Toe pressure and toe brachial index are predictive of cardiovascular mortality regardless of the most diseased arterial segment in symptomatic lower-extremity artery disease—A retrospective cohort study

Objective Although lower extremity arterial disease (LEAD) is most often multisegmental, the predominant disease location and risk factors differ between patients. Ankle-brachial index (ABI), toe-brachial index (TBI), and toe pressure (TP) are predictive of outcome in LEAD patients. Previously, we reported a classification method defining the most diseased arterial segment (MDAS); crural (CR), femoropopliteal (FP), or aortoiliac (AOI). Current study aimed to analyze the associations between MDAS, peripheral pressure measurements and cardiovascular mortality. Materials and methods We reviewed retrospectively 729 consecutive LEAD patients (Rutherford 2–6) who underwent digital subtraction angiography between January, 2009 to August, 2011 and had standardized peripheral pressure measurements. Results In Cox Regression analyses, cardiovascular mortality was associated with MDAS and noninvasive pressure indices as follows; MDAS AOI, TP 1.30 (HR 6.71, 95% CI 1.89–23.8), and MDAS CR, TP <30 mmHg (HR 4.26, 95% CI 2.19–8.27), TBI <0.25 (HR 7.71, 95% CI 1.86–32.9), and ABI <0.25 (HR 2.59, 95% CI 1.15–5.85). Conclusions Symptomatic LEAD appears to be multisegmental with severe infrapopliteal involvement. Because of this, TP and TBI are strongly predictive of cardiovascular mortality and they should be routinely measured despite the predominant disease location or clinical presentation.Peer reviewe

Long-term cardiovascular prognosis of patients with type 1 diabetes after myocardial infarction

Background To explore long-term cardiovascular prognosis after myocardial infarction (MI) among patients with type 1 diabetes. Methods Patients with type 1 diabetes surviving 90 days after MI (n = 1508; 60% male, mean age = 62.1 years) or without any type of diabetes (n = 62,785) in Finland during 2005-2018 were retrospectively studied using multiple national registries. The primary outcome of interest was a combined major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE; cardiovascular death, recurrent MI, ischemic stroke, or heart failure hospitalization) studied with a competing risk Fine-Gray analyses. Median follow-up was 3.9 years (maximum 12 years). Differences between groups were balanced by multivariable adjustments and propensity score matching (n = 1401 patient pairs). Results Cumulative incidence of MACE after MI was higher in patients with type 1 diabetes (67.6%) compared to propensity score-matched patients without diabetes (46.0%) (sub-distribution hazard ratio [sHR]: 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.74-2.17; p = 60 years, revascularized and non-revascularized patients, and patients with and without atrial fibrillation, heart failure, or malignancy. Conclusions Patients with type 1 diabetes have notably poorer long-term cardiovascular prognosis after an MI compared to patients without diabetes. These results underline the importance of effective secondary prevention after MI in patients with type 1 diabetes.Peer reviewe

Cardiometabolic Health Among Adult Offspring of Hypertensive Pregnancies: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

BACKGROUND: Cardiometabolic health among adult offspring of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) is relatively unknown. We hypothesized that offspring of HDP would have abnormalities in the retinal microvasculature and cardiac structure by midadulthood. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study included randomly selected children from 5 Finnish university cities. The mean age of participants was 40 years (range 34-49 years) at the time of retinal photography and cardiac assessment. Offspring born ≥37 weeks of gestation and appropriate for gestational age (n=1006) were included. Offspring of HDP had higher systolic blood pressure (β=4.68, P<0.001), body mass index (β=1.25, P=0.009), and waist circumference (β=0.25, P=0.042), compared with offspring of normotensive pregnancies. However, no differences in fasting glucose, insulin, lipid profile, carotid intima media thickness, or brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation were shown. Retinal arteriolar diameters were narrower (β=-0.43, P=0.009) and longer (β=32.5, P=0.023) and the arteriolar length-to-diameter ratio was higher (β=2.32, P=0.006) among offspring of HDP, after adjustment for age and sex. Left atrial volume indexed to body surface area (β=1.34, P=0.040) was increased. Adjustment for the confounding effects of birth weight, body mass index, smoking and socioeconomic status, and the mediating effect of hypertension had little impact on the associations. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormalities of the retinal microvasculature and cardiac structure are seen in offspring of HDP in midadulthood. These findings may need to be considered in future primary prevention strategies of cardiovascular disease among offspring of HDP

Chronic limb threatening ischemia and diabetes mellitus: the severity of tibial atherosclerosis and outcome after infrapopliteal revascularization

Background and aims: Diabetes mellitus associates with poor outcomes in chronic limb threatening ischemia but data on different hypoglycemic regimens and outcomes are lacking. We analyzed insulin-treated diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus, and patients without diabetes mellitus.Materials and methods: All patients with peripheral artery disease and/or diabetes mellitus and infrapopliteal revascularization in the Department of Vascular Surgery, Turku University Hospital during 2007-2015 were included. Tibial atherosclerosis was categorized into crural index classes of I-IV.Results: Of the 497 patients, 180 were insulin-treated diabetes mellitus, 94 non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus, and 223 patients without diabetes mellitus groups (diabetes mellitus 55.1%). Insulin-treated diabetes mellitus was the most ill, youngest (insulin-treated diabetes mellitus-median: 72.4, interquartile range: 64.0-79.5 versus non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus-76.0, interquartile range: 67.9-83.6 versus patients without diabetes mellitus-77.3, interquartile range: 68.5-83.7, p p p p = 0.046) and non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus groups (p = 0.011) compared to surgery, but not for patients without diabetes mellitus (p = 0.15). Patients with crural index IV in insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (p = 0.001) and non-insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (p = 0.013) had higher mortality after revascularization. Crural index IV was a risk factor for limb loss (hazard ratio: 1.37, 95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.74, p = 0.008).Conclusion: Limb salvage after bypass is better for insulin and non-insulin diabetics, compared to the endovascular approach. Extensive tibial atherosclerosis is an independent risk factor for limb loss. It associates with increased mortality in both insulin and non-insulin diabetics.</p

Geographic origin as a determinant of left ventricular mass and diastolic function - the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

Aims: Eastern Finns have higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and carotid intima-media thickness than western Finns although current differences in CHD risk factors are minimal. Left ventricular (LV) mass and diastolic function predict future cardiovascular events but their east-west differences are unknown. We examined the association of eastern/western baseline origin with LV mass and diastolic function. Methods : The study population included 2045 subjects of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study with data from the baseline survey (1980) and the latest follow-up (2011) when echocardiography was performed at the age of 34-49 years. Results: Subjects with eastern baseline origin had in 2011 higher LV mass (139 +/- 1.0 vs. 135 +/- 1.0 g, p=0.006) and E/e-ratio indicating weaker LV diastolic function (4.86 +/- 0.03 vs. 4.74 +/- 0.03, p=0.02) than western subjects. Results were independent of age, sex, area of examination and CHD risk factors such as blood pressure and BMI (LV mass indexed with height: pPeer reviewe

Self-rated health as an indicator of ideal cardiovascular health among working-aged women

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and the American Heart Association's (AHA) concept of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) among female municipal employees. Studies about the association are scarce, even though AHA recommends to use SRH status surveys in clinical practice and research settings of CVH.Design: Cross-sectional study conducted in 2014.Setting: SRH was assessed with a one-item question and the data of seven ideal CVH measurements (nonsmoking, body mass index <25.0 kg/m(2), healthy diet, physical activity at goal, blood pressure <120/80 mmHg, cholesterol <5.18 mmol/l and glucose (HbA1c < 6.0%)) was gathered with a physical examination, laboratory tests, medical history and self-administrated questionnaires.Subjects: A total of 725 female subjects from 10 work units of the city of Pori, Finland.Main outcome measures: SRH and ideal CVH.Results: Of the study subjects, 28.8% reported ill-health (poor/fair SRH). The sum of ideal CVH metrics was positively associated with good SRH driven by favorable health behaviors (nonsmoking, normal body mass index, healthy diet and physical activity). A linear decrease in the prevalence of 0-2 ideal CVH metrics, and a linear increase in 5-7 metrics was associated with better SRH. Nonsmoking and normal weight were the most potent indicators of good SRH in multivariate analysis.Conclusions: Most of the subjects with 0-3 of the seven CVH metrics at ideal level were dissatisfied with their health. Since unhealthy lifestyle factors accumulate mainly to people feeling ill-health, the value of SRH is worth recognizing especially in primary health care

Childhood Infections, Socioeconomic Status, and Adult Cardiometabolic Risk

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Socioeconomic disadvantage throughout the life course is associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases, but traditional risk factors do not fully account for the social gradient. We investigated the interactions between low socioeconomic status (SES) and infection in childhood and adverse cardiometabolic parameters in adulthood. METHODS: Participants from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study, a cohort well phenotyped for childhood and adulthood cardiometabolic risk factors and socioeconomic parameters, were linked to lifetime hospitalization data from birth onward available from the Finnish National Hospital Registry. In those with complete data, we investigated relationships between infection-related hospitalization in childhood, SES, and childhood and adult cardiometabolic parameters. RESULTS: The study cohort consisted of 1015 participants (age range 3–18 years at baseline and 30–45 years at follow-up). In adults who were raised in below-median income families, childhood infection-related hospitalizations (at age 0–5 years) were significantly associated with higher adult BMI (β ± SE comparing those with 0 vs ≥1 hospitalizations 2.4 ± 0.8 kg/m2, P = .008), waist circumference (7.4 ± 2.3 cm, P = .004), and reduced brachial flow–mediated dilatation (−2.7 ± 0.9%, P = .002). No equivalent associations were observed in participants from higher-SES families. CONCLUSIONS: Infection was associated with worse cardiovascular risk factor profiles only in those from lower-SES families. Childhood infection may contribute to social gradients observed in adult cardiometabolic disease risk factors. These findings suggest reducing childhood infections, especially in socioeconomic disadvantaged children, may reduce the cardiometabolic disease burden in adults

Cardiovascular Risk Factor Trajectories Since Childhood and Cognitive Performance in Midlife The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

Background: Cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, adverse serum lipids, and elevated body mass index in midlife, may harm cognitive performance. It is important to note that longitudinal accumulation of cardiovascular risk factors since childhood may be associated with cognitive performance already since childhood, but the previous evidence is scarce. We studied the associations of cardiovascular risk factors from childhood to midlife, their accumulation, and midlife cognitive performance. Methods: From 1980, a population-based cohort of 3596 children (3-18 years of age) have been repeatedly followed up for 31 years. Blood pressure, serum lipids, and body mass index were assessed in all follow-ups. Cardiovascular risk factor trajectories from childhood to midlife were identified using latent class growth mixture modeling. Cognitive testing was performed in 2026 participants 34 to 49 years of age using a computerized test. The associations of the cardiovascular risk factor trajectories and cognitive performance were studied for individual cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular risk factor accumulation. Results: Consistently high systolic blood pressure (beta=-0.262 SD [95% CI, -0.520 to -0.005]) and serum total cholesterol (beta=-0.214 SD [95% CI, -0.365 to -0.064]) were associated with worse midlife episodic memory and associative learning compared with consistently low values. Obesity since childhood was associated with worse visual processing and sustained attention (beta=-0.407 SD [95% CI, -0.708 to -0.105]) compared with normal weight. An inverse association was observed for the cardiovascular risk factor accumulation with episodic memory and associative learning (P for trend=0.008; 3 cardiovascular risk factors: beta=-0.390 SD [95% CI, -0.691 to -0.088]), with visual processing and sustained attention (P for trend Conclusions: Longitudinal elevated systolic blood pressure, high serum total cholesterol, and obesity from childhood to midlife were inversely associated with midlife cognitive performance. It is important to note that the higher the number of cardiovascular risk factors, the worse was the observed cognitive performance. Therefore, launching preventive strategies against cardiovascular risk factors beginning from childhood might benefit primordial promotion of cognitive health in adulthood.Peer reviewe