Characteristics of patients admitted with heart failure: Insights from the first Malaysian Heart Failure Registry.

AIMS: Heart failure (HF) is a growing health problem, yet there are limited data on patients with HF in Malaysia. The Malaysian Heart Failure (MY-HF) Registry aims to gain insights into the epidemiology, aetiology, management, and outcome of Malaysian patients with HF and identify areas for improvement within the national HF services. METHODS AND RESULTS: The MY-HF Registry is a 3-year prospective, observational study comprising 2717 Malaysian patients admitted for acute HF. We report the description of baseline data at admission and outcomes of index hospitalization of these patients. The mean age was 60.2 ± 13.6 years, 66.8% were male, and 34.3% had de novo HF. Collectively, 55.7% of patients presented with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV; ischaemic heart disease was the most frequent aetiology (63.2%). Most admissions (87.3%) occurred via the emergency department, with 13.7% of patients requiring intensive care, and of these, 21.8% needed intubation. The proportion of patients receiving guideline-directed medical therapy increased at discharge (84.2% vs. 93.6%). The median length of stay (LOS) was 5 days, and in-hospital mortality was 2.9%. Predictors of LOS and/or in-hospital mortality were age, NYHA class, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and comorbid anaemia. LOS and in-hospital mortality were similar regardless of ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: The MY-HF Registry showed that the HF population in Malaysia is younger, predominantly male, and ischaemic-driven and has good prospects with hospitalization for optimization of treatment. These findings suggest a need to reassess current clinical practice and guide resource allocation to improve patient outcomes.

Association between a dietary pattern high in saturated fatty acids, dietary energy density, and sodium with coronary heart disease.

This study aimed to determine the association between dietary pattern (DP) and coronary heart disease (CHD) among high-risk adults as determined by metabolic syndrome (MetS) criteria in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study involved 365 participants with (CHD = 178; non-CHD = 187) who were recruited from selected health clinics. Dietary intake was measured using a 189-item semi-quantitative foods frequency questionnaire (FFQ) whilst anthropometry and clinical data were measured by trained researcher and biochemical data were obtained from medical records. The reduced rank regression (RRR) method was used to derive DPs scores and binary logistic regression was used to assess the associations between identified DPs and CHD. The main DP found in this study was characterised by "high saturated fatty acid (SFA), high dietary energy density (DED), high sodium". This DP, which is attributed to high consumption of coconut-based dishes, fast foods and snacks, rice dishes, fat spread, seasoning sauces, salted and processed foods, and low intake of fruits, green leafy vegetables, white rice and other vegetables were associated with CHD (OR:1.32, 95% CI:1.03, 1.69) p value = 0.026 when, adjusted for age, sex, race, education level, household income, family history of CHD, marital status, smoking status, physical activity, stress level and BMI. This study suggests that individuals with a DP of high SFA, high DED, and high sodium have a significantly increased likelihood of having CHD compared to those who do not practice this DP.

Investigating Genetic and Other Determinants of First-Onset Myocardial Infarction in Malaysia: Protocol for the Malaysian Acute Vascular Events Risk Study.

BACKGROUND: Although the burden of premature myocardial infarction (MI) is high in Malaysia, direct evidence on the determinants of MI in this multi-ethnic population remains sparse. OBJECTIVE: The Malaysian Acute Vascular Events Risk (MAVERIK) study is a retrospective case-control study established to investigate the genomic, lipid-related, and other determinants of acute MI in Malaysia. In this paper, we report the study protocol and early results. METHODS: By June 2019, we had enrolled approximately 2500 patients with their first MI and 2500 controls without cardiovascular disease, who were frequency-matched by age, sex, and ethnicity, from 17 hospitals in Malaysia. For each participant, serum and whole blood have been collected and stored. Clinical, demographic, and behavioral information has been obtained using a 200-item questionnaire. RESULTS: Tobacco consumption, a history of diabetes, hypertension, markers of visceral adiposity, indicators of lower socioeconomic status, and a family history of coronary disease were more prevalent in cases than in controls. Adjusted (age and sex) logistic regression models for traditional risk factors indicated that current smoking (odds ratio [OR] 4.11, 95% CI 3.56-4.75; P<.001), previous smoking (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.12-1.60; P=.001), a history of high blood pressure (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.86-2.44; P<.001), a history of diabetes mellitus (OR 2.72, 95% CI 2.34-3.17; P<.001), a family history of coronary heart disease (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.07-1.55; P=.009), and obesity (BMI >30 kg/m2; OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.34; P=.009) were associated with MI in age- and sex-adjusted models. CONCLUSIONS: The MAVERIK study can serve as a useful platform to investigate genetic and other risk factors for MI in an understudied Southeast Asian population. It should help to hasten the discovery of disease-causing pathways and inform regionally appropriate strategies that optimize public health action. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/31885.

A Rare Case of Purulent Pericardial TB.

Pericardial effusion is a common disease and tuberculosis (TB) accounts up to 4% of acute pericarditis with up to 7% of tamponade case. Accurate diagnosis is important while quick intervention can be life-saving. A case was reported involving a 73-year-old man who presented with reduced effort tolerance for one-month duration. During hospitalization, further workup revealed the presence of massive purulent pericardial effusion with evidence of tamponade. TB gene expert was positive in aspirated pericardial fluid and the patient was treated promptly using a combination of anti-TB drugs with the addition of steroid therapy.