25 research outputs found

    Impact of Chronic Inflammation, Assessed by hs-CRP, on the Association between Red Cell Distribution Width and Arterial Cardiovascular Disease: The Tromsø Study

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    Red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of variability in size of circulating erythrocytes, is associated with arterial cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the impact of chronic inflammation as measured by high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) on this relationship, and explore whether RDW could be a mediator in the causal pathway between inflammation and arterial CVD. Baseline characteristics, including RDW and hs-CRP were obtained from 5,765 individuals attending a population-based cohort study. We followed participants from inclusion in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994/95) until December 31st 2012. Multivariable Cox-regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke across quintiles of hs-CRP and RDW. Subjects with hs-CRP in the highest quintile had 44% higher risk of MI (HR: 1.44, 95% CI 1.14-1.80), and 64% higher risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 1.64, 95% CI 1.20- 2.24) compared to subjects in the lowest quintile. RDW mediated 7.2% (95% CI 4.0- 30.8%) of the association between hs-CRP and ischemic stroke. Subjects with RDW in the highest quintile had 22% higher risk of MI (HR: 1.22, 95% CI 0.98-1.54) and 44% higher risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 1.44, 95% CI 1.06-1.97) compared to subjects in the lowest quintile. These risk estimates were slightly attenuated after adjustments for hs-CRP. Our findings suggest that chronic inflammation is not a primary mechanism underlying the relationship between RDW and arterial CVD

    The Role of Stroke as a Trigger for Incident Venous Thromboembolism: Results from a Population-based Case-Crossover Study

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    Stroke is associated with a short-term increased risk of subsequent venous thromboembolism (VTE). It is unclear to what extent this association is mediated by strokerelated complications that are potential triggers for VTE, such as immobilization and infection. We aimed to investigate the role of acute stroke as a trigger for incident VTE while taking other concomitant VTE triggers into account. We conducted a populationbased case-crossover study with 707 VTE patients. Triggers were registered during the 90 days before a VTE event (hazard period) and in four preceding 90-day control periods. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for VTE according to triggers. Stroke was registered in 30 of the 707 (4.2%) hazard periods and in 6 of the 2,828 (0.2%) control periods, resulting in a high risk of VTE, with odds ratios of 20.0 (95% CI: 8.3–48.1). After adjustments for immobilization and infection, odds ratios for VTE conferred by stroke were attenuated to 6.0 (95% CI: 1.6–22.1), and further to 4.0 (95% CI: 1.1–14.2) when other triggers (major surgery, red blood cell transfusion, trauma, and central venous catheter) were added to the regression model. A mediation analysis revealed that 67.8% of the total effect of stroke on VTE risk could be mediated through immobilization and infection. Analyses restricted to ischemic stroke yielded similar results. In conclusion, acute stroke was a trigger for VTE, and the association between stroke and VTE risk appeared to be largely mediated by immobilization and infection

    Atherosclerotic risk factors and risk of myocardial infarction and venous thromboembolism; Time-fixed versus time-varying analyses. The Tromsø Study

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    Background: Single measurements of modifiable risk factors may underestimate associations with outcomes in cohorts. We aimed to compare risk estimates of myocardial infarction (MI) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) by atherosclerotic risk factors during long follow-up using time-fixed analyses without and with correction for regression dilution and time-varying analyses. Methods: The study included 5970 subjects enrolled in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994/95). Blood pressure, lipid levels, body mass index (BMI), diabetes and smoking status were measured at baseline, and subjects still alive at the fifth (2001/02, n = 5179) and sixth (2007/08, n = 4391) survey were re-measured. Incident events of MI (n = 714) and VTE (n = 214) were recorded until December 2010. Time-fixed and time-varying Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) for MI and VTE adjusted for age and sex. Results: Variations in BMI, blood pressure and lipid levels were small, and did not alter the risk estimates when time-varying analyses were compared to time-fixed analyses. For MI, variables that changed considerably over time yielded the greatest changes in risk estimates (HR for smoking changed from 1.80 (95% CI 1.55–2.10) to 2.08 (95% CI 1.78–2.42)). For VTE, only BMI was associated with increased risk in both time-fixed and time-varying analysis, but the risk estimates weakened in the time-varying analysis. Correction of time-fixed HRs with Rosner´s method tended to overestimate risk estimates compared to time-varying analysis.<p
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