Change in Body Mass Index and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) changes and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective observational study used data from the JMDC Claims Database obtained between January 2005, and April 2021. We included 52,344 individuals (median [IQR] age, 53 years [46 to 60 years]; 23,584 [45.1%] men) with cancer and no prior CVD. Patients were classified into 3 groups based on the percentage change in BMI from the initial health checkup to the checkup 1 year later: -5.0% or less (BMI loss), -5.0% to 5.0% (stable BMI), and 5.0% or more (BMI gain). The primary end point was composite CVD events including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, and stroke. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 763 days (IQR, 369 to 1274 days), 3124 composite CVD events were observed. Compared with stable BMI, the hazard ratios (HRs) of BMI loss and gain for CVD events were 1.16 (95% CI, 1.00 to 1.34) and 1.10 (95% CI, 0.96 to 1.25), respectively. A U-shaped association was observed between the BMI changes and CVD events, particularly for nonatherosclerotic CVD outcomes including heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Compared with stable BMI, both BMI loss and gain increased the risk of heart failure (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.57 and HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.47, respectively) and atrial fibrillation (HR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.18 to 2.45 and HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.07 to 2.24, respectively). CONCLUSION: Cancer survivors with BMI loss and gain were at greater risk of CVD. Body mass index loss is associated with a higher risk of CVD.

Awareness of Being Prescribed Antihypertensive Medications and Cardiovascular Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In patients with hypertension, unawareness of the disease often results in poor blood pressure control and increases the risk of CVD. However, data in nationwide surveys regarding the proportion of unaware individuals and the implications of such on their clinical outcomes are lacking. We aimed to clarify the association between unawareness of being prescribed antihypertensive medications among individuals taking antihypertensive medications and the subsequent risk of developing CVD.Methods and Results: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the JMDC Claims Database, including 313,715 individuals with hypertension treated with antihypertensive medications (median age 56 years). The primary endpoint was a composite of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Overall, 19,607 (6.2%) individuals were unaware of being prescribed antihypertensive medications. During the follow-up period, 33,976 composite CVD endpoints were documented. Despite their youth, minimal comorbidities, and the achievement of better BP control with a reduced number of antihypertensive prescriptions, unawareness of being prescribed antihypertensive medications was associated with a greater risk of developing composite CVD. Hazard ratios of unawareness of being prescribed antihypertensive medications were 1.16 for myocardial infarction, 1.25 for angina pectoris, 1.15 for stroke, 1.36 for heart failure, and 1.28 for atrial fibrillation. The results were similar in several sensitivity analyses, including the analysis after excluding individuals with dementia. CONCLUSIONS: Among individuals taking antihypertensive medications, assessing the awareness of being prescribed antihypertensive medications may help identify those at high risk for CVD-related events.

Comparison of incident hypertension between SGLT2 inhibitors vs. DPP4 inhibitors.

Although several randomized clinical trials have reported the potential benefit of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in reducing blood pressure (BP), whether SGLT2i can reduce incident hypertension is unknown. We analyzed individuals with diabetes who were newly prescribed SGLT2i or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i) in a large-scale epidemiological database. The primary outcome was the incidence of hypertension. A propensity score matching algorithm was employed to compare the subsequent development of hypertension between the SGLT2i and DPP4i groups. After propensity score matching, 5708 well-balanced pairs of SGLT2i and DPP4i users were identified. SGLT2i administration was associated with a reduced risk of hypertension (HR 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84-0.97). The advantage of SGLT2i use over DPP4i use for incident hypertension was generally consistent in several sensitivity analyses, and subgroup analyses showed that SGLT2i use was significantly associated with a lower risk of hypertension in men, patients with baseline HbA1c of <7.5%, and baseline systolic blood pressure ≥127 mmHg. Our investigation using nationwide real-world data demonstrated the potential advantage of SGLT2i over DPP4i in reducing the development of hypertension in individuals with diabetes.

Sex Differences in the Association Between Depression and Incident Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Depression is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the potential sex differences in this association remain unclear. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between depression and subsequent CVD events, and to explore potential sex differences. Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective analysis using the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2022. The study population included 4,125,720 individuals aged 18 to 75 years without a history of cardiovascular disease or renal failure and missing data at baseline. Participants were followed up for a mean of 1,288 days to assess the association between depression and subsequent CVD events, such as myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Results: Our analysis revealed a significant association between depression and subsequent composite CVD events in both men and women, with a stronger association observed in women. The HR for the composite endpoint was 1.64 (95% CI: 1.59-1.70) in women and 1.39 (95% CI: 1.35-1.42) in men after multivariable adjustment (P for interaction <0.001). Furthermore, the individual components of the composite endpoint were also associated with depression in both men and women, each of which was also observed to be more strongly associated in women. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence of a significant association between depression and subsequent CVD events in both men and women, with a more pronounced association observed in women. These findings highlight the importance of addressing depression and tailoring prevention and management strategies according to sex-specific factors.

Risk of cancer history in cardiovascular disease among individuals with hypertension.

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although cancer has recently been increasingly recognized as a novel risk factor for CVD events, little is known about whether co-morbid cancer in individuals with hypertension could further increase the risk of CVD events. We sought to determine the association between the cancer history and the risk of CVD in individuals with hypertension. We retrospectively analyzed a large cohort of 747,620 individuals diagnosed with hypertension from January 2005 through May 2022 using the JMDC Claims Database. Composite CVD events, including myocardial infarction (MI), angina pectoris (AP), stroke, heart failure (HF), and atrial fibrillation (AF), were recorded, and a Cox proportional hazard regression was done to estimate hazard ratios (HR) based on the history of cancer and chemotherapy. 26,531 individuals had a history of cancer. During the mean follow-up period of 1269 ± 962 days, 67,154 composite CVD events were recorded. Compared with individuals without a cancer history, cancer survivors had a higher risk of developing composite CVD events (HR: 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-1.26). The HRs (95% CIs) associated with cancer history for MI, AP, stroke, HF, and AF were 1.07 (0.90-1.27), 1.13 (1.06-1.20), 1.14 (1.06-1.24), 1.31 (1.25-1.38), and 1.22 (1.10-1.35), respectively. Lastly, individuals who had received chemotherapy for cancer had a particularly higher risk of developing CVD compared to those who did not undergo chemotherapy. A history of cancer was associated with a greater risk of developing CVD among individuals with hypertension.

Association of Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Incident Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: There have been scarce epidemiological data on the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease and the incidence of Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy. In this study, we assessed whether inflammatory bowel disease was associated with a higher risk of developing IgA nephropathy using a large-scale epidemiological cohort. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 4,311,393 adults enrolled in the JMDC Claims Database (previously known as the Japan Medical Data Center database), a nationwide epidemiological database in Japan. The definitions of IgA nephropathy and inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease) were based on International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision codes. Individuals who had a prior history of IgA nephropathy were excluded. Study participants were categorized into two groups according to the presence of inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical outcomes were collected between January 2005 and May 2022. The primary outcome was incident IgA nephropathy. RESULTS: Median (interquartile range) age was 44 (36-53) years, and 2,497,313 (58%) were men. Inflammatory bowel disease was observed in 18,623 individuals (0.4%). Over a median follow-up of 1,089 (532-1,797) days, there were 2,631 incidences of IgA nephropathy and 22 incidences in individuals without and with inflammatory bowel disease, yielding incident ratios with 95% confidence intervals of 1.74 (1.68-1.81) and 3.43 (2.26-5.21), respectively. Kaplan-Meier curves and the log-rank test showed that a cumulative incidence of IgA was higher in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease compared to those without (log-rank p=0.003). Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that individuals with inflammatory bowel disease were at higher risk for incident IgA nephropathy (Hazard ratio 1.96, 95% confidence interval 1.29-2.99). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the potential association of inflammatory bowel disease with higher risk of developing IgA nephropathy in a general population.

Unawareness of being prescribed medications for diabetes and incident cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND: Some patients with diabetes are unaware that they are prescribed medications for diabetes. The purpose of this study is to determine, using a Japanese nationwide epidemiologic database, the association between unawareness of being prescribed medication for diabetes and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with diabetes. METHODS: This observational cohort study analyzed data from the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2022, including 94,048 patients with diabetes treated with medications. The primary endpoint was a composite endpoint including myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, heart failure (HF), and atrial fibrillation (AF). RESULTS: We identified 7561 composite CVD endpoints during a mean follow-up of 1199 ±â€¯902 days. Overall, 7779 (8.3 %) patients were unaware of being prescribed medications for diabetes. Those who did not know they were prescribed drugs were younger and had better glycemic control, but these individuals were at higher risk of developing combined CVD [hazard ratio (HR) 1.13, 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) 1.04-1.22]. HRs of unawareness of being prescribed medications for diabetes were 1.33 (95 % CI 1.06-1.68) for MI, 1.13 (95 % CI 0.97-1.31) for stroke, 1.10 (95 % CI 1.00-1.21) for HF, and 1.19 (95 % CI 0.97-1.47) for AF, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with diabetes taking medications for diabetes, even if they are young and have good glycemic control, unawareness of being prescribed medications for diabetes was associated with a greater risk of developing CVD. It is important that they receive adequate education from their healthcare providers to accurately identify their treatment status.

Metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease in cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: The risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) is high in cancer survivors. Although metabolic syndrome is an established risk factor for CVD, its association with cancer survivors has not yet been established. This study aimed to clarify whether metabolic syndrome is associated with subsequent CVD risk in patients with cancer using a nationwide epidemiological dataset. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 53 510 patients with a history of breast, colorectal, or stomach cancer, which is reportedly a major site for developing cancer in Japan. Study participants were categorized into two groups based on the presence of metabolic syndrome, defined using the Japanese criteria (high waist circumference and ≥2 metabolic parameters including elevated blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or elevated fasting plasma glucose). The clinical outcomes were collected between 2005 and 2021. The primary endpoint was defined as the composite CVD outcome, including myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, and heart failure. RESULTS: The median patient age was 54 years, and 37.5% of the patients were men. Metabolic syndrome was observed in 5558 (10.4%) patients. Over a mean follow-up period of 973 ± 791 days, 3085 composite CVD outcomes were recorded. Multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that metabolic syndrome was associated with a greater risk of developing CVD events (HR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.15-1.45). Metabolic syndrome was also associated with an increased risk of CVD in patients with a follow-up period ≥1 year (HR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.15-1.53). This relationship was also observed when metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria (HR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.21-1.49) and the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria (HR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.19-1.46). Subgroup analyses showed that the relationship between metabolic syndrome and incident CVD was more pronounced in the non-obese participants than in the obese participants. CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic syndrome is associated with a greater risk of developing CVD, even among cancer survivors.

Comparison of estimated glomerular filtration rate change with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors versus glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists among people with diabetes: A propensity-score matching study.

AIM: To compare the risk of developing kidney outcomes with use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) versus use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors among individuals with diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, we analysed 12 338 individuals with diabetes who newly initiated SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1RAs using data from the JMDC claims database. The primary outcome was change in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), estimated using a linear mixed-effects model. A 1:4 propensity-score-matching algorithm was used to compare the changes in eGFR between GLP-1RA and SGLT2 inhibitor users. RESULTS: After propensity-score matching, 2549 individuals (median [range] age 52 [46-58] years, 80.6% men) were analysed (510 GLP-1RA new users and 2039 SGLT2 inhibitor new users). SGLT2 inhibitor use was associated with a slower eGFR decline when compared with GLP-1RA use (-1.41 [95% confidence interval -1.63 to -1.19] mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. -2.62 [95% confidence interval -3.15 to -2.10] mL/min/1.73 m2). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis demonstrates the potential advantages of SGLT2 inhibitors over GLP-1RAs in terms of kidney outcomes in individuals with diabetes.

Sex Differences in the Relationship Between Schizophrenia and the Development of Cardiovascular Disease.

BACKGROUND: There are few data on sex differences in the association between schizophrenia and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We sought to clarify the relationship of schizophrenia with the risk of developing CVDs and to explore the potential modification effect of sex differences. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a retrospective analysis using the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2022. The study population included 4 124 508 individuals aged 18 to 75 years without a history of CVD or renal replacement therapy. The primary end point is defined as a composite end point that includes myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and pulmonary thromboembolism. During a mean follow-up of 1288±1001 days, we observed 182 158 composite end points. We found a significant relationship of schizophrenia with a greater risk of developing composite CVD events in both men and women, with a stronger association observed in women. The hazard ratio for the composite end point was 1.63 (95% CI, 1.52-1.74) in women and 1.42 (95% CI, 1.33-1.52) in men after multivariable adjustment (P for interaction=0.0049). This sex-specific difference in the association between schizophrenia and incident CVD was consistent for angina pectoris, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis using a large-scale epidemiologic cohort demonstrated that the association between schizophrenia and subsequent CVD events was more pronounced in women than in men, suggesting the clinical importance of addressing schizophrenia and tailoring the CVD prevention strategy based on sex-specific factors.

Association of Cancer and Its Interaction with Conventional Risk Factors on Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

Introduction We sought to examine the association of cancer history with the incidence of individual cardiovascular disease events and to clarify whether the history of cancer modifies the relationship between conventional cardiovascular risk factors and incident cardiovascular disease. Methods This retrospective cohort study used the JMDC Claims Database, including 3,531,683 individuals. The primary endpoint was the composite cardiovascular disease outcome, which included myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Results During a follow-up, 144,162 composite endpoints were recorded. Individuals with a history of cancer had a higher risk of developing composite cardiovascular disease events (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.22-1.29). The HRs for myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation were 1.11 (95% CI 0.98-1.27), 1.15 (95% CI 1.10-1.20), 1.11 (95% CI 1.05-1.18), 1.39 (95% CI 1.34-1.44), and 1.22 (95% CI 1.13-1.32), respectively. Individuals who required chemotherapy for cancer had a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Although conventional risk factors (e.g., overweight/obesity, hypertension, and diabetes) were associated with incident composite cardiovascular disease even in individuals with a history of cancer, the total population-attributable fractions of conventional risk factors were less in individuals with a history of cancer. Conclusion Individuals with a history of cancer (particularly those requiring chemotherapy) have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Traditional risk factors are important in the development of cardiovascular disease in individuals with and without a history of cancer. In individuals with a history of cancer, however, the total population-attributable fractions of conventional risk factors decreased.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Incident Cardiovascular Disease.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding the relationship between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) are scarce. We aimed to clarify the association of BPH with the risk of developing CVD using a nationwide epidemiological database.Methods and Results: This retrospective observational cohort study analyzed data from the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2022, including 2,370,986 men (median age 44 years). The primary endpoints were myocardial infarction (MI), angina pectoris (AP), stroke, heart failure (HF), and atrial fibrillation (AF), which were assessed separately. BPH was observed in 48,651 (2.1%) men. During a mean (±SD) follow-up of 1,359±1,020 days, 7,638 MI, 52,167 AP, 25,355 stroke, 58,183 HF, and 16,693 AF events were detected. Hazard ratios of BPH for MI, AP, stroke, HF, and AF were 1.04 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92-1.18), 1.31 (95% CI 1.25-1.37), 1.26 (95% CI 1.18-1.33), 1.21 (95% CI 1.16-1.27), and 1.15 (95% CI 1.07-1.24), respectively. We confirmed the robustness of our primary findings through a multitude of sensitivity analyses. In particular, a history of BPH was associated with a higher risk of developing CVD, even in participants without obesity, hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis of a nationwide epidemiological dataset demonstrated that BPH was associated with a greater risk of developing CVD in middle-aged men.

Multimodality Risk Assessment of Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease Using Deep Learning Models Applied to Electrocardiograms and Chest X-rays.

Comprehensive management approaches for patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) are important aids for prognostication and treatment planning. While single-modality deep neural networks (DNNs) have shown promising performance for detecting cardiac abnormalities, the potential benefits of using DNNs for multimodality risk assessment in patients with IHD have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of multimodality risk assessment in patients with IHD using a DNN that utilizes 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) and chest X-rays (CXRs), with the prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) being of particular concern.DNN models were applied to detection of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) on ECGs and identification of cardiomegaly findings on CXRs. A total of 2107 patients who underwent elective percutaneous coronary intervention were categorized into 4 groups according to the models' outputs: Dual-modality high-risk (n = 105), ECG high-risk (n = 181), CXR high-risk (n = 392), and No-risk (n = 1,429).A total of 342 MACEs were observed. The incidence of a MACE was the highest in the Dual-modality high-risk group (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox hazards analysis for predicting MACE revealed that the Dual-modality high-risk group had a significantly higher risk of MACE than the No-risk group (hazard ratio (HR): 2.370, P < 0.001), the ECG high-risk group (HR: 1.906, P = 0.010), and the CXR high-risk group (HR: 1.624, P = 0.018), after controlling for confounding factors.The results suggest the usefulness of multimodality risk assessment using DNN models applied to 12-lead ECG and CXR data from patients with IHD.

Association between remnant cholesterol and incident atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear if remnant cholesterol is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) (myocardial infarction, angina pectoris and stroke), heart failure (HF), and atrial fibrillation (AF) under primary prevention settings. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to clarify this issue among a general population without a history of ASCVD, HF or AF. METHODS: Analyses were conducted with a nationwide health claims database collected in the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2022 (n = 1,313,722; median age, 42 years; 54.6% men). We assessed the associations between remnant cholesterol calculated as total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol minus LDL cholesterol and composite CVD outcomes, including, ASCVD, HF, and AF using Cox proportional hazard model, dividing the individuals into tertiles of remnant cholesterol (T1-T3). RESULTS: The mean follow-up duration was 3.0 years. In total, 43,755 events were recorded. Remnant cholesterol was significantly associated with composite CVD outcomes after adjustments (T3 vs T1: hazard ratio [HR]; 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.10, p-trend<0.001). Remnant cholesterol was associated with myocardial infarction (T3 vs T1:HR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.34, p-trend=0.002), angina pectoris (T3 vs T1:HR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.05-1.14, p-trend<0.001), stroke (T3 vs T1:HR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.14, p-trend=0.007), and HF (T3 vs T1:HR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.04-1.12, p-trend<0.001), while we found a marginal inverse association between remnant cholesterol and AF (T3 vs T1:HR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86-1.00, p-trend=0.054). CONCLUSION: Remnant cholesterol was positively associated with ASCVD and HF, while we found a marginal inverse association between remnant cholesterol and AF.

A machine-learning-based prediction of non-home discharge among acute heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND: Scarce data on factors related to discharge disposition in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure (AHF) were available, and we sought to develop a parsimonious and simple predictive model for non-home discharge via machine learning. METHODS: This observational cohort study using a Japanese national database included 128,068 patients admitted from home for AHF between April 2014 and March 2018. The candidate predictors for non-home discharge were patient demographics, comorbidities, and treatment performed within 2 days after hospital admission. We used 80% of the population to develop a model using all 26 candidate variables and using the variable selected by 1 standard-error rule of Lasso regression, which enhances interpretability, and 20% to validate the predictive ability. RESULTS: We analyzed 128,068 patients, and 22,330 patients were not discharged to home; 7,879 underwent in-hospital death and 14,451 were transferred to other facilities. The machine-learning-based model consisted of 11 predictors, showing a discrimination ability comparable to that using all the 26 variables (c-statistic: 0.760 [95% confidence interval, 0.752-0.767] vs. 0.761 [95% confidence interval, 0.753-0.769]). The common 1SE-selected variables identified throughout all analyses were low scores in activities of daily living, advanced age, absence of hypertension, impaired consciousness, failure to initiate enteral alimentation within 2 days and low body weight. CONCLUSIONS: The developed machine learning model using 11 predictors had a good predictive ability to identify patients at high risk for non-home discharge. Our findings would contribute to the effective care coordination in this era when HF is rapidly increasing in prevalence.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is related to cardiovascular disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation. Results from a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, the prevalence of FH among a general population remains unknown, and it is unclear if FH is associated with other cardiovascular complications, including heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS: Analyses were conducted on individuals without a prior history of cardiovascular disease using a nationwide health claims database collected in the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2022 (n = 4,126,642; median age, 44 years; 57.5% men). We defined FH as either LDL cholesterol ≥250 mg/dL or LDL cholesterol ≥175 mg/dL under the lipid-lowering medications under the assumption that lipid-lowering medications reduced LDL cholesterol by 30%. We assessed the associations between FH and composite outcomes, including, ASCVD (myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, and stroke), HF, and AF using Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: We identified 11,983 (.29%) FH patients. In total, 181,150 events were recorded during the mean follow-up period of 3.5 years. The status FH was significantly associated with composite outcomes after adjustments (hazard ratio [HR]; 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30-1.47, p < .001). Interestingly, the status FH was significantly associated with HF (HR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.36-1.61, p < .001) and AF (HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.08-1.64, p < .001) in addition to angina pectoris (HR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.33-1.58, p < .001) and stroke (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.04-1.36, p < .001). CONCLUSION: We found that the prevalence of FH was .29% in a general population. FH was significantly associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, HF and AF. LAY SUMMARY: We sought to identify the prevalence of FH among a general population, and to clarify whether FH increases the risk of not only ASCVD but also HF and AF.

Myocardial DNA Damage Predicts Heart Failure Outcome in Various Underlying Diseases.

BACKGROUND: Reliable predictors of treatment efficacy in heart failure have been long awaited. DNA damage has been implicated as a cause of heart failure. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of DNA damage in myocardial tissue with treatment response and prognosis of heart failure. METHODS: The authors performed immunostaining of DNA damage markers poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) and γ-H2A.X in endomyocardial biopsy specimens from 175 patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) of various underlying etiologies. They calculated the percentage of nuclei positive for each DNA damage marker (%PAR and %γ-H2A.X). The primary outcome was left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) at 1 year, and the secondary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, heart transplantation, and ventricular assist device implantation. RESULTS: Patients who did not achieve LVRR after the optimization of medical therapies presented with significantly higher %PAR and %γ-H2A.X. The ROC analysis demonstrated good performance of both %PAR and %γ-H2A.X for predicting LVRR (AUCs: 0.867 and 0.855, respectively). There was a negative correlation between the mean proportion of DNA damage marker-positive nuclei and the probability of LVRR across different underlying diseases. In addition, patients with higher %PAR or %γ-H2A.X had more long-term clinical events (PAR HR: 1.63 [95% CI: 1.31-2.01]; P < 0.001; γ-H2A.X HR: 1.48 [95% CI: 1.27-1.72]; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: DNA damage determines the consequences of human heart failure. Assessment of DNA damage is useful to predict treatment efficacy and prognosis of heart failure patients with various underlying etiologies.