Effect of adiposity on differences in carotid plaque burden in studies conducted in Norway and Russia: a cross-sectional analysis of two populations at very different risk of cardiovascular mortality

Objectives - Large differences exist in the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) between Russia and Western European countries including Norway. Obesity prevalence may contribute to the differences. We investigated whether difference in the level of adiposity, assessed using body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio(WHR), could explain intercountry differences in the burden of carotid plaque, a measure of atherosclerosis, in the populations. Design - Cross-sectional analysis. Logistic and linear regression models were used. Setting - We used population-based cross-sectional Know Your Heart (KYH) study in Russia and the Tromsø 7 study (Tromsø 7) in Norway. Participants - 3262 and 1800 men and women aged 40–69 years in KYH and Tromsø 7, respectively. Primary and secondary outcome - The presence of carotid plaques and plaque score assessed using ultrasound. Results - The presence of carotid plaques and plaque score were higher in KYH than Tromsø 7 regardless of age group and sex. A positive association between carotid plaque burden and adiposity was found (OR of having at least one plaque per SD in WHR 1.18 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.31) for men; 1.15 (1.06 to 1.25) for women)) adjusted for age, smoking and education in a pooled analysis of the two studies. There was little evidence of the interaction between study and adiposity. These effects did not differ between the two studies. However, neither adiposity nor CVD risk factors (smoking, systolic blood pressure, cholesterol, glycosylated haemoglobin) explained the higher carotid plaque burden in KYH compared with Tromsø 7. Conclusion - Adiposity, especially abdominal adiposity, is a risk factor for carotid plaque in Russia and Norway, although neither adiposity nor established CVD risk factors explained the higher plaque burden in Russia. To reduce the CVD burden in Russia, beyond prevention and treatment of adiposity, further research is required to understand why Russia has a high burden of atherosclerosis

Studying accelerated cardiovascular ageing in Russian adults through a novel deep-learning ECG biomarker

Background: A non-invasive, easy-to-access marker of accelerated cardiac ageing would provide novel insights into the mechanisms and aetiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as contribute to risk stratification of those who have not had a heart or circulatory event. Our hypothesis is that differences between an ECG-predicted and chronologic age of participants (δage) would reflect accelerated or decelerated cardiovascular ageing Methods: A convolutional neural network model trained on over 700,000 ECGs from the Mayo Clinic in the U.S.A was used to predict the age of 4,542 participants in the Know Your Heart study conducted in two cities in Russia (2015-2018). Thereafter, δage was used in linear regression models to assess associations with known CVD risk factors and markers of cardiac abnormalities. Results: The biomarker δage (mean: +5.32 years) was strongly and positively associated with established risk factors for CVD: blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol and smoking. Additionally, δage had strong independent positive associations with markers of structural cardiac abnormalities: N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and pulse wave velocity, a valid marker of vascular ageing. Conclusion: The difference between the ECG-age obtained from a convolutional neural network and chronologic age (δage) contains information about the level of exposure of an individual to established CVD risk factors and to markers of cardiac damage in a way that is consistent with it being a biomarker of accelerated cardiovascular (vascular) ageing. Further research is needed to explore whether these associations are seen in populations with different risks of CVD events, and to better understand the underlying mechanisms involved

Heavy alcohol drinking and subclinical echocardiographic abnormalities of structure and function.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to assess changes in heart structure and function associated with heavy alcohol use by comparing echocardiographic indices in a population-based sample to those in patients admitted to an inpatient facility with severe alcohol problems. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used data from the Know Your Heart study (2015-2017) which is a cross-sectional study that recruited 2479 participants aged 35-69 years from the general population of the city of Arkhangelsk in Northwest Russia and 278 patients from the Arkhangelsk Regional Psychiatric Hospital with a primary diagnosis related to chronic alcohol use (narcology clinic subsample). The drinking patterns of the population-based sample were characterised in detail. We used regression models controlling for age, sex, smoking, education and waist to hip ratio to evaluate the differences in echocardiographic indices in participants with different drinking patterns. The means of left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and indexed left atrial systolic diameter were increased among heavy drinkers (narcology clinic subsample), while mean left ventricular ejection fraction was decreased in this group compared with the population-based sample. In contrast, the harmful and hazardous drinkers in the population-based sample did not differ from non-problem drinkers with respect to echocardiographic indices of systolic and diastolic function. CONCLUSIONS: Extremely heavy drinking is associated with a specific set of structural and functional abnormalities of the heart that may be regarded as precursors of alcohol-related dilated cardiomyopathy

External validation of a deep learning electrocardiogram algorithm to detect ventricular dysfunction

Objective - To validate a novel artificial-intelligence electrocardiogram algorithm (AI-ECG) to detect left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in an external population. Background - LVSD, even when asymptomatic, confers increased morbidity and mortality. We recently derived AI-ECG to detect LVSD using ECGs based on a large sample of patients treated at the Mayo Clinic. Methods - We performed an external validation study with subjects from the Know Your Heart Study, a cross-sectional study of adults aged 35–69 years residing in two cities in Russia, who had undergone both ECG and transthoracic echocardiography. LVSD was defined as left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35%. We assessed the performance of the AI-ECG to identify LVSD in this distinct patient population. Results - Among 4277 subjects in this external population-based validation study, 0.6% had LVSD (compared to 7.8% of the original clinical derivation study). The overall performance of the AI-ECG to detect LVSD was robust with an area under the receiver operating curve of 0.82. When using the LVSD probability cut-off of 0.256 from the original derivation study, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in this population were 26.9%, 97.4%, 97.0%, respectively. Other probability cut-offs were analysed for different sensitivity values. Conclusions - The AI-ECG detected LVSD with robust test performance in a population that was very different from that used to develop the algorithm. Population-specific cut-offs may be necessary for clinical implementation. Differences in population characteristics, ECG and echocardiographic data quality may affect test performance

Uncontrolled and apparent treatment resistant hypertension: a cross-sectional study of Russian and Norwegian 40-69 year olds.

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor. We examined uncontrolled hypertension and differences in treatment regimens between a high-risk country, Russia, and low-risk Norway to gain better understanding of the underlying factors. METHODS: Population-based survey data on 40-69 year olds with hypertension defined as taking antihypertensives and/or having high blood pressure (140+/90+ mmHg) were obtained from Know Your Heart Study (KYH, N = 2284), Russian Federation (2015-2018) and seventh wave of The Tromsø Study (Tromsø 7, N = 5939), Norway (2015-2016). Uncontrolled hypertension was studied in the subset taking antihypertensives (KYH: N = 1584; Tromsø 7: 2792)and defined as having high blood pressure (140+/90+ mmHg). Apparent treatment resistant hypertension (aTRH) was defined as individuals with uncontrolled hypertension on 3+ OR controlled on 4+ antihypertensive classes in the same subset. RESULTS: Among all those with hypertension regardless of treatment status, control of blood pressure was achieved in 22% of men (KYH and Tromsø 7), while among women it was 33% in Tromsø 7 and 43% in KYH. When the analysis was limited to those on treatment for hypertension, the percentage uncontrolled was higher in KYH (47.8%, CI 95 44.6-50.9%) than Tromsø 7 (38.2, 36.1-40.5%). The corresponding figures for aTRH were 9.8% (8.2-11.7%) and 5.7% (4.8-6.8%). Antihypertensive monotherapies were more common than combinations and used by 58% in Tromsø 7 and 44% in KYH. In both KYH and Tromsø 7, untreated hypertension was higher in men, those with no GP visit in the past year and problem drinkers. In both studies, aTRH was associated with older age, CVD history, obesity, and diabetes. In Tromsø 7, also male gender and any drinking. In KYH, also chronic kidney disease. CONCLUSION: There is considerable scope for promoting combination therapies in line with European treatment guidelines in both study populations. The factors associated with untreated hypertension overlap with known correlates of treatment non-adherence and health check non-attendance. In contrast, aTRH was characterised by obesity and underlying comorbidities potentially complicating treatment

ЭХОКАРДИОГРАФИЧЕСКИЕ ПРЕДИКТОРЫ НЕБЛАГОПРИЯТНЫХ КЛИНИЧЕСКИХ СОБЫТИЙ ПРИ СЕРДЕЧНОЙ НЕДОСТАТОЧНОСТИ С СОХРАННОЙ ФРАКЦИЕЙ ВЫБРОСА ЛЕВОГО ЖЕЛУДОЧКА В СОЧЕТАНИИ С СИНДРОМОМ ОБСТРУКТИВНОГО АПНОЭ ВО СНЕ

HighlightsRepeated hospitalizations occupy a special place in adverse clinical events in heart failure, currently representing one of the most powerful predictors of adverse outcomes in this group of patients. Echocardiographic parameters such as longitudinal myocardial deformation, displacement in the annulus of the tricuspid valve, and left atrial volume index can serve as predictors of hospitalization for cardiovascular diseases in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obstructive sleep apnea. Abstract Aim. To study the prognostic role of individual echocardiographic parameters in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in patients with arterial hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).Methods. The study included 59 men with hypertension and OSA (apnea/hypopnea index >15 per hour). At baseline all patients underwent a sleep study and echocardiography with an additional assessment of the global longitudinal strain (GLS). Upon inclusion in the study and after 12 months of follow-up, a 6-minute walk test was performed. After 12 months, the clinical course of the disease was retrospectively assessed. The criteria for an adverse clinical course were episodes of hospitalization for cardiovascular diseases, the development of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or high-grade ventricular arrhythmias (III–V class according to Ryan), worsening of heart failure with a transition to a higher functional class according to NYHA.Results. Significant differences were found in several echocardiographic parameters between the groups of patients with and without hospitalizations within 12 months of follow-up: tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) (p = 0.017), GLS (p = 0.005), left atrial volume index (LAVI) (p = 0.032). According to the regression analysis results, TAPSE, GLS and left ventricular ejection fraction make a statistically significant contribution to the probability of hospitalizations among the evaluated echocardiographic predictors.Conclusion. The results of the study allow us to consider certain echocardiographic parameters, in particular GLS, TAPSE and LAVI, as predictors of hospitalizations in patients with HFpEF and OSA.Основные положенияПовторные госпитализации занимают особое место в ряду клинических событий при хронической сердечной недостаточности, представляя в настоящее время один из наиболее мощных предикторов неблагоприятных исходов в этой группе. Эхокардиографические параметры – продольная деформация миокарда левого желудочка, величина смещения фиброзного кольца трикуспидального клапана и индекс объема левого предсердия – служат предикторами госпитализации в стационар по поводу сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний у больных сердечной недостаточностью с сохранной фракцией выброса и синдромом обструктивного апноэ во сне. РезюмеЦель. Изучить прогностическую роль отдельных эхокардиографических параметров при сердечной недостаточности с сохранной фракцией выброса у больных артериальной гипертензией и синдромом обструктивного апноэ во сне (СОАС).Материалы и методы. В исследование включено 59 мужчин с артериальной гипертензией и СОАС (с индексом апноэ/гипопноэ >15 в час). Всем пациентам при включении в исследование выполнены полисомнографическое исследование и эхокардиография с дополнительной оценкой глобальной продольной деформации миокарда левого желудочка (GLS). При включении в исследование и через 12 мес. наблюдения проведен тест 6-минутной ходьбы. Через 12 мес. ретроспективно оценен характер клинического течения заболевания. Критериями неблагоприятного течения являлись эпизоды госпитализации в стационар по поводу сердечно-сосудистых заболеваний, развитие пароксизмальной фибрилляции предсердий или регистрация желудочковых нарушений ритма высоких градаций (III–V класса по Ryan), ухудшение хронической сердечной недостаточности с переходом в более высокий функциональный класс по NYHA.Результаты. Обнаружены значимые различия между группами пациентов с наличием и отсутствием госпитализаций в течение 12 мес. наблюдения по ряду эхокардиографических параметров: систолическому смещению фиброзного кольца трикуспидального клапана (TAPSE) (p = 0,017), GLS (p = 0,005) и индексу объема левого предсердия (p = 0,032). По результатам регрессионного анализа, статистически значимый вклад в вероятность госпитализаций среди оцениваемых эхокардиографических предикторов вносят TAPSE, GLS и фракция выброса левого желудочка.Заключение. Результаты исследования позволяют рассматривать отдельные эхокардиографические параметры, в частности GLS, TAPSE и индекс объема левого предсердия, в качестве предикторов госпитализаций у больных сердечной недостаточностью с сохранной фракцией выброса и СОАС

C-reactive protein and its associations with сardiometabolic risk factors and echocardiographic indicators of heart failure: results of “Know your heart” study in Arkhangelsk

Цель - Оценка связи высокочувствительного С-реактивного белка (вчСРБ) с кардиометаболическими и эхокардиографическими (ЭхоКГ) индикаторами сердечной недостаточности (СН) среди взрослого населения Северного региона России. Материал и методы - Поперечное исследование «Узнай свое сердце» проведено в 2015–2017 гг. на случайной выборке общего населения г. Архангельска в возрасте 35–69 лет (n=2381). Критерием исключения для данного анализа был уровень вчСРБ >10 мг / л. В группу с наличием субклинического воспаления вошло 686 участников с вчСРБ ≥2,0 мг / л, а 1158 участников с вчСРБ <2,0 мг / л составили группу сравнения. В анализ включены кардиометаболические факторы риска, ЭхоКГ показатели систолической и диастолической функции левого желудочка (ЛЖ) и биомаркеры (NT-proBNP, вчТропонин Т, цистатин С). Использовали линейные и логистическую регрессии. Результаты - В группе с вчСРБ ≥2,0 мг / л выявлена более высокая частота артериальной гипертензии, сахарного диабета, СН, перенесенного инфаркта миокарда, чем в группе сравнения. Определены независимые ассоциации уровня вчСРБ с окружностью талии (β=0,379, p 3,0 ммоль / л), триглицеридов (>1,7 ммоль / л) и цистатина С (>1,2 мг / л). Определены независимые отрицательные ассоциации вчСРБ с фракцией выброса ЛЖ, индексом объема левого предсердия, отношением скорости раннего и позднего диастолического наполнения ЛЖ (p=0,003, p=0,002, p=0,005 соответственно), отражающие связь повышенного содержания вчСРБ с ухудшением систолической и диастолической функции ЛЖ. Продемонстрирована связь показателей ремоделирования сердца с уровнем NT-proBNP. Заключение - На популяционной выборке взрослого населения Северного региона России выявлены независимые ассоциации вчСРБ с факторами кардиометаболического риска, а также структурными и функциональными изменениями сердца по данным ЭхоКГ, что отражает потенциальное участие воспаления в ремоделировании сердца и развитии СН

The Profile of Glucose Lowering Therapy in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in an Aging Russian Population

We aimed to analyze the profile of glucose lowering therapy (GLT) in persons with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) in an aging Russian population. A random population sample (n = 3898, men/women, 55&ndash;84) was examined in Novosibirsk, during 2015&ndash;2018 (HAPIEE Project). The design of the present work is a cross-sectional study. DM2 was defined in those with a history of DM2 receiving GLT, or at a level of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) &ge;7.0 mmol/L. The entire DM2 group was included in the analysis (n = 803); of these, 476 persons were taking GLT and were included in the analysis at stage 2. Regular GLT medication intake for 12 months was coded with ATC. In studied sample, the prevalence of DM2 was 20.8%. Among subjects with DM2, 59% of individuals received GLT, 32% did not. Glycemic control (FPG &lt; 7.0 mmol/L) was achieved in every fifth participant with DM2 (35% in those receiving GLT). In frequency of GLT use, biguanides ranked in first place (75%), sulfonylurea derivatives in second (35%), insulins in third (12%), and iDPP-4 in fourth (5%). Among those receiving GLT, 24% used combined oral therapy, and 6% used insulin-combined therapy. In conclusion, in a population sample aged 55&ndash;84 examined in 2015&ndash;2018, glycemic control was achieved in every fifth participant with DM2, and in every third participant receiving GLT. The proportion of participants using new GLT drugs was small, and there was a lack of HbA1c monitoring for intensive glycemic control