European Society of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Disease Statistics 2017

Decoding the Heart through Next Generation Sequencing Approaches

: Vertebrate organs develop through a complex process which involves interaction between multiple signaling pathways at the molecular, cell, and tissue levels. Heart development is an example of such complex process which, when disrupted, results in congenital heart disease (CHD). This complexity necessitates a holistic approach which allows the visualization of genome-wide interaction networks, as opposed to assessment of limited subsets of factors. Genomics offers a powerful solution to address the problem of biological complexity by enabling the observation of molecular processes at a genome-wide scale. The emergence of next generation sequencing (NGS) technology has facilitated the expansion of genomics, increasing its output capacity and applicability in various biological disciplines. The application of NGS in various aspects of heart biology has resulted in new discoveries, generating novel insights into this field of study. Here we review the contributions of NGS technology into the understanding of heart development and its disruption reflected in CHD and discuss how emerging NGS based methodologies can contribute to the further understanding of heart repair.

Characteristics and clinical assessment of unexplained sudden cardiac arrest in the real-world setting: focus on idiopathic ventricular fibrillation

Aims

Recent studies have shown that in more than half of apparently unexplained sudden cardiac arrests (SCA), a specific aetiology can be unmasked by a careful evaluation. The characteristics and the extent to which such cases undergo a systematic thorough investigation in real-life practice are unknown.

Methods and results

Data were analysed from an ongoing study, collecting all cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Paris area. Investigations performed during the index hospitalization or planned after discharge were gathered to evaluate the completeness of assessment of unexplained SCA. Between 2011 and 2016, among the 18 622 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, 717 survivors (at hospital discharge) fulfilled the definition of cardiac SCA. Of those, 88 (12.3%) remained unexplained after electrocardiogram, echocardiography, and coronary angiography. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging yielded the diagnosis in 25 (3.5%) cases, other investigations accounted for 14 (2.4%) additional diagnoses, and 49 (6.8%) patients were labelled as idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) (48.7 ± 15 years, 69.4% male). Among those labelled IVF, only 8 (16.3%) cases benefited from a complete workup (including pharmacological testing). Younger patients [odds ratio (OR) 6.00, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.80-22.26] and those admitted to university centres (OR 3.60, 95% CI 1.12-12.45) were more thoroughly investigated. Genetic testing and family screening were initiated in only 9 (18.4%) and 12 (24.5%) cases, respectively.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that complete investigations are carried out in a very low proportion of unexplained SCA. Standardized, systematic approaches need to be implemented to ensure that opportunities for specific therapies and preventive strategies (including relatives) are not missed.

Predictive value of long-term changes of growth differentiation factor-15 over a 27-year-period for heart failure and death due to coronary heart disease

BACKGROUND

Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), Cystatin C and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been discussed as biomarkers for prediction of cardiac diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of single and repeated measurements of GDF-15 compared to Cystatin C and CRP for incidence of heart failure (HF) and death due to coronary heart disease (CHD) in the general population.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Levels of GDF-15, CRP and Cystatin C were determined in three repeated measurements collected 5 years apart in the DAN-MONICA (Danish-Multinational MONitoring of trends and determinants in Cardiovascular disease) cohort (participants at baseline n = 3785). Cox regression models adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors revealed significantly increased hazard ratios (HR) for GDF-15 for incident HF 1.36 (HR per interquartile range (IQR) increase, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16; 1.59) and for death from CHD 1.51 (HR per IQR increase, 95% CI: 1.31, 1.75) (both with p<0.001). Joint modeling of time-to-event and longitudinal GDF-15 over a median 27-year follow-up period showed that the marker evolution was positively associated with death of CHD (HR per IQR increase 3.02 95% CI: (2.26, 4.04), p < 0.001) and HF (HR per IQR increase 2.12 95% CI: (1.54, 2.92), p<0.001). However using Cox models with follow-up time starting at the time of the third examination, serial measurement of GDF-15, modeled as changes between the measurements, did not improve prediction over that of the most recent measurement.

CONCLUSIONS

GDF-15 is a promising biomarker for prediction of HF and death due to CHD in the general population, which may provide prognostic information to already established clinical biomarkers. Repeated measurements of GDF-15 displayed only a slight improvement in the prediction of these endpoints compared to a single measurement.

Cardiovascular health among the Czech population at the beginning of the 21st century: a 12-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND

In the late 1980s, Czechia was among the countries which had the highest cardiovascular mortality in the world. In spite of enormous improvements since that time, there are still large opportunities in further improving cardiovascular health.

METHODS

Based on the Czech Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial Factors in Eastern Europe sample (n=8449 at baseline, 12 years of follow-up, 494 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths up to 2015-events), the impact of selected covariates such as education, smoking habits, high blood pressure, blood cholesterol level, diabetes, obesity, physical activity and binge drinking and their multifactorial effects on cardiovascular mortality was evaluated by Cox regression. In addition, population attributable fractions (PAFs) were used to quantify the impact of these factors on CVD mortality in the population.

RESULTS

Education was found as the strongest determinant of CVD mortality (primary vs university, HR 2.77, P<0.001; PAF=50.5%). CVD risk was two times higher for persons with diabetes compared with those without (HR 2.02, P<0.001, PAF=23.2%). Furthermore, significant factors found were smoking (smoker vs non-smoker, HR 1.91, P<0.001; PAF=26.5%), high blood pressure (HR 1.73, P<0.001; PAF=35.3%) and physical inactivity (none vs sufficient, HR 1.60, P<0.001; PAF=22.9%). Conversely, the effect of obesity was low (HR 1.29, P value =0.020), and binge drinking and high blood cholesterol level were not significant at all.

CONCLUSIONS

Education had the largest impact on cardiovascular mortality among the Czech population. More than 50% of CVD death would be prevented if the whole population had the same risk values as the highest educated population. Reducing disparities in health related to education should benefit from attention to cardiovascular health literacy.

Sex Differences in the Coronary System

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for both women and men. Emerging evidence supports that ischemic heart disease (IHD) may manifest differently in women and men, in ways ranging from the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of disease to the basic biology and biomechanics of cardiomyocyte function and the coronary circulation. Women consistently present with a higher burden of symptoms and comorbidities as compared with men and experience worse outcomes. These data have proved perplexing given the decreased likelihood of women to demonstrate obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) on coronary angiography. Reported sex differences have long been influenced by the practice of defining heart disease primarily as obstructive CAD, but obstructive plaque is now recognized as neither necessary nor sufficient to explain symptoms of IHD, and it is no longer adequate to tailor diagnostic and treatment strategies only to this subset of patients. To date, women remain underrepresented in guideline-changing heart disease research and trials, creating important limitations in the evidence base for cardiovascular medicine. Smaller epicardial coronary arteries in women as compared to men, coupled with differences in shear stress and inflammatory mediators over the life span, may modify the development of CAD in susceptible patients into a diffuse pattern with more contribution from coronary vasomotor dysfunction than focal obstruction. Newer studies corroborate that symptomatic women are more likely than men to present with nonobstructive CAD and coronary microvascular dysfunction. When present, these processes increase cardiovascular risk in both women and men but may constitute an especially malignant phenotype in a subset of severely affected women, with implications for the management of not only CAD but also heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. This represents a state-of-the-art review of sex differences in the coronary system, with an eye toward how diverse pathophysiological processes may contribute to IHD phenotypes prevalent in women and men. Beyond providing women and men with equitable optimal care according to current paradigms, understanding the pathophysiology of IHD beyond a conventional focus on obstructive CAD is needed to address what is likely a combination of biological as well as environmental determinants of their prognosis.

Anticoagulation in Patients with Ischaemic Heart Disease and Peripheral Arterial Disease: Clinical Implications of COMPASS Study

Patients with established cardiovascular disease may suffer further cardiovascular events, despite receiving optimal medical treatment. Although platelet inhibition plays a central role in the prevention of new events, the use of anticoagulant therapies to reduce events in atheromatous disease has, until recently, been overlooked. The recent Rivaroxaban for the Prevention of Major Cardiovascular Events in Coronary or Peripheral Artery Disease (COMPASS) study showed an important reduction in cardiovascular events without increasing the risk of fatal and intracranial bleeding when using rivaroxaban, a novel oral anticoagulant, combined with aspirin. This article reviews the available evidence regarding the use of anticoagulant therapies for prevention of cardiovascular events, the results of the COMPASS study and how these results may affect patient management in everyday clinical practice.