Changes in intima media thickness, ankle brachial index and flow mediated dilation in pre hypertensive individuals

Introduction: Prehypertension (PH) is a state being on the frontier between the physiological referent arterial pressure values and pathological ones. The opinion concerned with its treatment is contradictory. Vascular alteration is an object of interest.Material and methods:  Intima Media Thickness (IMT), Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) and Flow Mediated Dilation (FMD) indices were examined in 103 individuals with PH and 45 normotensives. Anthropometric and clinical chemical methods were also applied. The statistical processing was carried out by ÐœS Excel 2000 and SPSS 11.0.Results: The pre hypertensives` metabolic profile was unfavorable, they are overweight and have bigger waist size, reflecting in higher cardiovascular risk. The percentage of FMD is reduced as an expression of endothelial function. Structural vascular alterations are not registered - ITM and ABI values are of no significant difference in the two followed up groups.Conclusion: The therapeutic approach in prehypertensives should be directed to reestablishment of the endothelial function.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background: Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings: Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8-13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05-6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50-75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation: Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life

Association of BMI, lipid-lowering medication, and age with prevalence of type 2 diabetes in adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: a worldwide cross-sectional study

Background: Statins are the cornerstone treatment for patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia but research suggests it could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in the general population. A low prevalence of type 2 diabetes was reported in some familial hypercholesterolaemia cohorts, raising the question of whether these patients are protected against type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a well known risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes. We aimed to investigate the associations of known key determinants of type 2 diabetes with its prevalence in people with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia. Methods: This worldwide cross-sectional study used individual-level data from the EAS FHSC registry and included adults older than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia who had data available on age, BMI, and diabetes status. Those with known or suspected homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia and type 1 diabetes were excluded. The main outcome was prevalence of type 2 diabetes overall and by WHO region, and in relation to obesity (BMI ≥30·0 kg/m2) and lipid-lowering medication as predictors. The study population was divided into 12 risk categories based on age (tertiles), obesity, and receiving statins, and the risk of type 2 diabetes was investigated using logistic regression. Findings: Among 46 683 adults with individual-level data in the FHSC registry, 24 784 with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia were included in the analysis from 44 countries. 19 818 (80%) had a genetically confirmed diagnosis of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia. Type 2 diabetes prevalence in the total population was 5·7% (1415 of 24 784), with 4·1% (817 of 19 818) in the genetically diagnosed cohort. Higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes was observed in the Eastern Mediterranean (58 [29·9%] of 194), South-East Asia and Western Pacific (214 [12·0%] of 1785), and the Americas (166 [8·5%] of 1955) than in Europe (excluding the Netherlands; 527 [8·0%] of 6579). Advancing age, a higher BMI category (obesity and overweight), and use of lipid-lowering medication were associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, independent of sex and LDL cholesterol. Among the 12 risk categories, the probability of developing type 2 diabetes was higher in people in the highest risk category (aged 55–98 years, with obesity, and receiving statins; OR 74·42 [95% CI 47·04–117·73]) than in those in the lowest risk category (aged 18–38 years, without obesity, and not receiving statins). Those who did not have obesity, even if they were in the upper age tertile and receiving statins, had lower risk of type 2 diabetes (OR 24·42 [15·57–38·31]). The corresponding results in the genetically diagnosed cohort were OR 65·04 (40·67–104·02) for those with obesity in the highest risk category and OR 20·07 (12·73–31·65) for those without obesity. Interpretation: Adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia in most WHO regions have a higher type 2 diabetes prevalence than in Europe. Obesity markedly increases the risk of diabetes associated with age and use of statins in these patients. Our results suggest that heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia does not protect against type 2 diabetes, hence managing obesity is essential to reduce type 2 diabetes in this patient population. Funding: Pfizer, Amgen, MSD, Sanofi-Aventis, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Regeneron

SERUM YKL-40 LEVELS IN CHRONIC HEART FAILURE.

Inflammatory processes are involved in the pathogenesis and development of chronic heart disease. The promising novel inflammatory biomarker YKL-40 is related to the degree of inflammation and pathological tissue remodeling. The aim of this study was to determine serum YKL-40 levels in patients with chronic heart failure and to evaluate the potential relationship with ultrasonography findings. Forty-three individuals were enrolled in the study – 24 patients (10 females and 14 males) with chronic heart failure, aged 70±11 (mean ± standard deviation) and 16 healthy people as age-matched controls (above 50 years). The serum YKL-40 levels were assessed by ELISA. Sonographic measurements such as two-dimensional, Power wave, Continuous Wave, Colour mode and M-Mode were performed using a diagnostic ultrasound system (PHILIPS Ultrasound, Washington, US) with a L11-3 probe of 3-11 MHz. The six minute walk test was used to assess functional capability of patients. Our study revealed significantly higher serum YKL-40 levels in patients compared to the control group (P=0.010). No relation was found between the glycoprotein and the results from the ultrasonographic and functional examination. We suppose that increased serum YKL-40 levels in patients with chronic heart failure might reflect the inflammatory route in the development of the disease

Exercise Training Modes In Rehabilitation Of Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

Abstract Modern cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in chronic heart failure (CHF) is a multidisciplinary process with the patient being the centre of the focus. Various CR models (inpatient, outpatient and home based) have been used the last two decades in the pursuit of higher effectiveness and better results. The aim of this review is to present different exercise training modes applied in rehabilitating patients with CHF and to highlight their clinical value, advantages and disadvantages and practical implication.</jats:p

Infective Endocarditis&mdash;Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality, 17 Years, Single-Center Experience in Bulgaria

Despite enormous developments in medicine, infective endocarditis (IE) remains an ongoing issue for physicians due to increased morbidity and persistently high mortality. Our goal was to assess clinical outcomes in patients with IE and identify determinants of in-hospital mortality. Material and methods: The analysis was retrospective, single-centered, and comprised 270 patients diagnosed with IE from 2005 to 2021 (median age 65 (51&ndash;74), male 177 (65.6%). Native IE (NVIE) was observed in 180 (66.7%), prosthetic IE (PVIE) in 88 (33.6%), and cardiac device-related IE (CDRIE) in 2 (0.7%), with non-survivors having much higher rates. Healthcare-associated IE (HAIE) was 72 (26.7%), Staphylococci were the most prevalent pathogen, and the proportion of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) non-HACEK was significantly greater in non-survivors than survivors (11 (15%) vs. 9 (4.5%), p = 0.004). Overall, 54 (20%) patients underwent early surgery, with a significant difference between dead and alive patients (3 (4.5%) vs. 51 (25.1%, p = 0.000). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 24.8% (67). Logistic regression was conducted on the total sample (n = 270) for the period 2005&ndash;2021, as well as the sub-periods 2005&ndash;2015 (n = 119) and 2016&ndash;2021 (n = 151), to identify any differences in the trend of IE. For the overall group, the presence of septic shock (OR-83.1; 95% CI (17.0&ndash;405.2), p = 0.000) and acute heart failure (OR&mdash;24.6; 95% CI (9.2&ndash;65.0), p = 0.000) increased the risk of mortality. Early surgery (OR-0.03, 95% CI (0.01&ndash;0.16), p = 0.000) and a low Charlson comorbidity index (OR-0.85, 95% CI (0.74&ndash;0.98, p = 0.026) also lower this risk. Between 2005 and 2015, the presence of septic shock (OR 76.5, 95% CI 7.11&ndash;823.4, p = 0.000), acute heart failure (OR-11.5, 95% CI 2.9&ndash;46.3, p = 0.001), and chronic heart failure (OR-1.3, 95% CI 1.1&ndash;1.8, p = 0.022) enhanced the likelihood of a fatal outcome. Low Charlson index comorbidity (CCI) lowered the risk (OR-0.7, 95% CI 0.5&ndash;0.95, p = 0.026). For the period 2016&ndash;2021, the variable with the major influence for the model is the failure to perform early surgery in indicated patients (OR-240, 95% CI 23.2&mdash;2483, p = 0.000) followed by a complication of acute heart failure (OR-72.2, 95% CI 7.5&ndash;693.6. p = 0.000), septic shock (OR-17.4, 95% CI 2.0&ndash;150.8, p = 0.010), previous stroke (OR-9.2, 95% CI 1.4&ndash;59.4, p = 0.020) and low ejection fraction (OR-1.1, 95% CI 1.0&ndash;1.2, p = 0.004). Conclusions: Knowing the predictors of mortality would change the therapeutic approach to be more aggressive, improving the short- and long-term prognosis of IE patients