Fifteen-year trend in the treatment and outcome of acute myocardial infarction in Japan

Estimation of myocardial infarction death in Iran: artificial neural network

BACKGROUND

Examining past trends and predicting the future helps policymakers to design effective interventions to deal with myocardial infarction (MI) with a clear understanding of the current and future situation. The aim of this study was to estimate the death rate due to MI in Iran by artificial neural network (ANN).

METHODS

In this ecological study, the prevalence of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia over 200, hypertension, overweight and obesity were estimated for the years 2017-2025. ANN and Linear regression model were used. Also, Specialists were also asked to predict the death rate due to MI by considering the conditions of 3 conditions (optimistic, pessimistic, and probable), and the predicted process was compared with the modeling process.

RESULTS

Death rate due to MI in Iran is expected to decrease on average, while there will be a significant decrease in the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia 1.031 (- 24.81, 26.88). Also, the trend of diabetes 10.48 (111.45, - 132.42), blood pressure - 110.48 (- 174.04, - 46.91) and obesity and overweight - 35.84 (- 18.66, - 5.02) are slowly increasing. MI death rate in Iran is higher in men but is decreasing on average. Experts' forecasts are different and have predicted a completely upward trend.

CONCLUSION

The trend predicted by the modeling shows that the death rate due to MI will decrease in the future with a low slope. Improving the infrastructure for providing preventive services to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the community is one of the priority measures in the current situation.

Trend and projection of mortality rate due to non-communicable diseases in Iran: A modeling study

Background

Following the epidemiologic and demographic transition, non-communicable disease mortality is the leading cause of death in Iran. Projecting mortality trend can provide valuable tools for policy makers and planners. In this article, we have estimated the trend of non-communicable disease mortality during 2001–2015 and have projected it until 2030 at national and subnational levels in Iran.

Methods

The data employed was gathered from the Iranian death registration system and using the Spatio-temporal model, the trends of 4 major categories of non-communicable diseases (cancers, cardiovascular diseases, asthma and COPD, and diabetes) by 2030 were projected at the national and subnational levels.

Results

The results indicated that age standardized mortality rate for cancers, CVDs, and Asthma and COPD will continue to decrease in both sexes (cancers: from 81.8 in 2015 to 45.2 in 2030, CVDs: 307.3 to 173.0, and Asthma and COPD: from 52.1 to 46.6); however, in terms of diabetes, there is a steady trend in both sexes at national level (from 16.6 to 16.5). Age standardized mortality rates for cancers and CVDs, in males and females, were high in all provinces in 2001. The variation between the provinces is clearer in 2015, and it is expected to significantly decrease in all provinces by 2030.

Conclusion

Generally, the age standardized mortality rate from NCDs will decrease by 2030. Of course, given the experience of the past two decades in Iran, believing that the mortality rate will decrease may not be an easy notion to understand. However hard to believe, this decrease may be the result of better management of risk factors and early detection of patients due to more comprehensive care in all segments of society, as well as improved literacy and awareness across the country.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Young Patients of Coronary Artery Disease: Differences over a Decade

INTRODUCTION

Studies evaluating temporal trends of Coronary artery disease (CAD) in young patients, from the India, are still lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate temporal differences in risk factors of young patients of CAD over a decade.

METHODS

This is a single centre retrospective study performed in a tertiary care teaching institution in North India. Case records of young patients (≤40 years) with acute coronary syndrome between January 2000 to December 2001 and January 2009 to December 2010 were obtained. Records were sought for active smoking, family history, waist size, blood pressure, hypertension, fasting and postprandial blood sugar and lipid profile for both groups and analyzed using SPSS v.17. For the purpose of the study, p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Medical records of a total of 79 and 83 patients with young CAD (≤40 years) were obtained for 2000-01 and 2009-10 period respectively. An increase in proportion of female patients, hypertension (p=0.004), dysglycemia (p<0.001), family history (p=0.01), metabolic syndrome (p<0.001), low high density lipoprotein (HDL) (p=0.07) and mean waist size (0.03) was noted over the years. Among males, increase in number of dysglycemics (p=0.0002), positive family history (p<0.0001) and mean waist size (0.032) was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Over a decade the patients with young CAD in our study, there was an increase in proportion of patients with metabolic syndrome, dysglycemia and low HDL.

Comparison of gender-specific mortality in patients < 70 years versus ≥ 70 years old with acute myocardial infarction

The aim of the present study was to investigate the gender-specific mortality after acute myocardial infarction in those aged < 70 years versus ≥ 70 years. The present study consisted of 2,677 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction who had undergone coronary angiography within 24 hours after the onset of symptoms. The patients were divided into 2 groups: 1,810 patients < 70 years old and 867 patients ≥ 70 years old. Women were older and had a greater incidence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus and a lower incidence of current smoking and previous myocardial infarction in both groups. The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly greater in women ≥ 70 years old age than in men ≥ 70 years old (16.2% vs 9.3%, respectively; p = 0.003) but was comparable between women and men in patients < 70 years old (5.7% vs 4.9%, respectively; p = 0.59). On multivariate analysis, the association between female gender and in-hospital mortality in patients ≥ 70 years old remained significant (odds ratio 1.78, 95% confidential interval 1.05 to 3.00), but the gender difference was not observed in patients < 70 years old (odds ratio 1.09, 95% confidence interval 0.53 to 2.24). In conclusion, female gender was associated with in-hospital mortality after acute myocardial infarction in patients ≥ 70 years old but not in patients < 70 years old.

Trends in gender difference in mortality after acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Progress in management of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) might have changed the effect of gender on mortality.

METHODS

From May 1981 to November 2002, 1984 consecutive patients with AMI underwent emergency coronary angiography. They were divided into three groups in chronological order: group I (1981-1988, n=564); group II (1989-1995, n=678); and group III (1997-2002, n=742). Multi-variable analysis was performed using Cox's proportional hazard regression, adjusting baseline clinical and angiographical variables.

RESULTS

There were 405 women (20%). Thrombolysis was most frequently performed in group I (50%), balloon angioplasty in group II (71%), and stent in group III (66%), with no difference in the allocation of reperfusion therapy between men and women. Three-year mortality was significantly higher in women than in men in group I (27% vs 18%, p=0.03) and group II (23% vs 15%, p=0.048). In group III, there was no significant difference in 3-year mortality (12% vs 10%, p=0.66) between women and men. Women were associated with higher age, more diabetes, more hypertension, fewer current smokers, and less previous infarction than men. Multi-variable analysis showed that sex was not an independent predictor of 3-year mortality in the three groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with AMI who were treated mostly with primary intervention using stent in the contemporary era had similar mortality to men.

Impact of admission hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus on short- and long-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction in the coronary intervention era

The influence of admission hyperglycemia and diabetes on short- and long-term mortality of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) era was investigated. From 1996 to 2003, a total of 802 consecutive patients with AMI underwent coronary angiography. Primary PCI was performed in 724 patients (90%). Three-year mortality curves were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to identify independent predictors of 30-day mortality and mortality from 30 days to 3 years. There were 261 patients with admission hyperglycemia (admission glucose>or=11.1 mmol/L) and 212 patients with diabetes. Admission hyperglycemia was associated with a significantly higher 30-day mortality rate (8.4% vs 2.4%, p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in 30-day mortality rates between diabetic and nondiabetic patients (5.7% vs 3.9%, p=0.29). Conversely, diabetes significantly increased mortality from 30 days to 3 years (10.0% vs 5.5%, p=0.03), but admission hyperglycemia did not (8.4% vs 5.9%, p=0.19). Multivariate analysis showed that hyperglycemia was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13 to 2.61, p=0.01), but diabetes was not (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.27, p=0.42). Diabetes was independently associated with mortality from 30 days to 3 years (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.97, p=0.04), but hyperglycemia had a neutral effect (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.36, p=0.92). In conclusion, in the PCI era, admission hyperglycemia was associated with short-term mortality, whereas diabetes increased long-term mortality after convalescence in patients with AMI. Admission hyperglycemia and diabetes should be treated as 2 distinct disease states.

Influence of diabetes mellitus on in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction in Japan: a report from TAMIS-II

BACKGROUND

The relation between diabetes mellitus (DM) and mortality among patients with acute myocardial infarction is still controversial. We evaluated the influence of DM on the in-hospital mortality of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients using data from the Tokai Acute Myocardial Infarction Study-II, a multi-hospital prospective study performed in Japan.

METHODS

All of the study subjects were patients hospitalized for newly diagnosed AMI at 1 of 13 acute care hospitals between January of 2001 and December of 2003. We abstracted the baseline and procedural characteristics from detailed chart reviews. Multivariate analysis was performed, controlling for the variables found to be significantly different between AMI patients with and without DM by chi-square test or unpaired t-test. We evaluated a total of 940 DM and 2284 non-DM patients.

RESULTS

DM patients had roughly twice the in-hospital mortality rate of non-DM patients, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.77 (95% CI, 1.37-2.30). However, according to the multivariate analysis, DM was not identified as an independent predictor of in-hospital death, with an adjusted odds ratio of 5.73 (95% CI, 0.97-33.88).

CONCLUSIONS

DM is not an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality, and that there is a need for additional studies to confirm our conclusion.

Impact of prodromal angina pectoris and white blood cell count on outcome of patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Elevation of white blood cell (WBC) count at admission is associated with adverse outcome after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Prodromal angina, by the mechanism of ischemic preconditioning, improves left ventricular (LV) function and survival after reperfusion therapy in patients with AMI. Recent experimental studies have reported that preconditioning has anti-inflammatory effect.

METHODS

This study consisted of 598 patients with first anterior wall AMI who underwent coronary angiography within 12 h after symptom onset. WBC count was measured at the time of hospital admission. Prodromal angina was defined as angina occurring within 24 h before the onset of AMI. Serial measurements of LV ejection fraction (EF) were obtained before reperfusion therapy and before discharge in 421 patients (71%).

RESULTS

High WBC count (>10.2 x 103/mm3, n=297) was associated with higher 30-day mortality (8% vs. 4%, p=0.02) and lower predischarge LVEF (51+/-15% vs. 57+/-14%, p<0.001), although there was no significant difference in acute LVEF (47+/-10% vs. 49+/-11%, p=0.07). High WBC count was an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (p=0.009) and predischarge LVEF (p=0.002). Prodromal angina was associated with lower 30-day mortality (3% vs. 7%, p=0.02) and preserved predischarge LVEF (57+/-15% vs. 53+/-14%, p=0.006). Patients with prodromal angina had lower WBC count (10.0+/-3.3 x 10(3)/mm3 vs. 11.0+/-3.9 x 10(3)/mm3, p=0.001) and prodromal angina was an independent predictor of WBC count (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevation of WBC count and lack of prodromal angina were associated with impaired LV function and mortality after reperfusion in patients with AMI. Prodromal angina might have contributed to favorable outcome after AMI through its anti-inflammatory effect.

Comparison of the cardioprotective effect of prodromal angina pectoris and collateral circulation in patients with a first anterior wall acute myocardial infarction

To compare the cardioprotective effect of prodromal angina pectoris and collateral circulation, 245 patients with first anterior acute myocardial infarction who underwent coronary angioplasty within 12 hours of symptoms were studied. Prodromal angina pectoris and collateral circulation were independently associated with higher predischarge left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and a combination of prodromal angina pectoris and collateral circulation afforded cumulative improvement in LVEF in patients without diabetes mellitus. In patients with diabetes mellitus, collateral circulation, but not prodromal angina pectoris, was associated with higher predischarge LVEF.

Longitudinal Study of Acute Myocardial Infarction in the Southeast Osaka District From 1988 to 2002

BACKGROUND

Data on clinical characteristics, long-term mortality rates, and factors influencing outcome of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) based on an unselected cohort in the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) era are still limited in Japan.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In the present study 415 consecutive patients with AMI who were admitted to hospital within 24 h of symptom onset between January 1988 and December 2002 were studied. There was a marked seasonal variation of AMI with a minimum in summer and a maximum in winter, as well as a marked circadian variation with a significant morning peak. Overall, 45.8% of patients were treated with primary PCI. Increased age and female sex were negatively associated with the probability of undergoing PCI. During the follow-up period (mean duration, 4.01+/-3.41 years), the unadjusted long-term all-cause mortality rate was 21.4%. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, prior cerebrovascular disease, renal failure, Killip > or =2, and ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation were independent predictors of worse long-term mortality after AMI. Furthermore, the use of PCI was independently associated with favorable long-term survival after AMI.

CONCLUSIONS

Although PCI was associated with a favorable long-term mortality, it remains underused in subsets of patients and increased use may further reduce the long-term mortality rate in Japanese AMI patients.

Trends over the last 20 years in the clinical background of young Japanese patients with coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND

The prevalence, pathogenesis, and clinical background of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients aged 40 years or less in Japan are not well understood.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Temporal trends in the clinical background, including growth from childhood, of young patients with CAD over the last 20 years were examined. The study group comprised 38 patients who were 40 years of age or less (7 patients in 1980-84, phase I; 10 patients in 1985-89, phase II; 10 patients in 1990-94, phase III; 11 patients in 1995-99, phase IV). Among the classic coronary risk factors, obesity significantly increased in prevalence. An increase in patients with multiple risk factors was seen (0, 10%, 20%, and 36% in phases I, II, III, and IV, respectively). There was no significant change in the prevalence of familial hypercholesterolemia, sequelae of Kawasaki disease or vasospastic angina. All phase III and IV patients with multiple risk factors had moderate to severe obesity, and 83% had been overweight since childhood.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the number of young patients with CAD because of multiple risk factors has been increasing, and most of them have been overweight since childhood. Thus, for primary prevention it is essential to control cardiovascular risk factors in overweight children.

Inhibition of intimal hyperplasia in transgenic mice conditionally expressing the chemokine-binding protein M3

Chemokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a wide variety of diseases. This report describes the generation of transgenic mice that conditionally express M3, a herpesvirus protein that binds and inhibits chemokines. In response to doxycycline, M3 expression was induced in a variety of tissues and M3 was detectable in the blood by Western blotting. No gross or histological abnormalities were seen in mice expressing M3. To determine whether M3 expression could modify a significant pathophysiological response, we examined its effect on the development of intimal hyperplasia in response to femoral arterial injury. Intimal hyperplasia is thought to play a critical role in the development of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and in the progression of atherosclerosis. Induction of M3 expression resulted in a 67% reduction in intimal area and a 68% reduction in intimal/medial ratio after femoral artery injury. These data support a role for chemokines in regulating intimal hyperplasia and suggest that M3 may be effective in attenuating this process. This transgenic mouse model should be a valuable tool for investigating the role of chemokines in a variety of pathological states.

Effect of acute hyperglycemia on the ischemic preconditioning effect of prodromal angina pectoris in patients with a first anterior wall acute myocardial infarction

Acute hyperglycemia abolishes the ischemic preconditioning effect of prodromal angina pectoris in patients with acute myocardial infarction. We investigated a potential explanation for the association between acute hyperglycemia and adverse outcomes after acute myocardial infarction.

Predictors of adverse long-term outcome in acute myocardial infarction patients undergoing primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: with special reference to the admission concentration of lipoprotein (a)

The predictive values for long-term outcome in 127 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after successful primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) were prospectively investigated in the present study. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiac death, nonfatal AMI, and recurrent angina. Follow-up angiography was performed in 120 patients to assess restenosis. The primary endpoint occurred in 21 patients during a follow-up period of 35+/-24 months. These patients had a higher lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] concentration (p=0.0105) and more prevalence of multivessel disease (p=0.0028) than the other patients. The subjects were divided into 2 groups at the 75th percentile Lp(a) value: group A had an Lp(a) concentration >or=47 mg/dl and group B <47 mg/dl. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a lower cardiac event-free survival rate in group A (p=0.0007) and in patients with multivessel disease (p=0.001). In Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, an Lp(a) level >or=47 mg/dl (relative risk[RR] 5.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0-15.0, p=0.0007) and multivessel disease (RR 5.3, 95% CI 2.0-13.7, p=0.0006) were independent predictors of the primary endpoint. An elevated Lp(a) concentration on admission and multivessel disease are significant predictors for long-term adverse outcome in AMI patients treated by primary PTCA.

Does coronary stenting affect microvascular circulation in patients with anterior acute myocardial infarction? Comparison with balloon angioplasty

The impact of coronary stenting on microvascular circulation in the infarct area was compared with that of balloon angioplasty in 94 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who underwent coronary revascularization within 6h of onset: 49 patients were treated with balloon angioplasty alone, and 45 were treated with coronary stenting. Microvascular circulation after revascularization was assessed by Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade analysis and ST segment analysis. TIMI flow grade was assessed on the final angiographic image after coronary intervention, and the ST segment was assessed on the 12-lead electrocardiogram recordings just before revascularization and on return to the coronary care unit. The distributions of TIMI flow grade and change in sigmaST (5.1 +/- 10.8 vs 5.1 +/- 9.9mm) were similar between the 2 groups. Predischarge left ventricular ejection fraction (54 +/- 14 vs 54 +/- 15%) and in-hospital outcome were also similar between the 2 groups. The data suggest that coronary stenting did not influence microvascular circulation (improvement or detriment) in patients with reperfused AMI.