjusted model was 14.13 (8.99-22.21). The clustering of IR, overweight/obesity, and fatty liver is common and markedly increases the odds of developing type 2 diabetes, but these factors also have effects independently of each other and of confounding factors. The data suggest that treatment for each factor is needed to decrease risk of type 2 diabetes.
    Diabetes care 02/2012; 35(4):717-22. · 8.09 Impact Factor
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    Article: Elevated fasting insulin predicts the future incidence of metabolic syndrome: a 5-year follow-up study.
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    ABSTRACT: There is controversy about the specific pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome (MS) but several authors have argued that hyperinsulinemia is a key feature of the cluster. We aimed to assess whether the baseline insulin levels could predict the development of MS in a well characterised cohort of otherwise healthy adults who were followed over a five year period. We identified 2, 350 Koreans subjects who did not have MS in 2003 and who were followed up in 2008. The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to the baseline quartiles of fasting insulin, and the predictors of the incidence of MS were analyzed using multivariate regression analysis. Over the follow up period, 8.5% of the cohort developed MS. However, 16.4% of the subjects in the highest quartile of the insulin levels developed MS. In a model that included gender, age, the smoking status, the exercise level, alcohol consumption and the systolic blood pressure, the subjects in the highest quartile of the insulin levels had more than a 5 times greater risk of developing MS compared that of the subjects in the lowest quartile. This predictive importance remained significant even after correcting for all the individual features of MS. These data suggest that high baseline fasting insulin levels are independent determinants for the future development of MS.
    Cardiovascular Diabetology 11/2011; 10:108. · 3.35 Impact Factor
  • Article: Which metabolic syndrome criteria best predict the presence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?
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    ABSTRACT: To know which MS criteria best predict the presence of NAFLD and the prevalences of metabolic syndrome (MS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) diagnosed ultrasonographically among pre-diabetic and diabetic subjects based on three different MS criteria (IDF, ATP III, WHO). Subjects were screened and those with a fasting serum glucose level ≥100 mg/dL were further tested with a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. And those who were newly diagnosed as having pre-diabetes or diabetes were evaluated for MS and NAFLD. We compared the risk ratios of NAFLD among three MS criteria using multivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses. A total of 1365 subjects (977 males, mean age 48.4±9.5 years) were analyzed. The WHO criteria produced the highest prevalence of MS in both the pre-diabetic (49.8%) and diabetic (58.9%) groups. The IDF criteria produced the highest odds ratio for NAFLD in both pre-diabetic (3.89 [95% CI 2.75-5.51]) and diabetic (5.53 [95% CI 3.21-9.52]) groups. The prevalence of MS depends on the set of diagnostic criteria used. IDF criteria best predicts the presence of NAFLD. The presence of NAFLD should be considered as a component of the diagnostic criteria for MS.
    Diabetes research and clinical practice 09/2011; 95(1):19-24. · 2.16 Impact Factor
  • Article: The reply.
    Eun-Jung Rhee, Ki Chul Sung
    The American journal of medicine 09/2011; 124(9):e15. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Plasma omentin-1 levels are reduced in non-obese women with normal glucose tolerance and polycystic ovary syndrome.
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    ABSTRACT: Omentin-1 is a novel adipokine that increases insulin sensitivity and is expressed in visceral adipose tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the metabolic parameters that influence plasma omentin-1 levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A cross-sectional study was performed in 87 women with PCOS and 53 body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls including 39 non-obese, normal-weight (NW) PCOS women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 44 BMI- and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-matched controls. Indices of insulin sensitivity, metabolic variables, circulating androgen levels, serum adiponectin, and omentin-1 levels were measured. A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed in all participants. Plasma omentin-1 levels were significantly lower in women with PCOS compared with those in BMI-matched controls (P<0.001). A significantly lower level of plasma omentin-1 was observed in non-obese women with PCOS and NGT compared with that in BMI- and HOMA-matched controls (P<0.001). Omentin-1 level was negatively correlated with BMI, indices of insulin sensitivity, and circulating androgens and was associated with greater 2 h postprandial glucose, C-peptide, and insulin levels compared with fasting values. Within the NW and NGT groups, omentin-1 levels remained negatively correlated with BMI, 2 h postprandial C-peptide, and circulating androgens and demonstrated a negative linear trend according to quartile of free testosterone (P=0.028). Plasma levels of omentin-1 were reduced in non-obese women with PCOS and NGT. Postprandial hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia contributed more to lower omentin-1 levels than did fasting values in the setting of PCOS. Increased androgen levels contributed to decreased omentin-1 levels in women with PCOS.
    European Journal of Endocrinology 08/2011; 165(5):789-96. · 3.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: Associations of plasma homocysteine levels with arterial stiffness in prehypertensive individuals.
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    ABSTRACT: Prehypertension is associated with oxidative stress and increased arterial stiffness. While plasma homocysteine levels are associated with increased pulse wave velocity in hypertensive individuals, there is no report regarding this relationship in prehypertensives. Homocysteine levels and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were investigated in 4177 prehypertensives (3178 men, mean age 53 ± 11 years) with ankle-brachial indexes (ABIs) greater than 0.95 who had visited the Kangbuk Samsung Health Promotion Center. The subjects were subdivided into two groups according to baPWV; group I (1720 subjects) was defined as subjects with a baPWV of 1366 cm/sec or lower, while group II (2457 subjects) included subjects with a baPWV greater than 1366 cm/sec. Subjects were also divided into four quartile groups depending on homocysteine level. Homocysteine levels in group II were found to be significantly higher than those in group I. There were significant differences in baPWV value among the four quartile groups (quartile I, 1411 ± 213.9 cm/sec; quartile II, 1436 ± 223.3 cm/sec; quartile III, 1460 ± 220.4 cm/sec; quartile IV, 1494 ± 251.3 cm/sec; p-value <0.001). In multivariate regression models, the increasing quartile groups of homocysteine had higher odds ratios (ORs) for increased baPWV compared to that of the lowest quartile group (OR [95% confidence interval (CI)] in the second, third, and highest quartiles: 1.41 [1.12-1.77], 1.65 [1.30-2.10], and 1.82 [1.42-2.33], respectively, p < 0.001), irrespective of confounding factors. This study indicates an independent relationship between circulating homocysteine level and arterial stiffness in prehypertensives, suggesting that circulating homocysteine level could be a useful biomarker of subclinical target organ damage in prehypertensives.
    Clinical and Experimental Hypertension 07/2011; 33(6):411-7. · 1.07 Impact Factor
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    Article: The effect of body mass index and fasting glucose on the relationship between blood pressure and incident diabetes mellitus: a 5-year follow-up study.
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    ABSTRACT: There is no consensus on the relationship between high blood pressure (BP) and incident diabetes mellitus (DM). Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the independent association between BP and incident DM and identify the metabolic components that influence incident DM in Korean subjects. The current study included 14 054 non-diabetic subjects (mean age of 41 years) at the start of the study who were followed for an average of 5 years. We measured the risk for incident DM according to the subjects' baseline BP. Subjects were separated into three groups as follows: normotensive (<120/80 mm Hg), pre-hypertensive (120/80 mm Hg ≤BP <140/90 mm Hg) and hypertensive (≥140/90 mm Hg). The overall incidence of DM was 1.8% (246 subjects), comprising 0.9% of the normotensive group, 1.9% of the pre-hypertensive group and 4.0% of the hypertensive group (P<0.01). Within the hypertensive group, subjects with high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting-glucose levels were 40 times more likely to develop DM compared with those with low BMI and low glucose levels (0.3 vs. 13.2%, P=0.001). The risk for incident DM was significantly higher in the hypertensive group compared with that in the normotensive group (OR 3.41 vs. 1.00, P<0.0001). However, the significance disappeared after making adjustments for the baseline BMI and fasting glucose levels (OR 1.18 vs. 1.00, P=0.83). We found that the significance of high BP in predicting incident DM was influenced by the baseline BMI and fasting glucose levels of the subjects.
    Hypertension Research 07/2011; 34(10):1093-7. · 2.58 Impact Factor
  • Article: Hyperinsulinemia and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance as predictors of hypertension: a 5-year follow-up study of Korean sample.
    Ki-Chul Sung, Soo Lim, Robert S Rosenson
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    ABSTRACT: The relationships between insulin level and indexes of insulin resistance (IR) to predict incident hypertension have been explored only in cross-sectional or prospective studies with small numbers of patients. We investigated whether plasma insulin concentration and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)) are associated with the onset of hypertension in a population of apparently healthy and relatively lean Korean adults. We selected 10,894 of 15,638 subjects who were normotensive at baseline during general health status evaluations in 2003 and 2008. The baseline and follow-up examinations included analyses of fasting glucose, insulin level, and lipid profile. Alcohol consumption, smoking status, exercise habits, and education level were also evaluated using a standard questionnaire. Of the 10,894 subjects, hypertension developed in 881 (8.1%) during the ensuing 5 years. Incident hypertension was more common among older subjects than it was in younger subjects and was associated with a high baseline body mass index (BMI). In multivariable logistic models, elevated serum insulin, and HOMA(IR) were associated with an increased risk of incident hypertension in both sexes. In a multivariable analysis using quartiles of insulin and HOMA(IR), the odds ratio (OR) for incident hypertension was the highest in the highest quartile of insulin and HOMA(IR). The highest quartile of insulin and HOMA(IR) was associated with a 1.5-1.7 times increased risk of incident hypertension. This 5-year follow-up study provides evidence that both a high circulating insulin level and HOMA(IR) are significant risk factors for the development of hypertension in a relatively lean and healthy population.
    American Journal of Hypertension 05/2011; 24(9):1041-5. · 3.18 Impact Factor
  • Article: Interrelationship between fatty liver and insulin resistance in the development of type 2 diabetes.
    Ki-Chul Sung, Sun H Kim
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    ABSTRACT: Although fatty liver and insulin resistance are known to be associated, the relationship between the two in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is unclear. We investigated the 5-yr risk of developing T2DM in individuals diagnosed with fatty liver using ultrasound and stratified by insulin sensitivity using quartiles of fasting insulin concentration. We examined the clinical and laboratory data of 11,091 Koreans who had a medical evaluation including fasting insulin concentration and abdominal ultrasound at baseline and had a follow-up after 5 yr. At baseline, 27% of the population had fatty liver. Almost half (47%) of the individuals with fatty liver had baseline insulin concentration in the highest quartile compared with 17% in those without fatty liver (P < 0.001). Regardless of baseline insulin concentration, individuals with fatty liver had significantly (P < 0.001) more baseline clinical and metabolic abnormalities, including higher glucose and triglyceride concentration and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration. In addition, regardless of baseline insulin concentration, individuals with fatty liver had a significantly increased risk for incident T2DM compared with those without fatty liver [crude odds ratio, 5.05 (95% confidence interval, 2.08-12.29) in the lowest insulin quartile and 6.34 (3.58-11.21) in the highest quartile]. In individuals in the highest insulin quartile, the odds ratio for developing T2DM remained significant even after multivariate adjustment including baseline glucose concentration [2.42 (1.23-4.75)]. Although associated with insulin resistance, fatty liver diagnosed by ultrasound appears to independently increase the risk of T2DM.
    The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 01/2011; 96(4):1093-7. · 6.50 Impact Factor
  • Article: Hyperinsulinemia and the development of nonalcoholic Fatty liver disease in nondiabetic adults.
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    ABSTRACT: insulin resistance is known to be the most important pathogenic factor in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We performed a prospective study to analyze the associations of baseline and changes in fasting insulin levels with future development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in nondiabetic adults over a 5-year period. this study was performed in 4954 subjects who did not have diabetes or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and who participated in a health checkup program in both 2003 and 2008. The presence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was defined by ultrasonographic examination. Subjects were divided into 4 groups according to the baseline quartiles of fasting insulin and dichotomized fasting insulin levels at baseline and after 5 years: low-low, low-high, high-low, high-high. after 5 years, 644 subjects (13%) developed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The odds ratio (OR) for development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increased as the quartiles of the baseline fasting insulin levels increased from the first to the fourth quartile (1.00 vs. 0.99, 1.44, 1.65, respectively). The OR for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was 2.5-fold higher in the high-high group and 1.6-fold higher in the low-high group compared with that of the low-low group. The OR for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease increased as the quartile of changes in fasting insulin level over the 5-year period increased. high baseline and continuously increasing fasting insulin levels were the independent determinants for future development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease during a 5-year follow-up in nondiabetic healthy adults.
    The American journal of medicine 01/2011; 124(1):69-76. · 4.47 Impact Factor
  • Article: Impact of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease on insulin resistance in relation to HbA1c levels in nondiabetic subjects.
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    ABSTRACT: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in healthy, nondiabetic Korean adults to assess the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), to compare the prevalence of NAFLD across different glycemic ranges as assessed by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and to examine the impact of NAFLD on insulin resistance in relation to HbA1c levels. After rigorous exclusion criteria, the final number of subjects who participated in a comprehensive health status checkup program was 99,969. All subjects were classified into four categories with respect to HbA1c level (≤4.9, 5.0-5.4, 5.5-5.9, and 6.0-6.4%). We estimated the odds ratio (OR) for prevalence of NAFLD according to the categorized level of HbA1C and evaluated the association of NAFLD with the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in relation to the HbA1c level. Twenty-eight percent (n=28,130, 40.2% of the men, 10.3% of the women) of the study subjects had NAFLD. Men had a 5.83-fold (95% confidence interval 5.63-6.05) increased risk for having NAFLD than did women. The risk for NAFLD increased with increasing level of HbA1c (OR 1.44, 2.62, and 7.18) when compared with the lowest quartile (HbA1C≤4.9%). HOMA-IR increased in the NAFLD subjects as the level of HbA1c increased. The magnitude of association of HOMA-IR with HbA1c level was greater in NAFLD subjects than in non-NAFLD subjects (P<0.001 for interaction). These associations were consistent even after adjustment for body mass index and other metabolic components. NAFLD had an association with HbA1c level and insulin resistance in nondiabetic individuals, and these associations were independent of obesity and other metabolic components.
    The American Journal of Gastroenterology 11/2010; 105(11):2389-95. · 7.28 Impact Factor