Recognizing and improving health care disparities in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in women.

Innate differences in gender physiology result in unique exposures, risk, and protection that are specific to women. Recognition and appreciation of these differences results in better treatment adaptations for women and better outcomes. Disparities between genders in the treatment of major cardiovascular risk factors still exist and are mostly secondary to underestimating or misunderstanding a woman's risk. Preventive therapies are less often recommended to women. Women are more likely to be diagnosed and treated for hypertension, but are less likely to reach treatment goals. High-risk women-including diabetic women-are less likely to be on lipid-lowering agents and reach a low-density lipoprotein level less than 100 mg/dL. Diabetic women are less likely to achieve a hemoglobin A(1c) level less than 7%. Through understanding these disparities, health care providers will be better able to screen female patients and institute evidence-based therapies for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Supporting Parents During Cardiology Fellowship: Because Life Happens.

See Article Mwakyanjala et al.

Aerobic Fitness and Adherence to Guideline-Recommended Minimum Physical Activity Among Ambulatory Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: Lifestyle intervention remains the cornerstone of management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, adherence to physical activity (PA) recommendations and the impact of that adherence on cardiorespiratory fitness in this population have been poorly described. We sought to investigate adherence to PA recommendations and its association with cardiorespiratory fitness in a population of patients with T2DM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a randomized clinical trial (NCT00424762) was performed. A total of 150 individuals with medically treated T2DM and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or risk factors for ASCVD were recruited from outpatient clinics at a single academic medical center. All individuals underwent a graded maximal exercise treadmill test to exhaustion with breath-by-breath gas exchange analysis to determine VO2peak. PA was estimated using a structured 7-Day Physical Activity Recall interview. RESULTS: Participants had a mean ± SD age of 54.9 ± 9.0 years; 41% were women, 40% were black, and 21% were Hispanic. The mean HbA1c was 7.7 ± 1.8% and the mean BMI, 34.5 ± 7.2 kg/m2. A total of 72% had hypertension, 73% had hyperlipidemia, and 35% had prevalent ASCVD. The mean ± SD reported daily PA was 34.3 ± 4 kcal/kg, only 7% above a sedentary state; 47% of the cohort failed to achieve the minimum recommended PA. Mean ± SD VO2peak was 27.4 ± 6.5 mL/kg fat-free mass/min (18.8 ± 5.0 mL/kg/min). CONCLUSIONS: On average, patients with T2DM who have or are at risk for ASCVD report low levels of PA and have low measured cardiopulmonary fitness. This underscores the importance of continued efforts to close this therapeutic gap.

Short-term risk of cardiovascular readmission following a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: Women with pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) have increased long-term cardiovascular (CV) risk. We sought to determine if they demonstrate increased short-term CV risk. METHODS: Using administrative records, all hospital-based deliveries in Florida from 2004 to 2010 and subsequent readmission to any Florida hospital within 3 years of index delivery were identified. Deliveries and clinical diagnoses were determined using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. HDP included pregnancies complicated by gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. Outcomes were CV readmission (acute myocardial infarction, stroke or heart failure), non-CV readmission and any readmission within 3 years of delivery excluding subsequent deliveries. Associations were determined using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 1 452 926 records from delivering mothers of singleton infants (mean age 27.2±6.2 years; 52% white, 23% African American (AA), 18% Hispanic), there were 4054 CV and 259 252 non-CV readmissions. Women with HDP had higher CV readmission rates (6.4 vs 2.5/1000 deliveries; P<0.001). AA women had higher rates of CV readmission than whites or Hispanics (6.8 vs 1.7 vs 1.0/1000 deliveries, respectively; P<0.001). Women with HDP had higher multivariate risk of CV readmission (OR 2.41; 95% CI 2.08 to 2.80) and any readmission (OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.15). Compared with whites, AA women had higher risk for CV readmission (OR 3.60; 95% CI 3.32 to 3.90) after adjustment for HDP. CONCLUSION: Women with HDP had twice the risk of CV readmission within 3 years of delivery, with higher rates among AA women. More work is needed to explore preventive strategies for HDP-associated events.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 distribution among lipoproteins differs in type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: LpPLA2 mass and activity have been variably related to cardiovascular disease risk, and the distribution of LpPLA2 in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), wherein cardiovascular disease risk is high despite normal or higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there are differences in the distribution of LpPLA2 mass and activity across lipoproteins and their association with coronary artery calcium (CAC) in patients with T1D. METHODS: Men with T1D (n = 19) not on statins, with and without CAC progression, and men without diabetes matched for HDL cholesterol (n = 25) had lipoproteins separated by fast protein liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Both LpPLA2 mass and activity were found within low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and HDL pools with more LpPLA2 mass being associated with HDL (54% vs 44%; P-value <.001) and more LpPLA2 activity being associated with LDL (56% vs 40%; P value = .02). In T1D, more LpPLA2 activity was associated with large- or less-dense LDL compared to those without diabetes. However, no difference in LpPLA2 activity or mass between lipoprotein subfractions was observed between all groups, and there was no relationship between LpPLA2 activity or mass and its distribution and CAC score progression in healthy or T1D men. CONCLUSION: LpPLA2 is found in both LDL and HDL and is distributed differently in men with T1D without any relationship to CAC score progression.

Effect of physical activity level on biomarkers of inflammation and insulin resistance over 5 years in outpatients with coronary heart disease (from the Heart and Soul Study).

Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower rates of coronary heart disease (CHD). Previous studies have suggested that this is due partly to lower levels of inflammation and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to determine whether physical activity level was associated with inflammation or insulin resistance during a 5-year period in outpatients with known CHD. A total of 656 participants from the Heart and Soul Study, a prospective cohort study of outpatients with documented CHD, were evaluated. Self-reported physical activity frequency was assessed at baseline and after 5 years of follow-up. Participants were classified as low versus high activity at each visit, yielding 4 physical activity groups: stable low activity, decreasing activity (high at baseline to low at year 5), increasing activity (low at baseline to high at year 5), and stable high activity. Year 5 markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6, and fibrinogen) and insulin resistance (insulin, glucose, and glycated hemoglobin) were compared across the 4 activity groups. After 5 years of follow-up, higher activity was associated with lower mean levels of all biomarkers. In the fully adjusted regression models, CRP, interleukin-6, and glucose remained independently associated with physical activity frequency (log CRP, p for trend across activity groups = 0.03; log interleukin-6, p for trend = 0.01; log glucose, p for trend = 0.003). Subjects with stable high activity typically had the lowest levels of biomarkers. In conclusion, in this novel population of outpatients with known CHD followed for 5 years, higher physical activity frequency was independently associated with lower levels of CRP, interleukin-6, and glucose.

Geographic variance of cardiovascular risk factors among community women: the national Sister to Sister campaign.

BACKGROUND: There are substantial variations in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and outcomes among women. We sought to determine geographic variation in risk factor prevalence in a contemporary sample of U.S. women. METHODS: Using 2008-2009 Sister to Sister (STS) free heart screening data from 17 U.S. cities, we compared rates of obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m(2)), hypertension (HTN ≥140/90 mm Hg), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C <40 mg/dL), and hyperglycemia (≥126 mg/dL) with national rates. RESULTS: In 18,892 women (mean age 49.8 ± 14.3 years, 37% black, 32% white, 14% Hispanic), compared to overall STS rates, significantly higher rates were observed for obesity in Baltimore (42.4%), Atlanta (40.0%), Dallas (37.9%), and Jacksonville (36.0%); for HTN in Atlanta (43.9%), Baltimore (42.5%), and New York (39.1%); for hyperglycemia in Jacksonville (20.3%), Philadelphia (18.1%), and Tampa (17.8%); and for HDL-C <40 mg/dL in Phoenix (37.4%), Dallas (26.5%), and Jacksonville (18.1%). Compared to national American Heart Association (AHA) 2010 update rates, most STS cities had higher rates of hyperglycemia and low HDL-C. CONCLUSIONS: In a large, community-based sample of women nationwide, this comprehensive analysis shows remarkable geographic variation in risk factors, which provides opportunities to improve and reduce a woman's CVD risk. Further investigation is required to understand the reasons behind such variation, which will provide insight toward tailoring preventive interventions to narrow gaps in CVD risk reduction in women.