Sexual Minority Status Disparities in Life's Essential 8 and Life's Simple 7 Cardiovascular Health Scores: A French Nationwide Population-Based Study.

Background A higher burden of cardiovascular disease risk factors has been reported in sexual minority populations. Primordial prevention may therefore be a relevant preventative strategy. The study's objectives are to estimate the associations of Life's Essential 8 (LE8) and Life's Simple 7 (LS7) cardiovascular health scores with sexual minority status. Methods and Results The CONSTANCES is a nationwide French epidemiological cohort study that recruited randomly selected participants older than 18 years in 21 cities. Sexual minority status was based on self-reported lifetime sexual behavior and categorized as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or heterosexual. The LE8 score includes nicotine exposure, diet, physical activity, body mass index, sleep health, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids. The previous LS7 score included 7 metrics without sleep health. The study included 169 434 cardiovascular disease-free adults (53.64% women; mean age, 45.99 years). Among 90 879 women, 555 were lesbian, 3149 were bisexual, and 84 363 were heterosexual. Among 78 555 men, 2421 were gay, 2748 were bisexual, and 70 994 were heterosexual. Overall, 2812 women and 2392 men declined to answer. In multivariable mixed effects linear regression models, lesbian (ß=-0.95 [95% CI, -1.89 to -0.02]) and bisexual (ß=-0.78 [95% CI, -1.18 to -0.38]) women had a lower LE8 cardiovascular health score compared with heterosexual women. Conversely, gay (ß=2.72 [95% CI, 2.25-3.19]) and bisexual (ß=0.83 [95% CI, 0.39-1.27]) men had a higher LE8 cardiovascular health score compared with heterosexual men. The findings were consistent, although of smaller magnitudes for the LS7 score. Conclusions Cardiovascular health disparities exist in sexual minority adults, particularly lesbian and bisexual women, who may represent a priority population for primordial cardiovascular disease prevention.

Evolution of Incidence, Management, and Outcomes Over Time in Sports-Related Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

BACKGROUND: Major efforts have been made to reduce the burden of sports-related sudden cardiac arrest (SrSCA). The extent to which the incidence, management, and outcomes changed over time has not been investigated. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess temporal trends in SrSCA incidence, management, and survival. METHODS: Using data from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, we evaluated the evolution of incidence, prehospital management, and survival at hospital discharge of SrSCA among subjects aged 18 to 75 years, over 6 successive 2-year periods between 2005 and 2018. RESULTS: Among the 377 SrSCA, 20 occurred in young competitive athletes (5.3%), whereas 94.7% occurred in middle-aged recreational sports participants. Comparing the last 2-year to the first 2-year period, SrSCA incidence remained stable (6.24 vs 7.00 per million inhabitants/y; P = 0.51), with no significant differences in patients' mean age (46.6 ± 13.8 years vs 51.0 ± 16.4 years; P = 0.42), sex (men 94.7% vs 95.2%; P = 0.99), and history of heart disease (12.5% vs 15.9%; P = 0.85). However, frequency of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation and public automated external defibrillator use increased significantly (34.9% vs 94.7%; P < 0.001 and 1.6% vs 28.8%; P = 0.006, respectively). Survival to hospital discharge improved steadily, reaching 66.7% in the last study period compared with 23.8% in the first (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of SrSCA remained relatively stable over time, suggesting a need for improvement in screening strategies. However, major improvements in on-field resuscitation led to a 3-fold increase in survival, underlining the value of public education in basic life support that should serve as an example for SCA in general.

Assessment of the Utility of Kidney Histology as a Basis for Discarding Organs in the United States: A Comparison of International Transplant Practices and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Many kidneys donated for transplant in the United States are discarded because of abnormal histology. Whether histology adds incremental value beyond usual donor attributes in assessing allograft quality is unknown. METHODS: This population-based study included patients who received a deceased donor kidney that had been biopsied before implantation according to a prespecified protocol in France and Belgium, where preimplantation biopsy findings are generally not used for decision making in the allocation process. We also studied kidneys that had been acquired from deceased United States donors for transplantation that were biopsied during allocation and discarded because of low organ quality. Using donor and recipient characteristics, we fit multivariable Cox models for death-censored graft failure and examined whether predictive accuracy (C index) improved after adding donor histology. We matched the discarded United States kidneys to similar kidneys transplanted in Europe and calculated predicted allograft survival. RESULTS: In the development cohort of 1629 kidney recipients at two French centers, adding donor histology to the model did not significantly improve prediction of long-term allograft failure. Analyses using an external validation cohort from two Belgian centers confirmed the lack of improved accuracy from adding histology. About 45% of 1103 United States kidneys discarded because of histologic findings could be accurately matched to very similar kidneys that had been transplanted in France; these discarded kidneys would be expected to have allograft survival of 93.1% at 1 year, 80.7% at 5 years, and 68.9% at 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter study, donor kidney histology assessment during allocation did not provide substantial incremental value in ascertaining organ quality. Many kidneys discarded on the basis of biopsy findings would likely benefit United States patients who are wait listed.

Disparities in Acceptance of Deceased Donor Kidneys Between the United States and France and Estimated Effects of Increased US Acceptance.

IMPORTANCE: Approximately 3500 donated kidneys are discarded in the United States each year, drawing concern from Medicare and advocacy groups. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effects of more aggressive allograft acceptance practices on the donor pool and allograft survival for the population of US wait-listed kidney transplant candidates. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A nationwide study using validated registries from the United States and France comprising comprehensive cohorts of deceased donors with organs offered to kidney transplant centers between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2014. Data were analyzed between September 1, 2018, and April 5, 2019. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was kidney allograft discard. The secondary outcome was allograft failure after transplantation. We used logistic regression to model organ acceptance and discard practices in both countries. We then quantified using computer simulation models the number of kidneys discarded in the United States that a more aggressive system would have instead used for transplantation. Finally, based on actual survival data, we quantified the additional years of allograft life that a redesigned US system would have saved. FINDINGS: In the United States, 156 089 kidneys were recovered from deceased donors between 2004 and 2014, of which 128 102 were transplanted, and 27 987 (17.9%) were discarded. In France, among the 29 984 kidneys recovered between 2004 and 2014, 27 252 were transplanted, and 2732 (9.1%, P < .001 vs United States) were discarded. The mean (SD) age of kidneys transplanted in the United States was 36.51 (17.02) years vs 50.91 (17.34) years in France (P < .001). Kidney quality showed little change in the United States over time (mean [SD] kidney donor risk index [KDRI], 1.30 [0.48] in 2004 vs 1.32 [0.46] in 2014), whereas a steadily rising KDRI in France reflected a temporal trend of more aggressive organ use (mean [SD] KDRI, 1.37 [0.47] in 2004 vs 1.74 [0.72] in 2014; P < .001). We applied the French-based allocation model to the population of US deceased donor kidneys and found that 17 435 (62%) of kidneys discarded in the United States would have instead been transplanted under the French system. We further determined that a redesigned system with more aggressive organ acceptance practices would generate an additional 132 445 allograft life-years in the United States over the 10-year observation period. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Greater acceptance of kidneys from deceased donors who are older and have more comorbidities could provide major survival benefits to the population of US wait-listed patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03723668.

Factors associated with poor adherence to medication among hypertensive patients in twelve low and middle income Sub-Saharan countries.

INTRODUCTION: Over the past few decades, the prevalence of hypertension has dramatically increased in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poor adherence has been identified as a major cause of failure to control hypertension. Scarce data are available in Africa. AIMS: We assessed adherence to medication and identified socioeconomics, clinical and treatment factors associated with low adherence among hypertensive patients in 12 sub-Saharan African countries. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in urban clinics of both low and middle income countries. Data were collected by physicians on demographics, treatment and clinical data among hypertensive patients attending the clinics. Adherence was assessed by questionnaires completed by the patients. Factors associated with low adherence were investigated using logistic regression with a random effect on countries. RESULTS: There were 2198 individuals from 12 countries enrolled in the study. Overall, 678 (30.8%), 738 (33.6%), 782 (35.6%) participants had respectively low, medium and high adherence to antihypertensive medication. Multivariate analysis showed that the use of traditional medicine (OR: 2.28, 95%CI [1.79-2.90]) and individual wealth index (low vs. high wealth: OR: 1.86, 95%CI [1.35-2.56] and middle vs. high wealth: OR: 1.42, 95%CI [1.11-1.81]) were significantly and independently associated with poor adherence to medication. In stratified analysis, these differences in adherence to medication according to individual wealth index were observed in low-income countries (p<0.001) but not in middle-income countries (p = 0.17). In addition, 26.5% of the patients admitted having stopped their treatment due to financial reasons and this proportion was 4 fold higher in the lowest than highest wealth group (47.8% vs 11.4%) (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study revealed the high frequency of poor adherence in African patients and the associated factors. These findings should be useful for tailoring future programs to tackle hypertension in low income countries that are better adapted to patients, with a potential associated enhancement of their effectiveness.

Ambulance Density and Outcomes After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

BACKGROUND: In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), geographic disparities in outcomes may reflect baseline variations in patients' characteristics but may also result from differences in the number of ambulances providing basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS). We aimed at assessing the association between allocated ambulance resources and outcomes in OHCA patients in a large urban community. METHODS: From May 2011 to January 2016, we analyzed a prospectively collected Utstein database for all OHCA adults. Cases were geocoded according to 19 neighborhoods and the number of BLS (firefighters performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation and applying automated external defibrillator) and ALS ambulances (medicalized team providing advanced care such as drugs and endotracheal intubation) was collected. We assessed the respective associations of Utstein parameters, socioeconomic characteristics, and ambulance resources of these neighborhoods using a mixed-effect model with successful return of spontaneous circulation as the primary end point and survival at hospital discharge as a secondary end point. RESULTS: During the study period, 8754 nontraumatic OHCA occurred in the Greater Paris area. Overall return of spontaneous circulation rate was 3675 of 8754 (41.9%) and survival rate at hospital discharge was 788 of 8754 (9%), ranging from 33% to 51.1% and from 4.4% to 14.5% respectively, according to neighborhoods ( P<0.001). Patient and socio-demographic characteristics significantly differed between neighborhoods ( P for trend <0.001). After adjustment, a higher density of ambulances was associated with successful return of spontaneous circulation (respectively adjusted odds-ratio [aOR], 1.31 [1.14-1.51]; P<0.001 for ALS ambulances >1.5 per neighborhood and aOR, 1.21 [1.04-1.41]; P=0.01 for BLS ambulances >4 per neighborhood). Regarding survival at discharge, only the number of ALS ambulances >1.5 per neighborhood was significant (aOR, 1.30 [1.06-1.59] P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this large urban population-based study of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests patients, we observed that allocated resources of emergency medical service are associated with outcome, suggesting that improving healthcare organization may attenuate disparities in prognosis.

Characteristics and clinical assessment of unexplained sudden cardiac arrest in the real-world setting: focus on idiopathic ventricular fibrillation.

Aims: Recent studies have shown that in more than half of apparently unexplained sudden cardiac arrests (SCA), a specific aetiology can be unmasked by a careful evaluation. The characteristics and the extent to which such cases undergo a systematic thorough investigation in real-life practice are unknown. Methods and results: Data were analysed from an ongoing study, collecting all cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Paris area. Investigations performed during the index hospitalization or planned after discharge were gathered to evaluate the completeness of assessment of unexplained SCA. Between 2011 and 2016, among the 18 622 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, 717 survivors (at hospital discharge) fulfilled the definition of cardiac SCA. Of those, 88 (12.3%) remained unexplained after electrocardiogram, echocardiography, and coronary angiography. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging yielded the diagnosis in 25 (3.5%) cases, other investigations accounted for 14 (2.4%) additional diagnoses, and 49 (6.8%) patients were labelled as idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) (48.7 ± 15 years, 69.4% male). Among those labelled IVF, only 8 (16.3%) cases benefited from a complete workup (including pharmacological testing). Younger patients [odds ratio (OR) 6.00, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.80-22.26] and those admitted to university centres (OR 3.60, 95% CI 1.12-12.45) were more thoroughly investigated. Genetic testing and family screening were initiated in only 9 (18.4%) and 12 (24.5%) cases, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that complete investigations are carried out in a very low proportion of unexplained SCA. Standardized, systematic approaches need to be implemented to ensure that opportunities for specific therapies and preventive strategies (including relatives) are not missed.

Socioeconomic Status and Hypertension Control in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Multination EIGHT Study (Evaluation of Hypertension in Sub-Saharan Africa).

Systemic hypertension is a rapidly growing epidemic in Africa. The role of socioeconomic status on blood pressure control has not been well studied in this part of the world. We, therefore, aimed to quantify the association of socioeconomic status both at the individual and at the country level with blood pressure control in Sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in urban clinics of 12 countries, both low income and middle income, in Sub-Saharan Africa. Standardized blood pressure measures were made among the hypertensive patients attending the clinics. Blood pressure control was defined as blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg, and hypertension grades were defined according to the European Society of Cardiology guidelines. A total of 2198 hypertensive patients (58.4±11.8 years; 39.9% men) were included. Uncontrolled hypertension was present in 1692 patients (77.4%), including 1044 (47.7%) with ≥grade 2 hypertension. The proportion of uncontrolled hypertension progressively increased with decreasing level of patient individual wealth, respectively, 72.8%, 79.3%, and 81.8% (P for trend, <0.01). Stratified analysis shows that these differences of uncontrolled hypertension according to individual wealth index were observed in low-income countries (P for trend, 0.03) and not in middle-income countries (P for trend, 0.26). In low-income countries, the odds of uncontrolled hypertension increased 1.37-fold (odds ratio, 1.37 [0.99-1.90]) and 1.88-fold (odds ratio, 1.88 [1.10-3.21]) in patients with middle and low individual wealth as compared with high individual wealth. Similarly, the grade of hypertension increased progressively with decreasing level of individual patient wealth (P for trend, <0.01). Strategies for hypertension control in Sub-Saharan Africa should especially focus on people in the lowest individual wealth groups who also reside in low-income countries.

Substandard drugs among five common antihypertensive generic medications: an analysis from 10 African countries.

OBJECTIVE: Hypertension results in more deaths than any other risk factor and has been on the rise in sub-Saharan Africa over the past few decades. Generic drugs have helped improve accessibility and affordability of antihypertensive therapy in developing countries. However, assessment of quality standards of these products is important. We performed a quality assessment of five commonly used antihypertensive generic drugs in 10 sub-Saharan African countries and studied the impact of price on quality. METHODS: Drug samples were prospectively collected using standardized methods between 2012 and 2014. We developed a validated reversed-phase liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method to accurately quantify the active ingredient in a certified public laboratory. Quality was defined based on the percentage ratio of measured to expected dosage of active ingredient. RESULTS: A total of 1185 samples were assessed, of which 70.0% were generic (n = 830). Among the generic drugs, the percentage of poor-quality drugs was 24.3% (n = 202/830). The percentage ratio of measured to expected dosage of active ingredient ranged from 49.2 to 111.3%; the majority (81.7%) of the poor-quality samples had insufficient quantity of the active ingredient. Moreover, poor quality was not associated with purchase price of the drug. CONCLUSION: In this study from 10 sub-Saharan African countries, nearly one-quarter of the available generic antihypertensive drugs were found to be of poor quality. Concerted measures to improve the quality of antihypertensive drugs could lead to major improvements in hypertension control with attendant reduction of its deleterious consequences in low-income and middle-income countries.

Association between individual and neighbourhood socioeconomic factors and masticatory efficiency: a cross-sectional analysis of the Paris Prospective Study 3.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of evidence on the impact of socioeconomic factors on masticatory efficiency. The present study investigates the relationship between individual and neighbourhood socioeconomic factors (main exposure) and the number of masticatory units (MUs) used as surrogate of the masticatory efficiency (main outcome). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study nested in the Paris Prospective Study 3, 4270 adults aged 50-75 and recruited from 13 June 2008 to 31 May 2012 underwent a full-mouth examination. Number of MUs defined as pairs of opposing teeth or dental prostheses allowing mastication, number of missing teeth and gingival inflammation were documented. The individual component of the socioeconomic status was evaluated with an individual multidimensional deprivation score and education level. The neighbourhood component of the socioeconomic status was evaluated with the FDep99 deprivation index. Associations were quantified using marginal models. RESULTS: In multivariate analyses, having less than 5 MUs was associated with (1) the most deprived neighbourhoods (OR=2.27 (95% CI 1.63 to 3.17)), (2) less than 12 years of educational attainment (OR=2.20 (95% CI 1.66 to 2.92)) and (3) the highest individual score of deprivation (OR=3.23 (95% CI 2.24 to 4.65)). Associations with education and individual score of deprivation were consistent across the level of neighbourhood deprivation. Comparable associations were observed with the number of missing teeth. Associations with gingival inflammation were of lower magnitude; the relationship was present for deprivation markers but not for education. CONCLUSION: Poor masticatory efficiency is associated with low educational attainment and high deprivation scores.

Impact of neighbourhood socio-economic status on bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation in Paris.

BACKGROUND: No European data currently describe the relation between neighbourhood socio-economic status (SES) and rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This study aims to analyse this effect with a robust deprivation index. METHODS: Data about all OHCA in Paris were collected prospectively between 2000 and 2010. A geographical neighbourhood unit was assigned to each case. Median household income, and rates of blue-collar workers, unemployment, and adults without high school diplomas were selected as SES characteristics and used to classify neighbourhoods as low SES or higher SES. We analysed the relationship between neighbourhood SES characteristics and the probability of receiving bystander CPR. RESULTS: Of the 4009 OHCA with mappable addresses recorded, 777 (19.4%) received bystander CPR. Compared to OHCA who did not receive bystander CPR, those receiving CPR were significantly more likely to have occurred in public locations, have had a witness to their OHCA, and not to have collapsed in a low SES neighbourhood, or in a neighbourhood with a median household income in the lowest quartile and with rates of no high school diplomas and blue-collar workers in the highest quartile. In the multilevel analyses, bystander CPR provision was significantly less frequent in low than in higher SES neighbourhoods (OR 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-0.99). CONCLUSION: In the city of Paris, OHCA victims were less likely to receive bystander CPR in low SES neighbourhoods. These first European data are consistent with observations in North America and Asia.

Reproducibility and factors influencing the assessment of the SYNTAX score in the left main Xience study.

BACKGROUND: As assessment of SYNTAX score is made by visual estimate of coronary angiography, discrepancies between evaluations by different observers and the impact of observer experience have not yet been evaluated. METHODS: Using the data of 166 patients with unprotected left main lesions treated with the second generation everolimus-eluting stent, we sought to analyze SYNTAX score assessment provided by one junior and two independent senior observers and to assess the impact of the quality of angiographies on the reproducibility of SYNTAX score determination. Intra-observer variability was assessed by a senior observer by analyzing 50 sets of angiograms after an interval of at least 6 weeks. RESULTS: The weighted kappa value for the inter-observer reproducibility of SYNTAX score classified as tertiles, according to SYNTAX trial, was 0.71 and the intra-observer weighted kappa value was 0.79. When compared with junior's measurements, SYNTAX score assessed by senior investigators was 0.46 and 0.50. Changes in SYNTAX score classification were arbitrarily responsible for changes in weighted kappa values. Angiograms showing the higher rates of discrepancies between observers were of lower quality, when compared with random angiograms. SYNTAX score was closely correlated to 1-year incidence of major adverse cerebro- and cardiovascular events for both junior and senior readers. CONCLUSIONS: SYNTAX score was slightly underestimated by junior reader, when compared with experienced operators. Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of experienced operators was very acceptable. SYNTAX score evaluation was clearly related to the quality of angiograms. SYNTAX score was correlated to 1-year incidence of major cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in all readers.

Why socially deprived populations have a faster resting heart rate: impact of behaviour, life course anthropometry, and biology--the RECORD Cohort Study.

Although studies have shown that resting heart rate (RHR) is predictive of cardiovascular morbidity/mortality, few studies focused on the epidemiology and social aetiology of RHR. Using the RECORD Cohort Study (7158 participants, 2007-2008, Paris region, France), we investigated individual/neighbourhood socioeconomic variables associated with resting heart rate, and assessed which of a number of psychological factors (depression and stress), behaviour (sport-related energy expenditure, medication use, and alcohol, coffee, and tobacco consumption), life course anthropometric factors (body mass index, waist circumference, and leg length as a marker of childhood environmental exposures), and biologic factors (alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyltransferase) contributed to the socioeconomic disadvantage-RHR relationship. Combining individual/neighbourhood socioeconomic factors in a socioeconomic score, RHR increased with socioeconomic disadvantage: +0.9 [95% credible interval (CrI): +0.2, +1.6], +1.8 (95% CrI: +1.0, +2.5), and +3.6 (95% CrI: +2.9, +4.4) bpm for the 3 categories reflecting increasing disadvantage, compared with the lowest disadvantage category. Twenty-one percent of the socioeconomic disadvantage-RHR relationship was explained by sport practise variables, 9% by waist circumference, 7% by gamma-glutamyltransferase, 5% by alkaline phosphatase, and 3% by leg length. Future research should further clarify the mechanisms through which socioeconomic disadvantage influences resting heart rate, as a pathway to social disparities in cardiovascular morbidity/mortality.

Female gender is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality after STEMI in the era of primary PCI: insights from the greater Paris area PCI Registry.

AIMS: To determine if female gender is an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). A higher early mortality rate after STEMI has been reported in women before the widespread use of PCI in STEMI. PCI improves the prognosis of STEMI, however, the effect of PCI in women in this setting is controversial. In a large regional prospective registry, we examined the in-hospital mortality after PCI for STEMI. METHODS AND RESULTS: The greater Paris area comprises 11 million inhabitants. Data from all PCIs performed in 41 centres is entered in a mandatory registry. In-hospital mortality is recorded in another hospital-based database. From 2003 to 2007, 16,760 patients were treated by PCI for STEMI <24 hours; 21.9% were women. Female patients were significantly older than men, 69.7 ± 14.3 years versus 59.3 ± 13.0 years (p<0.0001). The rate of diabetes mellitus and cardiogenic shock were significantly higher in women versus men, respectively 19.0% versus 15.6%, p<0.0001 and 6.7% versus 4.0%, p<0.0001. The success rate of PCI was significantly lower in women: 94.7% versus 95.9%, p=0.002. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in women 9.8 % versus 4.3%, p<0.0001 and the impact of gender on mortality was significant only after the age of 75. By multivariate analysis, female gender is associated with higher in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: After PCI for STEMI, female gender is still an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality.

Incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Estimates of the incidence of out-of-hospital primary cardiac arrest (CA) have typically relied solely upon emergency medical service or death certificate records and have not investigated incidence in clinical subgroups. Overall and temporal patterns of CA incidence were investigated in clinically defined groups using systematic methods to ascertain CA. Estimates of incidence were derived from a population-based case-control study in a large health plan from 1986 to 1994. Subjects were enrollees aged 50 to 79 years who had had CA (n = 1,275). A stratified random sample of enrollees who had not had CA was used to estimate the population at risk with various clinical characteristics (n = 2,323). Poisson's regression was used to estimate incidence overall and for 3-year time periods (1986 to 1988, 1989 to 1991, and 1992 to 1994). The overall CA incidence was 1.89/1,000 subject-years and varied up to 30-fold across clinical subgroups. For example, incidence was 5.98/1,000 subject-years in subjects with any clinically recognized heart disease compared with 0.82/1,000 subject-years in subjects without heart disease. In subgroups with heart disease, incidence was 13.69/1,000 subject-years in subjects with prior myocardial infarction and 21.87/1,000 subject-years in subjects with heart failure. Risk decreased by 20% from the initial to the final time period, with a greater decrease observed in those with (25%) compared with those without (12%) clinical heart disease. Thus, CA incidence varied considerably across clinical groups. The results provide insights regarding absolute and population-attributable risk in clinically defined subgroups, information that may aid strategies aimed at reducing mortality from CA.