ABSTRACT
Social media (SoMe) has witnessed remarkable growth and emerged as a dominant method of communication worldwide. Platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have become important tools of the digital native generation. In the field of medicine, particularly, cardiology, attitudes towards SoMe have shifted, and professionals increasingly utilize it to share scientific findings, network with experts, and enhance teaching and learning. Notably, SoMe is being leveraged for teaching purposes, including the sharing of challenging and intriguing cases. However, sharing patient data, including photos or images, online carries significant implications and risks, potentially compromising individual privacy both online and offline. Privacy and data protection are fundamental rights within European Union treaties, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) serves as the cornerstone of data protection legislation. The GDPR outlines crucial requirements, such as obtaining 'consent' and implementing 'anonymization', that must be met before sharing sensitive and patient-identifiable information. Additionally, it is vital to consider the patient's perspective and prioritize ethical and social considerations when addressing challenges associated with sharing patient information on SoMe platforms. Given the absence of a peer-review process and clear guidelines, we present an initial approach, a code of conduct, and recommendations for the ethical use of SoMe. In conclusion, this comprehensive review underscores the importance of a balanced approach that ensures patient privacy and upholds ethical standards while harnessing the immense potential of SoMe to advance cardiology practice and facilitate knowledge dissemination.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To analyse the prevalence of obesity and its association with other cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease in a sample of patients from the (Identification of the Spanish population at cardiovascular and renal risk) IBERICAN study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Analysis of the inclusion visit of the first 5,013 patients of the IBERICAN longitudinal, observational, and multicentre study in which individuals aged 18 to 85 years were included in Primary Care Clinics in the different regions of Spain. In this work obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 30kg/m2. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity was 35.7% (95% CI: 35.0-36.4%), of which 36.6% were men and 34.9% were women (P=0.214), and significantly increasing with age (0.001). The obesity had the associated higher prevalence of hypertension (62.8% vs. 39.4%, P<001), dyslipidaemia (56.9% vs. 47.1%, P<0.001), sedentary lifestyle (40.6% vs. 24.6%, P<.001), diabetes (27.5% vs. 14.8%, P<.001), hyperuricaemia (23.6% vs. 12.7%, P<.001), subclinical organ injury (33.7% vs. 26.5%, P<.001) and cardiovascular disease (21.2% vs. 15.3%, P<.001). The multivariate analysis showed that the variables associated with obesity were: arterial hypertension (P<.001), hyperuricemia (P<.001), sedentary lifestyle (P<.001), diabetes mellitus (P<0.001), age (P<0.001), low educational level (P<0.001) and lower consumption of tobacco (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of the IBERICAN study shows that approximately one third of the analysed population meets criteria of obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Target organ damage and cardiovascular disease were more frequent in obese patients.
Subject(s)
Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology , Obesity/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Sex Factors , Spain/epidemiology , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To confirm the value of the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score as an indicator of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in the asymptomatic Spanish population, using noninvasive coronary angiography by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 232 asymptomatic individuals, referred for a cardiovascular health checkup that included CAC and MDCT. RESULTS: Participants' mean age was 54.6 years (SD ± 12.8); 73.3% of them were men. The mean CAC value was 117.8 (SD ± 277). The individuals with arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking and 3 or more risk factors had significantly greater CAC scores. Some 16.4% of the participants were in the ≥75 percentile population for CAC. The MDCT identified 148 individuals (63.8%) with CAD; the coronary lesions were not significant in 116 individuals (50%) and were significant (>50% stenosis) in 32 (13.8%). The participants with diabetes, smoking and ≥3 risk vascular factors had a greater prevalence of significant stenosis. The individuals with >50% stenosis had higher CAC values (352.5 vs. 1; P<.0001), and those in the ≥75 percentile had a high percentage of significant lesions (57.9% vs. 5.2%; P<.0001). The predictors of significant CAD were a CAC score >300 (OR=10.9; 95% CI 3.35-35.8; P=.0001), belonging to the ≥75 percentile (OR=5.65; 95% CI 1.78-17.93; P=.03) and having 3 or more vascular risk factors (OR=4.19; 95% CI 1.44-12.14; P=.008). CONCLUSION: CAC quantification is an effective method for determining the extent and magnitude of CAD and delimiting the predictive capacity of traditional risk factors.
Subject(s)
Calcium/metabolism , Coronary Angiography/methods , Coronary Artery Disease/diagnosis , Multidetector Computed Tomography/methods , Adult , Aged , Coronary Artery Disease/etiology , Coronary Artery Disease/pathology , Coronary Vessels/pathology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) often shows delayed contrast enhancement (DE) representing regions of focal myocardial fibrosis. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a commonly reported complication of HCM. We determined the relationship between the presence of left ventricular myocardial fibrosis (LVMF) detected by DE-CMR and the occurrence AF in a series of patients with HCM. 67 patients with HCM (47 males; mean age 50.1+/-18.5 years) were studied by CMR measuring mass of LVMF, left ventricular mass, volume and function, and left atrial (LA) area. AF was present in 17 (25%) patients. LVMF was observed in 57% of patients. AF was significantly more frequent in patients who also showed LVMF, compared with the group without LVMF (42.1% vs. 3.4%, respectively; p<0.0001). LA size was larger in patients showing DE (LA area: 37.4+/-11.1 vs. 25.9+/-6.8 cm(2); respectively, p=0.0001). AF in HCM is related with myocardial fibrosis detected by DE-CMR and dilatation of the LA. This fact adds to the proven adverse prognostic value of myocardial fibrosis in HCM, thus, reinforcing the usefulness of this technique in the assessment of these patients.