Fatty Liver Index as a proxy for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease: The Suita Study.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in developed countries, but its role in predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD) needs further investigation. Herein, we studied the association between NAFLD and the risk of CVD, stroke, and coronary heart disease (CHD) among Japanese people. METHODS: This prospective cohort study analyzed data from 2,517 men and 3,958 women, aged 30-84 years, who were registered in the Suita Study. NAFLD was defined as Fatty Liver Index (FLI) ≥ 60. Cox proportional hazard models were applied to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of incident CVD, stroke, and CHD events by baseline FLI. The results were adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, lipid profile, chronic kidney disease, and cardiac murmur or valvular diseases. RESULTS: Within 16.6 years of median follow-up, 590 participants developed CVD (346 stroke events and 244 CHD events). Women with NAFLD (FLI ≥ 60) showed a higher risk of CVD and stroke: HRs (95% CIs) = 1.69 (1.16, 2.46) and 2.06 (1.31, 3.24), respectively. Besides, women in the fourth and fifth (highest) FLI quintiles showed a higher risk of CVD and stroke than those in the third (middle) quintile: HRs (95% CIs) = 1.60 (1.08, 2.36) and 1.67 (1.13, 2.45) for CVD and 1.73 (1.07, 2.79) and 1.90 (1.18, 3.05) for stroke, respectively. No corresponding associations were detected in men. NAFLD was not associated with CHD risk in either sex. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD, diagnosed by FLI, was associated with a higher risk of CVD and stroke in Japanese women. From a preventive perspective, women with NAFLD should be targeted for CVD screenings and interventions.

The association between stair climbing and modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors: the Suita Study.

BACKGROUND: Stair climbing is a readily available form of physical activity with potential cardiovascular benefits. This study aimed to investigate the association between stair climbing and numerous modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we used data from 7282 Japanese people (30-84 years) residing in Suita City, Osaka. CVD risk factors and stair climbing frequency were assessed during the Suita Study health examination. Logistic regressions were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for CVD risk factors across stair climbing frequencies. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, lifestyle, and medical conditions, stair climbing >60% of the time, compared to <20% of the time, was inversely associated with obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and stress: ORs (95% CIs) = 0.63 (0.53, 0.75), 0.81 (0.69, 0.96), 0.48 (0.41, 0.55), and 0.67 (0.58, 0.78), respectively (p-trends < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Stair climbing was inversely associated with obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and stress; suggesting a potential role for cardiovascular disease prevention.

Liver enzymes and the risk of stroke among the general Japanese population: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Liver enzymes, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), are markers of liver diseases with potential cardiovascular implications. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prospective association between liver enzymes and stroke risk. METHODS: We analyzed data from 3,379 men and 4,007 women without cardiovascular disease and registered in the Suita Study; a Japanese population-based prospective cohort study. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of stroke risk were estimated per quintiles of ALT, AST, and GGT in men and women. RESULTS: Within a median follow-up period of 16.7 years, 438 incident stroke events were diagnosed. In men, compared to the second quintiles, the fifth (highest) quintiles of liver enzymes showed increased stroke risks: HRs (95% CIs) = 2.07 (1.35, 3.18) in ALT, 1.66 (1.10, 2.53) in AST, and 1.76 (1.11, 2.81) in GGT. The associations did not change with cerebral infarction risk: HRs (95% CIs) = 2.09 (1.24, 3.50) in ALT, 1.84 (1.11, 3.06) in AST, and 1.74 (1.00, 3.04) in GGT, respectively. The lowest ALT, AST, and GGT quintiles tended to show increased stroke and cerebral infarction risks, yet these associations were statistically insignificant. No such associations were shown in women. CONCLUSION: Elevated ALT, AST, and GGT levels were associated with increased stroke and cerebral infarction risks among Japanese men.

Fatty Liver Index and the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in a General Japanese Population　- The Suita Study.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most diagnosed arrhythmia in clinical settings. The fatty liver index (FLI) is a marker of liver steatosis with potential cardiovascular implications. This study investigated whether FLI could predict the risk of AF.Methods and Results: We used data from the Suita Study, a Japanese population-based prospective cohort study. A total of 2,346 men and 3,543 women, aged 30-84 years, without prevalent AF were included and followed up. The diagnosis of AF was established during follow-up using electrocardiograms, hospital records, and death certificates. FLI was assessed during a baseline health checkup. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for incident AF per FLI quintile and log-transformed FLI. Within a median 14.5 years of follow-up, 142 men and 105 women developed AF. Compared with women in the third (middle) FLI quintile, women in the first (lowest), fourth, and fifth (highest) quintiles showed a higher risk of AF, with multivariable-adjusted HRs of 2.37 (95% CI 1.06-5.31), 2.60 (95% CI 1.30-5.17), and 2.04 (95% CI 1.00-4.18), respectively. No corresponding associations were observed in men. The change in log-transformed FLI was not associated with the risk of AF in either sex. CONCLUSIONS: A U-shaped association between FLI and AF risk was detected in Japanese women. FLI could be a screening tool to detect women at high risk of developing AF.

National Survey Identifying the Factors Affecting the Career Development of Cardiologists in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Equality in training opportunities, studying abroad, and satisfaction with work are not well investigated among Japanese cardiologists.Methods and Results: We studied cardiologists' career development using a questionnaire that was emailed to 14,798 cardiologists belonging to the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS) in September 2022. Feelings regarding equality in training opportunities, preferences for studying abroad, and satisfaction with work were evaluated with regard to cardiologists' age, sex, and other confounding factors. Survey responses were obtained from 2,566 cardiologists (17.3%). The mean (±SD) age of female (n=624) and male (n=1,942) cardiologists who responded to the survey was 45.6±9.5 and 50.0±10.6 years, respectively. Inequality in training opportunities was felt more by female than male cardiologists (44.1% vs. 33.9%) and by younger (<45 years old) than older (≥45 years old) (42.0% vs. 32.8%). Female cardiologists were less likely to prefer studying abroad (53.7% vs. 59.9%) and less satisfied with their work (71.3% vs. 80.8%) than male cardiologists. Increased feelings of inequality and lower work satisfaction were investigated among cardiologists who were young, had family care duties, and had no mentors. In the subanalysis, significant regional differences were found in cardiologists' career development in Japan. CONCLUSIONS: Female and younger cardiologists felt greater inequality in career development than male and older cardiologists. A diverse workplace may prompt equality in training opportunities and work satisfaction for both female and male cardiologists.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors reduce the incidence of first cardiovascular events in Japanese diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors do not suppress cardiovascular events in diabetic patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of DPP-4 inhibitors on cardiovascular events in Japanese diabetic patients is unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether DPP-4 inhibitors alter the incidence of cardiovascular events in Japanese diabetic patients without a history of cardiovascular events. METHODS: The Japanese Primary Prevention of Atherosclerosis with Aspirin for Diabetes (JPAD) trial was a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open label, blinded, end-point study conducted from 2002 to 2008. After completion of the JPAD trial, we followed up the patients until 2019. Patients who had had a cardiovascular event by the 2013 follow-up were excluded from the study. JPAD patients were divided into a DPP-4 group and a non-DPP-4 group based on whether they were taking DPP-4 inhibitors at the 2013 follow-up because few patients took DPP-4 inhibitors before 2013. We investigated the incidence of cardiovascular events consisting of coronary events, cerebrovascular events, heart failure requiring hospitalization, and aortic and peripheral vascular disease in 1099 JPAD patients until 2019. RESULTS: During the observation period from 2013 to 2019, 37 (7%) first cardiovascular events occurred in the DPP-4 group (n = 518) and 66 (11%) in the non-DPP-4 group (n = 581). The incidence of cardiovascular events was significantly lower in the DPP-4 group than in the non-DPP-4 group (Log-Rank P = 0.0065). Cox proportional hazards model analysis revealed that the use of DPP-4 inhibitors (hazard ratio 0.65; 95% confidence interval 0.43-0.98; P = 0.038) was an independent factor after adjustment for age ≥ 65 years, hypertension, statin usage, and insulin usage. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings have demonstrated that the use of DPP-4 inhibitors may be associated with a reduced incidence of first cardiovascular events in Japanese diabetic patients. The results require confirmation in randomized controlled trials.

Monitoring for adverse drug events of high-risk medications with a computerized clinical decision support system: a prospective cohort study.

Monitoring is recommended to prevent severe adverse drug events, but such examinations are often missed. To increase the number of monitoring that should be ordered for high-risk medications, we introduced a clinical decision support system (CDSS) that alerts and orders the monitoring for high-risk medications in an outpatient setting. We conducted a 2-year prospective cohort study at a tertiary care teaching hospital before (phase 1) and after (phase 2) the activation of a CDSS. The CDSS automatically provided alerts for liver function tests for vildagliptin, thyroid function tests for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and multikinase inhibitors (MKIs), and a slit-lamp examination of the eyes for oral amiodarone when outpatients were prescribed the medications but not examined for a fixed period. The order of laboratory tests automatically appeared if alert was accepted. The alerts were hidden and did not appear on the display before activation of the CDSS. The outcomes were the number of prescriptions with alerts and examinations. During the study period, 330 patients in phase 1 and 307 patients in phase 2 were prescribed vildagliptin, 20 patients in phase 1 and 19 patients in phase 2 were prescribed ICIs or MKIs, and 72 patients in phase 1 and 66 patients in phase 2 were prescribed oral amiodarone. The baseline characteristics were similar between the phases. In patients prescribed vildagliptin, the proportion of alerts decreased significantly (38% vs 27%, P < 0.0001), and the proportion of examinations increased significantly (0.9% vs 4.0%, P < 0.0001) after activation of the CDSS. In patients prescribed ICIs or MKIs, the proportion of alerts decreased significantly (43% vs 11%, P < 0.0001), and the proportion of examinations increased numerically, but not significantly (2.6% vs 7.0%, P = 0.13). In patients prescribed oral amiodarone, the proportion of alerts decreased (86% vs 81%, P = 0.055), and the proportion of examinations increased (2.2% and 3.0%, P = 0.47); neither was significant. The CDSS has potential to increase the monitoring for high-risk medications. Our study also highlighted the limited acceptance rate of monitoring by CDSS. Further studies are needed to explore the generalizability to other medications and the cause of the limited acceptance rates among physicians.

Development of new scores for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease using specific medical examination items: the Suita Study.

BACKGROUND: We previously developed risk models predicting stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Japanese people from the Suita Study. Yet, applying these models at the national level was challenging because some of the included risk factors differed from those collected in the Japanese governmental health check-ups, such as Tokutei-Kenshin. We, therefore, conducted this study to develop new risk models for stroke, CHD, and atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD), based on data from the Suita Study. The new models used traditional cardiovascular risk factors similar to those in the Japanese governmental health check-ups. METHODS: We included 7,413 participants, aged 30-84 years, initially free from stroke and CHD. All participants received baseline health examinations, including a questionnaire assessing their lifestyle and medical history, medical examination, and blood and urine analysis. The risk factors of stroke, CHD, and ASCVD (cerebral infarction or CHD) were determined using the multivariable-adjusted Cox regression. The models' performance was assessed using the C-statistics for discrimination and the Hosmer-Lemeshow for calibration. We also developed three simple scores (zero to 100) that could predict the 10-year incidence of stroke, CHD, and ASCVD. RESULTS: Within 110,428 person-years (median follow-up = 16.6 years), 410 stroke events, 288 CHD events, and 527 ASCVD events were diagnosed. Age, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes were associated with stroke, CHD, and ASCVD risk. Men and those with decreased high-density lipoproteins or increased low-density lipoproteins showed a higher risk of CHD and ASCVD. Urinary proteins were associated with an increased risk of stroke and ASCVD. The C-statistic values of the risk models were >0.750 and the p-values of goodness-of-fit were >0.30. The 10-year incidence of stroke, CVD, and ASCVD events was 3.8%, 3.5%, and 5.7% for scores 45-54, 10.3%, 11.8%, and 19.6% for scores 65-74, and 27.7%, 23.5%, and 60.5% for scores ≥85, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We developed new Suita risk models for stroke, CHD, and ASCVD using variables similar to those in the Japanese governmental health check-ups. We also developed new risk scores to predict incident stroke, CHD, and ASCVD within 10 years.

Alcohol consumption and the risk of heart failure: the Suita Study and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption is a modifiable lifestyle, but its role in heart failure (HF) development is controversial. Herein, we investigated the prospective association between alcohol consumption and HF risk. METHODS: A total of 2,712 participants (1,149 men and 1,563 women) from the Suita Study were followed up every two years. Cox regression was applied to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of HF risk for heavy drinking (≥46 g/day in men or ≥23 g/day in women) and never drinking compared to light drinking (<23 g/day in men or <11.5 g/day in women). Then, we combined the results of the Suita Study with those from other eligible prospective cohort studies in a meta-analysis using the random-effects model. RESULTS: In the Suita Study, within a median follow-up period of 8 years, 319 HF cases (162 in men and 157 in women) were detected. In men, but not women, never and heavy drinking carried a higher risk of HF than light drinking: HRs (95% CIs) = 1.65 (1.00, 2.73) and 2.14 (1.26, 3.66), respectively. Alike, the meta-analysis showed a higher risk of HF among heavy drinkers: HR (95% CI) = 1.37 (1.15, 1.62) and abstainers: HR (95% CI) = 1.18 (1.02, 1.37). CONCLUSION: We indicated a J-shaped association between alcohol consumption and HF risk among Japanese men. The results of the meta-analysis came in line with the Suita Study. Heavy-drinking men should be targeted for lifestyle modification interventions.

Playing a musical instrument and the risk of dementia among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Engaging in leisure activities was suggested to protect older adults from dementia. However, the association between playing a musical instrument and the risk of dementia is not well-established. This study aimed to investigate this association in older adults using a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. METHODS: Pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of having dementia for older adults playing a musical instrument were calculated using the random-effects model. We performed the I2 statistic to detect heterogeneity across studies and the test for funnel plot asymmetry to assess publication bias. The risk of bias assessment was conducted using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: A total of three prospective cohort studies were found eligible: two from the U.S. and one from Japan. Playing a musical instrument, in the meta-analysis, was significantly associated with a decreased risk of dementia (HR = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.41, 0.98) among older adults. No signs of significant heterogeneity across studies (I2 = 23.3% and p-heterogeneity = 0.27) or publication bias (z= -1.3 and p-publication bias = 0.18) were identified. CONCLUSION: Playing a musical instrument was associated with a decreased risk of dementia among older adults. Older adults should be encouraged to engage in leisure activities, especially playing musical instruments.

Association Between White Blood Cell Count and Atrial Fibrillation Risk　- A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) are increasing. The white blood cell (WBC) count is an indicator of systemic inflammation and is related to increased cardiovascular disease risk. Using data from the Suita Study, we investigated the association between WBC count and AF risk in the general Japanese population.Methods and Results: This prospective cohort study included 6,884 people, aged 30-84 years, with no baseline AF. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for AF incidence by WBC count quintile. Within a median follow-up period of 14.6 years, 312 AF cases were diagnosed. Compared with the lowest WBC count quintile, the highest quintile was associated with an increased AF risk (HR 1.57; 95% CI 1.07-2.29). The association was more pronounced among women than men (HR 2.16 [95% CI 1.10-4.26] and 1.55 [95% CI 0.99-2.44], respectively; P interaction=0.07), and among current than non-smokers (HR 4.66 [95% CI 1.89-11.50] and 1.61 [95% CI 1.01-2.57], respectively; P interaction=0.20). For each 1.0×109-cells/L increment in WBC count, AF risk increased by 9% in men (9% in non-smokers, 10% in current smokers) and 20% in women (13% in non-smokers, 32% in current smokers). CONCLUSIONS: A higher WBC count was positively associated with an elevated AF risk in the general Japanese population, especially in women who smoked.

Impact of Tweeting Summaries by the Japanese Circulation Society Official Account on Article Viewership　- Pilot Trial.

BACKGROUND: The impact of promotional tweets from the official journal account (forCirculation JournalandCirculation Reports) on article viewership has not been thoroughly evaluated.Methods and Results:We retrospectively collected journal viewership data forCirculation JournalandCirculation Reportsfrom March 2021 to August 2021. We compared viewership between articles with (n=15) and without (n=250) tweets. After 1 : 4 propensity score matching (15 tweeted articles and 60 non-tweeted matched controls), journal viewership metrics within 7 days of the tweeting date (and the hypothetical tweeting date), was larger in tweeted articles than non-tweeted articles (median [interquartile range] Abstract page views 89 [60-104] vs. 18 [8-41]). CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests a positive relationship between journal-posted promotional tweets and article viewership.

Kidney function deterioration is dependent on blood pressure levels: 11.2 year follow-up in diabetic patients.

There is little evidence of how blood pressure level over 10 years affects the decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in diabetic patients. The Japanese primary prevention of atherosclerosis with aspirin for diabetes (JPAD) trial was a multicenter, randomized, clinical trial done from 2002 to 2008. After completion of the JPAD trial, we followed up the patients until 2019 as a cohort study. We defined late-stage kidney disease (LSKD) as eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m2 or hemodialysis. Based on the mean value of systolic blood pressure (SBP) obtained average 7 times during the follow-up, we divided the patients into three groups: a high SBP group (n = 607, SBP ≥ 140 mm Hg); a moderate SBP group (n = 989, 140 > SBP ≥ 130 mm Hg); or a low SBP group (n = 913, SBP < 130 mm Hg). There was no significant deference in the mean eGFR among the high SBP, moderate SBP and low SBP groups on registration. The incidence rate of LSKD was significantly higher in the high SBP (HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.36-3.01) and moderate SBP (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.07-2.20) groups than in the low SBP group (Log-Rank P = 0.0018). Cox proportional hazards model analysis revealed that the high SBP (HR, 1.57, P = 0.049) and moderate SBP (HR, 1.52, P = 0.037) were independent factors after adjustment for proteinuria ≥ ± , age ≥ 65 years, men, body mass index ≥ 24 kg/m2, duration of diabetes ≥ 7.0 years, statin usage, eGFR ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73 m2, hemoglobin A1c ≥ 7.2%, and smoking status. Our 11.2 year follow-up study demonstrated that mean SBP was independently associated with the progression to LSKD in diabetic patients. These findings may become new evidence that SBP less than 130 mm Hg is recommended for diabetic patients to prevent progression to LSKD.

Association Between Statins and Cancer Incidence in Diabetes: a Cohort Study of Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: The antitumor effect of statins has been highlighted, but clinical study results remain inconclusive. While patients with diabetes are at high risk of cancer, it is uncertain whether statins are effective for cancer chemoprevention in this population. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the association between statins and cancer incidence/mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: This study was a follow-up observational study of the Japanese Primary Prevention of Atherosclerosis with Aspirin for Diabetes (JPAD) trial, which was a randomized controlled trial of low-dose aspirin in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. PARTICIPANTS: This study enrolled 2536 patients with type 2 diabetes, age 30-85 years, and no history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, from December 2002 until May 2005. All participants recruited in the JPAD trial were followed until the day of any fatal event or July 2015. We defined participants taking any statin at enrollment as the statin group (n = 650) and the remainder as the no-statin group (n = 1886). MAIN MEASURES: The primary end point was the first occurrence of any cancer (cancer incidence). The secondary end point was death from any cancer (cancer mortality). KEY RESULTS: During follow-up (median, 10.7 years), 318 participants developed a new cancer and 123 died as a result. Cancer incidence and mortality were 10.5 and 3.7 per 1000 person-years in the statin group, and 16.8 and 6.3 per 1000 person-years in the no-statin group, respectively. Statin use was associated with significantly reduced cancer incidence and mortality after adjustment for confounding factors (cancer incidence: adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.67; 95% CI, 0.49-0.90, P = 0.007; cancer mortality: adjusted HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.36-0.98, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Statin use was associated with a reduced incidence and mortality of cancer in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Recommendations for Maintaining the Cardiovascular Care System Under the Conditions of the COVID-19 Pandemic　- 1st Edition, April 2020.

BACKGROUND: The Japanese Circulation Society proposes recommendations for all healthcare professionals involved in cardiovascular medicine to protect them from infection and ensure that seriously ill patients requiring urgent care receive proper treatment.Methods and Results:Patients are divided into "Positive or suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)" and "All others". Furthermore, tests and treatments are divided into emergency or standby. For each category, we propose recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: To maintain the cardiovascular care system, The Japanese Circulation Society recommends completely preventing nosocomial COVID-19 infections, ensuring adequate PPE necessary for healthcare personnel, and learning and implementing standard precautions.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Information for Cardiologists　- Systematic Literature Review and Additional Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite the rapidly increasing attention being given to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, more commonly known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the relationship between cardiovascular disease and COVID-19 has not been fully described.Methods and Results:A systematic review was undertaken to summarize the important aspects of COVID-19 for cardiologists. Protection both for patients and healthcare providers, indication for treatments, collaboration with other departments and hospitals, and regular update of information are essentials to front COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Because the chief manifestations of COVID-19 infection are respiratory and acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiologists do not see infected patients directly. Cardiologists need to be better prepared regarding standard disinfection procedures, and be aware of the indications for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and its use in the critical care setting.

Hypertension Is a Risk Factor for Several Types of Heart Disease: Review of Prospective Studies.

Many prospective cohort studies have demonstrated that hypertension is a strong risk factor for total mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Heart disease includes coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure, atrial fibrillation, valvular disease, sudden cardiac death (SCD), sick sinus syndrome (SSS), cardiomyopathy, and aortic aneurysms. Most of the epidemiologic prospective studies of heart disease focused on coronary/ischemic heart disease. Here we comprehensively reviewed the association between hypertension and the above-mentioned heart diseases. We found that CHD, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, aortic valvular disease, SCD, SSS, left ventricular hypertrophy, and abdominal aortic aneurysms were all associated with hypertension. Those relations tended to be stronger in men. The prevention of hypertension and lowering one's blood pressure may help reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors for Incident Atrial Fibrillation.

To prevent atrial fibrillation (AF), it is essential to reduce its risk factors and extend healthy life expectancy as a result. There are few reviews on the AF risk factors. We discuss them and approach the prevention of AF. We briefly review traditional risk factors for incident AF, especially focusing on high blood pressure, overweight/obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes, tobacco smoking, and excessive drinking. When trying to prevent AF by modifying lifestyle, it is important to comprehensively utilize the risk factors for AF to predict the 10-year as an AF risk score. However, there are only 2 risk scores of AF just for the US population. There are few studies of the AF risk factors in non-Western populations. A risk score for incident AF in non-Westerners is awaited because different race and lifestyles may have different contributions as AF risk factors. An AF risk score in accordance with race could be useful for identifying persons with a high risk of AF in order to encourage them to consult a doctor and encourage lifestyle modifications before the onset of AF. (Circ J 2016; 80: 2415-2422).

Obstructive Sleep Apnea as Possible Causal Factor for Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, it has not been clarified whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with visit-to-visit BPV. METHODS AND RESULTS: The 56 subjects with OSA and 26 control subjects without OSA were examined. Office BP was measured on 5 separate consecutive occasions prior to a polysomnography examination. The visit-to-visit BPV was expressed as the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation of the 5 systolic BP measurements. In subjects with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of more than 20 episodes per hour, the visit-to-visit BPV was also measured after the start of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Overall, the AHI positively correlated with the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation of systolic BP. In a multivariate analysis, the plasma noradrenaline level and the AHI were independently and positively correlated with the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation of the systolic BP. Among the patients who underwent CPAP therapy, good adherence with CPAP therapy significantly reduced the visit-to-visit BPV. CONCLUSIONS: OSA is associated with abnormal visit-to-visit BPV and sympathetic activation seems to be related in some way. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1787-1794).