The prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among Polish surgical patients over 65 years

Prevalence and Related Risk Factors Associated with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Among Middle-Aged and Elderly Patients with Vision Impairment (VI)

Purpose

To investigate the prevalence and related risk factors associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) among middle-aged and elderly patients with vision impairment (VI).

Patients and Methods

The study was conducted with 1355 visually impaired adults over 45 years old, recruited from a Rehabilitation Hospital in China. Visual impairment is diagnosed by a doctor according to guidelines. Data were analyzed using multiple correspondence and logistic regression analysis. This research represents an important step towards the development of empirically based practical suggestions for decision-makers and health professionals that support visually impaired middle-aged and elderly people to participate in physical exercise and weight management when needed.

Results

Of the 1335 middle-aged and elderly adults (mean age ± SD, 63.56 ± 7.74 years; 45.6% male) with VI, a total of 154 (11.5%) developed CHD. In all people with VI, age (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.16–2.02), hypertension (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.46–3.14), diabetes (OR 3.79; 95% CI 2.29–6.27), blindness (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.16–2.43), moderate activity (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.69–0.98), and HR <60 beats/min (OR 1.43; 95% CI 1.08–2.48) are significantly related to CHD. Statistical analysis based on age grouping indicated that fasting plasma glucose, hypertension, diabetes, blindness, heart rate (<60 beats/min), and moderate activity were shown to have a strong association with development of CHD in age group <65 years (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Compared with historical data, poorer vision degree, resting heart rate below 60 beats a minute and low physical activity level are emerging as new and increasing threats to CHD in middle-aged and elderly VI population. Interventions to enhance physical functioning and risk screening may be effective in the prevention of CHD in VI population.

Profile of new vascular damage biomarkers in middle-aged men with arterial hypertension

PURPOSE

Normal endothelial function is important for the homeostasis of the cardiovascular (CV) system. The aim of the present study was to determine the profile of key parameters of endothelial dysfunction in middle-aged men that play a significant role in the functioning of endothelial vessels, which seems to be crucial for the early diagnosis of cardiovascular disorders.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 53 men, 20 with hypertension (HTN), 18 with HTN and related diseases, 15 healthy controls Apart from general testing (BMI, biochemical analysis, SBP, DBP), we used the Griess reaction to assess the total amount of nitric oxide (NO), and used ELISA to verify the concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitrotyrosine (NT), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Furthermore, we assessed the concentration of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) using the fluorescence method.

RESULTS

The values of MDA, ADMA, cfDNA, and MPO observed in samples from men with HTN were determined to be higher compared to those from men without HTN. In the group of men with HTN and other concomitant cardiovascular disorders, we observed low concentrations of NO, MDA, and ADMA with high concentrations of cfDNA.

CONCLUSIONS

The results obtained for parameters selected for the study, should be considered by cardiologists as a prompt to include in the diagnostic profile the assessment of NO and cfDNA concentrations for risk evaluation and/or diagnosis of endothelial dysfunction in patients suffering from HTN or related complications.

Noncommunicable disease risk factors among older adults aged 60-69 years in Nepal: findings from the STEPS survey 2013

Both the noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) burden and the population of older adults are increasing in Nepal. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of behavioral and biological risk factors of common NCDs among Nepali older adults aged 60-69 years. A subsample analysis of data from the 2013 Nepal STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) survey was conducted with 526 older adults aged 60-69 years. STEPS sample weighting and domain analyses were used to include the entire sample for variance estimation and to obtain prevalence estimates and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for our selected population of older adults. All participants had at least one risk factor for NCDs; about one-fourth had four. Of the eight examined risk factors, inadequate fruit/vegetable intake (98.6%, 95% CI: 96.9-100.0), hypertension (57.2%, 95% CI: 51.0-63.4), and hypercholesterolemia (37.9%, 95% CI: 30.8-44.9) were ranked the three most prevalent risk factors while physical inactivity (2.5%, 95% CI: 1.0-4.0) was least prevalent. Prevalence of smoking was 31% (95% CI: 24.9-37.2), overweight/obesity was 19% (95% CI: 13.1-25.2), alcohol use was 18% (95% CI: 12.2-23.5), diabetes was 15% (95% CI: 8.5-21.4), and 36% (95% CI: 30.9-42.0) of the older participants suffered discomfort due to oral health problems. Several risk factors, including current alcohol consumption, daily servings of fruit/vegetable intake, and overweight/obesity showed signficant variation in prevalence by gender, ethnicity, and place of residence, urban vs. rural. Epidemiological and demographic transitions are two emerging public health issues in Nepal. The baseline information provided by this study on the prevalence of NCD risk factors among Nepali older adults aged 60-69 years can inform policies and programs that focus on maximizing the health and well-being of older adults.

Should information about sexual health be included in education directed toward men with cardiovascular diseases?

BACKGROUND

Modifiable risk factors contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and erectile dysfunction (ED). We aimed to compare the knowledge about the contribution of modifiable risk factors to the pathogenesis of CVD and ED. The impact of patients' having modifiable risk factors on the awareness of their negative influence on the development of CVD and ED was examined.

METHODS

To this multicenter cohort study, we included 417 patients with CHD who had been hospitalized in the cardiology or cardiac surgery department during the previous six weeks and underwent cardiac rehabilitation in one of the five centers. Knowledge about modifiable risk factors was collected. ED was assessed by an abridged IIEF-5 questionnaire. Comparisons between groups were conducted using the Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Relationships were analyzed with Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

The mean number of correctly identified risk factors for CVD was significantly higher than those for ED (3.71 ± 1.87 vs. 2.00 ± 1.94; p < .0001). Smoking was the most recognized risk factor both for CVD and ED. Dyslipidemia was least frequently identified as a risk factor for CVD. Sedentary lifestyle was the only risk factor whose incidence did not affect the level of patient knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiac patients with ED know more about risk factors for CVD than ED. It is necessary to include information about the negative impact of modifiable risk factors on sexual health into education programs promoting healthy lifestyles in men with cardiovascular diseases.

Preventive fraction of physical fitness on risk factors in cardiac patients: Retrospective epidemiological study

AIM

To quantify the preventive fraction of physical fitness on the risk factors in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

METHODS

A total of 249 subjects (205 men and 44 women) suffering from CVD were categorized into four groups, according to their percentage of physical fitness. We calculated the odds ratio to obtain the preventive fraction in order to evaluate the impact of the physical fitness level on the risk factors (i.e., abdominal obesity, depression, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, overweight and smoking).

RESULTS

It is observed that a normal physical fitness level is sufficient to induce a preventive action on abdominal obesity (38%), diabetes (12%), hypertension (33%), obesity (12%) and overweight (11%). Also, the preventive fraction increases with the level of physical fitness, in particular for hypertension (36%) and overweight (16%). A high physical fitness level does not necessarily induce a preventive action in most risk factors, excluding depression.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study which demonstrates that reaching a normal physical fitness level is enough to induce a protection for some risk factors, despite having a CVD.

Platelet oxidative stress as a novel target of cardiovascular risk in frail older people

The average lifespan of humans and the percentage of people entering the 65 and older age group are growing rapidly. Within this age group, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) increase steeply and are the most common cause of death. During aging, experimental and clinical studies support the pivotal role played by reactive oxidant species in the mechanism of platelet activation. Frailty has been implicated as a causative and prognostic factor in patients with CVD. Oxidative stress is increased in frail older people, and may lead to accelerated aging and higher incidence of oxidative diseases such as CVD. The present article aims to highlight the relative contribution of platelet oxidative stress as a key target of frailty in elderly people with CVD.