Association of participation in Cardiac Rehabilitation with Social Vulnerability Index: The behavioral risk factor surveillance system.

OBJECTIVES: To identify whether social vulnerability is associated with low cardiac rehabilitations (CR) use, a Class I recommendation by current treatment guidelines following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: We performed this cross-sectional study using the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index (CDC SVI) was calculated using 15 social risk factors from 4 main themes including socioeconomic status, household composition and disability, minority status and language, and housing type and transportation. A higher SVI indicates higher social vulnerability. We used multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate the association of CR use with state-level SVI adjusted for demographic, behavioral, socioeconomic, and comorbidity variables. RESULTS: A total 2093 participants with history of AMI were included. Out of total, 61.7% were older than 65 years, 42.5% female, 72.5% White, and 42.4% used CR. Participation in CR was lower among females (odds ratio [OR], 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-0.91), those without a primary care physician (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.23-0.87), and higher with college degree education (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.06-3.59). CR use decreased with increasing SVI tertiles (1st =61%, 2nd =52%, and 3rd =35%). Compared with those residing in states in the 1st tertile, CR use was lower in the 2nd (OR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.47-0.98) and 3rd (OR, 0.33; 95% CI 0.23-0.48) SVI tertiles. CONCLUSION: CR use following AMI is low and is associated with social vulnerability. Identifying social risk factors may help improve access to care among vulnerable populations.

Remnant cholesterol predicts cardiovascular disease beyond LDL and ApoB: a primary prevention study.

AIMS: Emerging evidence suggests that remnant cholesterol (RC) promotes atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We aimed to estimate RC-related risk beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) in patients without known ASCVD. METHODS AND RESULTS: We pooled data from 17 532 ASCVD-free individuals from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (n = 9748), the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (n = 3049), and the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (n = 4735). RC was calculated as non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) minus calculated LDL-C. Adjusted Cox models were used to estimate the risk for incident ASCVD associated with log RC levels. We also performed discordance analyses examining relative ASCVD risk in RC vs. LDL-C discordant/concordant groups using difference in percentile units (>10 units) and clinically relevant LDL-C targets. The mean age of participants was 52.3 ± 17.9 years, 56.7% were women and 34% black. There were 2143 ASCVD events over the median follow-up of 18.7 years. After multivariable adjustment including LDL-C and apoB, log RC was associated with higher ASCVD risk [hazard ratio (HR) 1.65, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.45-1.89]. Moreover, the discordant high RC/low LDL-C group, but not the low RC/high LDL-C group, was associated with increased ASCVD risk compared to the concordant group (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.08-1.34). Similar results were shown when examining discordance across clinical cutpoints. CONCLUSIONS: In ASCVD-free individuals, elevated RC levels were associated with ASCVD independent of traditional risk factors, LDL-C, and apoB levels. The mechanisms of RC association with ASCVD, surprisingly beyond apoB, and the potential value of targeted RC-lowering in primary prevention need to be further investigated.

Association of Resting Heart Rate and Temporal Changes in Heart Rate With Outcomes in Participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Importance: Time-updated heart rate (HR) and temporal change in HR (ΔHR) are associated with outcome in individuals with established heart failure (HF). Whether these factors are associated with outcomes in a community-based cohort is unclear. Objective: To determine whether the time-updated analysis of resting HR, defined as the most recent HR value measured before occurrence of an event or the end of study, and ΔHR over time are associated with outcomes in a community-based cohort. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 15 680 participants were enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort study, with HR recorded at baseline and during 3 follow-up visits from 1987 to 1998, with a median interval between visits of 3.0 (interquartile range, 2.9-4.0) years. The ΔHR was calculated by assessing a change in HR from the preceding visit. Participants were followed up until December 31, 2014, equating to 28 years of follow-up. The present study was conducted from March 2014 to June 2016 with updated analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: Baseline HR, time-updated HR, and ΔHR associated with outcomes, adjusted for established baseline and time-updated risk factors and medications. The main outcomes measures included all-cause mortality, incident HF, incident myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death. Results: Of the 15 680 participants, 8656 (55.2%) were women, mean (SD) age was 54 (6) years, and 4218 (26.9%) were African American. Time-updated HR and ΔHR were associated with death, incident HF, incident myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death compared with baseline HR. For example, a ΔHR from the preceding visit was significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.10-1.15; P < .001 for every 5-bpm increase in HR from the preceding visit) and time-updated HR was also significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.12-1.17; P < .001 for every 5-bpm higher time-updated HR). Conclusions and Relevance: In a community-based cohort, time-updated HR and ΔHR are associated with mortality and nonfatal outcomes of incident HF, myocardial infarction, and stroke.