Temporal trends in the incidence of malignancy in heart failure: a nationwide Danish study.

AIMS: Cancer and heart failure (HF) share risk factors, pathophysiological mechanisms, and possibly genetics. Improved HF survival may increase the risk of cancer due to a competing risk. Whether the incidence of cancer has increased over time in patients with HF as survival has improved is unclear. Therefore, temporal trends of new onset cancer in HF patients between 1997 and 2016 were investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using Danish nationwide registers, 103 711 individuals alive, free of cancer, and aged 30-80 years 1 year after HF diagnosis (index date) were included between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2016. A five-year incidence rate of cancer for each year after index date was calculated. The median age and proportion of women at the index date decreased with advancing calendar time [1997-2001: 70.3 interquartile range (Q1-Q3 62.5-75.7), 60.9% men; 2012-16: 67.6 (59.2-73.8), 67.5% men]. The five-year incidence rate of cancer was 20.9 and 20.2 per 1,000 person-years in 1997 and 2016, respectively. In a multivariable Cox regression model, the hazard rates between index years 1997 (reference) and 2016 were not significantly different [hazard ratio 1.09 (0.97-1.23)]. The five-year absolute risk of cancer did not change with advancing calendar year, going from 9.0% (1997-2001) to 9.0% (2012-16). Five-year cumulative incidence of survival for HF patients increased with advancing calendar year, going from 55.9% (1997-2001) to 74.3% (2012-2016). CONCLUSION: Although cancer rates during 1997-2016 have remained stable within 1-6 years after the HF diagnosis, long-term survival following a HF diagnosis has increased significantly.

Temporal trends in major cardiovascular events following first-time myocardial infarction in the reperfusion era - a Danish nationwide cohort study from 2000 to 2017.

AIM: We investigated temporal trends in major cardiovascular events following first-time myocardial infarction (MI) and trends in revascularization and pharmacotherapy from 2000 to 2017. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using nationwide registries, we identified 120 833 Danish patients with a first-time MI between 2000 and 2017. We investigated 30-day and 1-year mortality and the 1-year risk of first-time admission for heart failure (HF) and recurrent MI. Patients were younger with a higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in 2015-2017 compared with 2000-2002. The patients were predominantly male (65.6%), and the median age declined by 3 years through the periods. Percutaneous coronary interventions within 7 days after first-time MI increased significantly (2000: 11.4% vs. 2017: 68.6%; Ptrend < 0.001). Cardiovascular medication after first-time MI changed significantly in the same period. Absolute risks and adjusted rates of outcomes were significantly lower in 2015-2017 compared with 2000-2002: 30-day mortality: 6.5% vs. 14.1% [hazard ratio (HR) 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48-0.55); 1-year mortality 10.7% vs. 21.8% (HR 0.52, 95% CI: 0.50-0.55); recurrent MI: 4.0% vs. 7.8% (HR 0.56, 95% CI: 0.51-0.62); and first-time admission for HF: 2.9% vs. 3.7% (HR 0.82, 95% CI: 0.73-0.92). The rates of 30-day/1-year mortality and recurrent MI showed significantly decreasing trends (Ptrend < 0.001). The rates of first-time admission for HF were borderline significant (Ptrend = 0.045). CONCLUSION: From 2000 to 2017, we observed a decreasing risk of recurrent MI, first-time admission for HF, and all-cause mortality in patients with a first-time MI. In the same period, we observed a high rate of guideline-recommended pharmacological treatment after first-time MI as well as increasing rate of early revascularization in Denmark. TRANSLATIONAL PERSPECTIVES: The results from the current study portrait the risk of all-cause mortality, recurrent MI, and first-time admission for HF in a real-life setting with a very high utilization of early revascularization and guideline-recommended pharmacological therapy. We observed a temporal trend of improved survival, reduced risk of recurrent MI, as well as reduced risk of first-time admission for HF after first-time MI from 2000 through 2017. We observed an increase in the overall use of revascularization, as well as early revascularization and use of guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy. Our study reveals important results from real-life, nationwide data, showing a reduced risk of cardiovascular outcomes after first-time MI during the past 20 years. Current guidelines are based on results from clinical trials. Our real-life results add additionally important knowledge on patients' prognosis after first-time MI and underline the importance of treating MI according to guideline recommendations.

Adherence and Discontinuation of Optimal Heart Failure Therapies According to Age: A Danish Nationwide Study.

Background Guideline-recommended disease-modifying pharmacological therapies for heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction are underutilized, particularly among elderly patients. We studied the association of age in adherence and discontinuation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ACEi/ARB), ß-blockers (BB), and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. Methods and Results Patients with a first heart failure diagnosis who had initiated ACEi/ARB and BB within 120 days of presentation were included from nationwide registries and divided into 3 age groups: <65 years (reference), 65 to 79, and ≥80. One-year median proportions of daily target doses were calculated. Adherence was estimated by the proportion of days covered. The 5-year risk of discontinuation was assessed with the Aalen-Johansen estimator. Discontinuation rates were evaluated using Multivariable Cox regression. Twenty-nine thousand four hundred eighty-two patients were included. Advancing age was associated with lower median proportions of daily target doses and adherence (ACEi/ARB 79.1%, 77.5%, and 69.4%; BB 79.1%, 78.6%, and 73.8%), in the <65, 65 to 79, and ≥80 age groups, respectively. Age ≥80 was associated with higher discontinuation rates (cumulative incidence, ACEi/ARB 41%, 44%, and 51%; BB 38%, 35%, and 39%; hazard ratio, ACEi/ARB 1.60 [95% CI, 1.51-1.69]; BB 1.33 [95% CI, 1.25-1.41]). The risk of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists discontinuation differed little with age (50%, 54%, and 56%), although mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists initiation in the most elderly was less frequent (33%, 33%, and 22%). Conclusions In a nationwide cohort of patients with heart failure, advanced age was associated with lower proportions of daily target doses, lower adherence, and higher discontinuation rates of ACEi/ARB and BBs. Focus on treatment adherence and optimal dosages among elderly patients with heart failure could improve outcomes.