Impaired artery elasticity predicts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality- A longitudinal study in the Vara-Skövde Cohort

It is still debated whether arterial elasticity provides prognostic information for cardiovascular risk beyond blood pressure measurements in a healthy population. To investigate the association between arterial elasticity obtained by radial artery pulse wave analysis and risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in men and women. In 2002-2005, 2362 individuals (men=1186, 50.2%) not taking antihypertensive medication were included. C2 (small artery elasticity) was measured using the HDI/Pulse Wave CR2000. Data on acute myocardial infarction or stroke, fatal or non-fatal, was obtained between 2002-2019. Cox- regression was used to investigate associations between C2 and future CVD, adjusting for confounding factors such as age, sex, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance), LDL- cholesterol, CRP (C-Reactive Protein), alcohol consumption, smoking and physical activity. At baseline, the mean age of 46 ± 10.6 years and over the follow-up period, we observed 108 events 70 events in men [event rate: 5.9%], 38 in women [event rate: 3.2%]. In the fully adjusted model, and for each quartile decrease in C2, there was a significant increase in the risk for incident CVD by 36%. (HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.01-1.82, p = 0.041). The results were accentuated for all men (HR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.21-2.50, p = 0.003) and women over the age of 50 years (HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 0.69-4.20). We showed a strong and independent association between C2 and CVD in men. In women after menopause, similar tendencies and effect sizes were observed.

Association between self-reported alcohol consumption and diastolic dysfunction: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

While alcohol consumption is associated with common risk factors for diastolic dysfunction the independent impact of low levels of alcohol consumption on this condition in a community setting is still unclear.Thus, the aim of this study was to explore this association in a representative population sample employing optimal echocardiographic techniques.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional observational study in community-based population.

SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

Participants between 30 and 75 years of age were consecutively invited to a physical examination, interview, conventional echocardiography, including Tissue Velocity Imaging. Diastolic dysfunction was defined according to the European Society of Cardiology criteria, excluding subjects with ejection fraction <45%, self-reported history of heart failure or atrial fibrillation on ECG. Self-reported alcohol intake using a validated questionnaire was categorised as no intake, low and medium-high intake.

RESULTS

In total, 500 men and 538 women (mean age 55.4±13) were successfully examined. Diastolic dysfunction was identified in 16% (79/500) of the men and 13% (58/538) of the women. The multivariable adjusted model revealed a strong and independent association between alcohol intake and diastolic dysfunction. In fact, using no alcohol intake as reference, diastolic dysfunction was independently associated with alcohol consumption in a dose-dependent fashion; low consumption, OR 2.3 (95% CI 1.3 to 4.0) and medium-high consumption OR 3.1 (95% CI 1.6 to 6.2), respectively.

CONCLUSION

There was a significant association between alcohol consumption and diastolic dysfunction starting already at low levels that was supported by a dose-dependent pattern. These results need confirmatory studies and are important in public health policies.

Sex hormone-binding globulin levels and development of hypertension in middle-aged men and women

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels, change in blood pressure and development of hypertension.

METHODS

In a community-based study, we examined 2816 middle-aged participants with focus on cardiometabolic risk factors in 2002-2005. A representative sample of 1954 men and women was invited to follow-up in 2012-2014 and 1327 were included in a second study visit. Mean follow-up time was 9.7 years. Blood pressure was measured according to the guidelines from the seventh Joint National Committee of Hypertension, and new cases of hypertension were recorded. SHBG was measured at baseline. The association between SHBG, blood pressure and new cases of hypertension was investigated using linear regression analyses and logistic regression analyses after excluding individuals treated with blood pressure-lowering drugs.

RESULTS

Mean SBP and DBP at follow-up was 123 and 72 mmHg, respectively, and mean increase from baseline was 5.8 and 2.9 mmHg. During the follow-up time, 167 new cases of hypertension (16.1%) were identified. One standard deviation (SD) increase in SHBG at baseline was inversely associated with the risk to develop hypertension at follow-up (OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.95) in the fully adjusted model. Moreover, one SD increase in SHBG was associated with a decrease in mean SBP (delta = -1.5 mmHg, 95% CI - 2.2 to -0.8) and DBP (delta = - 1.0 mmHg, 95% CI - 1.5 to -0.4), after adjusting for covariates.

CONCLUSION

SHBG levels are inversely associated with development of hypertension and change in blood pressure levels independent of major risk factors.

Persisting prediabetic conditions and glomerular filtration rate - A longitudinal study

The aim was to explore differences in the development of eGFR in persisting prediabetic conditions. This prospective study including 1327 individuals showed that eGFR decreased more in individuals with persisting IGT than in individuals with persisting IFG. Repeating OGTT and monitoring eGFR might improve the risk estimation in prediabetes.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness, BMI, Mortality, and Cardiovascular Disease in Adults with Overweight/Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

INTRODUCTION

We estimated the effects of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and body mass index (BMI) at baseline on mortality and cardiovascular disease events in people with type 2 diabetes who participated in the Look AHEAD randomized clinical trial.

METHODS

Look AHEAD compared effects of an intensive lifestyle intervention with diabetes support and education on cardiovascular disease events in 5145 adults age 45-76 yr with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes. In 4773 participants, we performed a secondary analysis of the association of baseline CRF during maximal treadmill test (expressed as metabolic equivalents (METs)) on mortality and cardiovascular disease events during a mean follow-up of 9.2 yr.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) CRF was 7.2 (2.0) METs. Adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, BMI, intervention group, and β-blocker use, all-cause mortality rate was 30% lower per SD greater METs (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.60 to 0.81); rate difference (RD), -2.71 deaths/1000 person-years (95% confidence interval, -3.79 to -1.63)). Similarly, an SD greater METs predicted lower cardiovascular disease mortality (HR, 0.45; RD, -1.65 cases/1000 person-years) and a composite cardiovascular outcome (HR, 0.72; RD, -6.38). Effects of METs were homogeneous on the HR scale for most baseline variables and outcomes but heterogeneous for many on the RD scale, with greater RD in subgroups at greater risk of the outcomes. For example, all-cause mortality was lower by 7.6 deaths/1000 person-years per SD greater METs in those with a history of cardiovascular disease at baseline but lower by only 1.6 in those without such history. BMI adjusted for CRF had little or no effect on these outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater CRF is associated with reduced risks of mortality and cardiovascular disease events.

Circulating endothelin-1 levels are positively associated with chronic kidney disease in women but not in men: a longitudinal study in the Vara-Skövde cohort

Background

The vasoconstricting peptide endothelin-1 (ET-1) is associated with endothelial dysfunction. The aim of this paper was to investigate whether circulating ET-1 levels predicts chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a prospective population study.

Methods

In 2002–2005, 2816 participants (30–74 years) were randomly selected from two municipalities in South-Western Sweden and followed up in a representative sample of 1327 individuals after 10 years. Endothelin-1 levels were assessed at baseline. Outcome was defined as CKD stage 3 or above based on eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m². Those 1314 participants with successful analysis of ET-1 were further analyzed using binary logistic regression.

Results

At follow-up, 51 (8%) men and 47 (7,8%) women had CKD stage 3 and above. Based on levels of ET-1 the population was divided into quintiles showing that women in the highest quintile (n = 132) had a significantly increased risk of developing CKD during the follow up period (OR = 2.54, 95% CI:1.19–5.45, p = 0.02) compared with the other quintiles (1–4). The association was borderline significant after adjusted for age, current smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, BMI, high- sensitive CRP and LDL-cholesterol (OR = 2.25, 95% CI:0.97–5.24, p = 0.06). No significant differences were observed between quintiles of ET-1 and development of CKD in men (NS).

Conclusions

High levels of ET-1 are associated with development of CKD in women.

Report from an effort to prevent type 2 diabetes development in primary care

BACKGROUND

In a clinical trial 2009-2012, individuals with prediabetes were randomised to a lifestyle intervention (LI) focused on physical activity or care as usual (CAU), with the aim of reducing development of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). At study termination after three years, there was a significantly less of an increase in insulin resistance in LI compared with the CAU group. The aim of this extended follow-up was to investigate whether positive results concerning metabolic variables remained five years after study termination.

METHOD

All participants from the original study were contacted for a new follow-up with an oral glucose tolerance test, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure and blood samples. Questionnaires about lifestyle were completed.

RESULTS

A total of 69 of the original 123 participants were examined, and personal data for another five participants were collected from the medical charts (n = 74). The LI group showed a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (-4 mmHg, CI 95% 0.8-6.8, p = 0.014) and body weight (-3 kg, CI 95% 1.2-4.9, p = 0.002) since base-line. Weight loss in the LI group was significantly greater compared with weight loss in the CAU group (-3 kg, CI 0.1-5.9, p = 0.044). Insulin resistance markers and incident T2DM were similar among the groups.

CONCLUSION

Although without modifying the incidence of diabetes or the level of insulin resistance, a physical activity intervention may be used to induce sustainable weight change in subjects with prediabetes at the primary care level.

Association between body mass index and self-rated health: A Swedish population-based longitudinal study

Aims: We aimed to investigate (a) the association between body mass index (BMI) and self-rated health (SRH) and (b) BMI's predicted value for SRH within a representative population in the Skaraborg Project. Methods: This was a longitudinal observational study. A random population of 2816 individuals were included in the study between 2002 and 2005, and a representative sample of these individuals were invited consecutively for a follow-up visit between 2012 and 2014. At follow-up, data from 1327 participants were collected concerning anthropometric variables, blood samples and validated questionnaires regarding lifestyle factors. Results: A significant inverse association was observed between BMI and SRH both at baseline and at follow-up, with all p-values for trend being ⩽0.001 in both men and women. This association was observed even after adjusting for confounders such as co-morbidity, age, sex, education, marital status and lifestyle factors. In addition, the longitudinal analyses showed that BMI at baseline was inversely associated with SRH at follow-up in both sexes (odds ratio (OR)=1.1, confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.16, p=0.017 in men; and OR=1.1, CI 1.04-1.14, p=0.001 in women). These findings remained in participants whose weight increased (p=0.022) or was stable (p=0.004), while it was not seen in individuals who lost weight over the years (p=0.340). Conclusions: SRH is inversely associated with BMI in Swedish men and women. High BMI predicted low SRH from a longitudinal perspective, independent of co-morbidities, except for individuals who lost weight over the years. This knowledge emphasises the importance of an understanding and empathetic attitude towards these individuals.

A lifestyle intervention in primary care prevents deterioration of insulin resistance in patients with impaired glucose tolerance: A randomised controlled trial

Aims: We hypothesised that the expected increase in insulin resistance over three years’ time in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and/or impaired fasting glucose could be attenuated by an intervention with focus on physical activity in ordinary primary care. Methods: We conducted a randomised controlled trial with 96 participants over three years. Examination of the participants included anthropometric measures, blood pressure, body weight and height, blood samples, an oral glucose tolerance test, and questionnaires about diet and lifestyle. The study subjects were randomised to either an intense intervention with information, group sessions, referral to physical activity and a step-counter ( n = 31), a less intense intervention without the group sessions ( n = 35), or care as usual group (CAUG) ( n = 30). Differences between the groups were analysed with general linear models adjusted for age, gender, baseline values and time in the intervention. Results: Individual insulin resistance increased in the CAUG. Due to having a similar effect, we combined the two intervention groups into a combined intervention group (CIG; n = 66) in the analyses. In individuals with IGT, the increase in the homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance differed significantly between those in the CAUG and the CIG (Δ = 0.8; CI: 0.1–1.6; p = 0.034). Likewise, diastolic blood pressure decreased more in the CIG than in the CAUG (Δ = 5.1; CI: 0.1–10.0; p = 0.047). A total of 17 individuals developed Type 2 diabetes, 23% were in the CIG and 33% in the CAUG; so there was a 32% reduced risk in the intervention group. Conclusions: A lifestyle intervention focused on physical activity is feasible in ordinary primary care and prevents deterioration in insulin sensitivity in individuals with IGT over a three-year period.

Endothelin-1 as a predictor of impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes--A longitudinal study in the Vara-Skövde Cohort

We addressed whether endothelin-1, a marker of endothelial dysfunction, predicts impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a population study in south-western Sweden. Follow-up after 9.7 years showed an association between circulating endothelin-1 levels at baseline and development of IGT/T2DM in women but not in men.

Circulating concentrations of endothelin-1 predict coronary heart disease in women but not in men: a longitudinal observational study in the Vara-Skövde Cohort

BACKGROUND

The vasoconstricting peptide endothelin-1 has been proposed to be a marker of cardiovascular disease. Our aim was to investigate whether circulating endothelin-1 levels predict coronary heart disease (CHD) in Sweden.

METHODS

In 2002-2005, 2816 adult participants (30-74 years) were randomly selected from two municipalities in south-western Sweden. Cardiovascular risk factors and endothelin-1 levels were assessed at baseline, and incident CHD was followed-up in all participants through 2011. After exclusion of 50 participants due to known CHD at baseline and 21 participants because of unsuccessful analysis of endothelin-1, 2745 participants were included in the study. In total, 72 CHD events (52 in men and 20 in women) were registered during the follow-up time.

RESULTS

We showed that baseline circulating endothelin-1 levels were higher in women with incident CHD than in women without CHD (3.2 pg/ml, SE: 0.36 vs 2.4 pg/ml, SE: 0.03, p = 0.003) whereas this difference was not observed in men (2.3 pg/ml, SE: 0.16 vs 2.3 pg/ml, SE: 0.04, p = 0.828). An age-adjusted Cox proportional regression analysis showed an enhanced risk of CHD with increasing baseline endothelin-1 levels in women (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.51, 95 % CI = 1.1-2.1, p = 0.015) but not in men (HR = 0.98, 95 % CI = 0.8-1.2, p = 0.854). Furthermore, the predictive value of endothelin-1 for incident CHD in women was still significant after adjustments for age, HOMA-IR, apolipoprotein (apo)B/apoA1 and smoking (HR = 1.53, CI = 1.1-1.2, p = 0.024).

CONCLUSION

Circulating endothelin-1 levels may predict CHD in women.

Primary care screening for individuals with impaired glucose metabolism with focus on impaired glucose tolerance

AIM

To evaluate the utility of three short questions (the Skövde Form) combined with a random plasma glucose, and HbA1c as alternative tools for detection of individuals with impaired glucose metabolism (IGM), and particularly impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

METHODS

Three questions concerning BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2), heredity for type 2 diabetes, and known hypertension were asked in a random population of 573 individuals. All with two positive answers or one positive answer and a random plasma glucose > 7.2 mmol/l were invited for an oral glucose tolerance test and an HbA1c examination. FINDRISC was completed for comparison.

RESULTS

The positive predictive value (PPV) for IGM, using the Skövde Form, was 31% while sensitivity and specificity were 59% and 73%, respectively. Corresponding values for IGT were 11%, 50% and 69%. Using HbA1c ≥ 42 mmol/mol, the PPV for IGM was 64% while sensitivity and specificity were 28% and 97%, respectively. The corresponding values for IGT were 15%, 16% and 94%.

CONCLUSION

The Skövde Form combined with a random plasma glucose may be used as an alternative tool for detection of individuals with IGM and IGT in particular. HbA1c may be used to identify individuals with type 2 diabetes but fails to detect most individuals with prediabetes.

Feasibility of a randomized controlled intervention with physical activity in participants with impaired glucose tolerance recruited by FINDRISC: A pilot study

Background: This study aimed to explore the feasibility and effect of an intervention in clinical practice with isolated physical activity in individuals with IGT, recruited by the FINDRISC questionnaire. Methods: The questionnaire was sent to a population of 9734 individuals, 35–75 years old, in Sweden. Those with a risk score ≥15 were encouraged to perform an oral glucose tolerance test. Individuals with IGT were invited to participate in a randomized controlled trial with a focus on physical activity. The participants were allocated to one of three arms; basic intervention, intensive intervention or to care as usual. A total of 52 individuals were carefully examined and questionnaires about diet and lifestyle were completed at baseline and after one year. All analyses were adjusted for differences in age and sex, and calorie intake when relevant. Results :The prevalence of chronic diseases in the study population was high, creating considerable difficulties in conducting a standardized test for fitness. Waist circumference ( p=0.020), sagittal diameter ( p=0.035), body weight ( p=0.038) and BMI ( p=0.043) decreased significantly more in the intensive care group than in care as usual and the basic care group. However, the significance was abolished when differences in energy intake were accounted for. Conclusions: In an intention to treat, prospective lifestyle interventions with physical activity are feasible, but a high prevalence of comorbidities needs to be considered. Also, an intervention focused on isolated physical activity inevitably led to changes in diet with weight loss and significant improvement of essential risk factors in spite of the participants’ burden of chronic diseases.

Feasibility of the FINDRISC questionnaire to identify individuals with impaired glucose tolerance in Swedish primary care. A cross-sectional population-based study

AIM

To evaluate the performance of the FINDRISC questionnaire as a tool to recruit individuals with impaired glucose tolerance for lifestyle intervention programmes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional population-based study in primary Health Care Centres in a middle-sized Swedish town. All 9734 individuals, aged 35-75 years, living within a defined area, were invited by mail to fill in and return the FINDRISC questionnaire. Participants with a risk score ≥ 15 (n = 525) were invited to perform an oral glucose tolerance test while those with known diabetes were excluded.

RESULTS

In total, 5452 questionnaires (58%) were returned and revealed a mean risk-score of 8.5 ± 4.5 (mean ± SD). We found that 525 participants had a risk-score ≥ 15 and 302 (58%) were further examined with an oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT). Among them we detected 11% with previously undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes, 16% with impaired glucose tolerance and 29% with impaired fasting glucose. A FINDRISC score ≥ 15 was associated with a positive predictive value of 55% for impaired glucose metabolism (impaired fasting glucose + impaired glucose tolerance + Type 2 diabetes) and of 16% for impaired glucose tolerance, respectively. The positive predictive value for impaired glucose tolerance did not increase to more than 17% when choosing the cut-point 17, while there was a significant increase in the positive predictive value for impaired glucose metabolism (70%).

CONCLUSIONS

The FINDRISC questionnaire is a useful instrument for identification of individuals with impaired glucose metabolism but seems less effective for detection of individuals with impaired glucose tolerance. Strategies to find individuals with impaired glucose tolerance for implementation of lifestyle changes in primary care should therefore be developed further.