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Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysms are often an accidental finding and result from a degenerative process. Medical therapy includes pharmacological control of arterial hypertension and smoking cessation, that slows the growth of aneurysms. An association between the dilatation of the ascending and abdominal aorta has been already reported. The aim of the study was to identify possible demographic and clinical factors that may implicate further imaging diagnostics in patients with ascending aorta dilatation. Methods: There were 181 (93 (53%) males and 88 (47%) females) patients with a median age of 54 (41-62) years who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance due to non-vascular diseases, were enrolled into retrospective analysis. Results: Multivariable analysis revealed ascending aorta dilatation (odds ratios (OR) = 7.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.98-28.0, p = 0.003) and co-existence of coronary artery disease (OR = 8.68, 95% CI: 2.15-35.1, p = 0.002) as significant predictors for thoracic descending aorta dilatation. In patients with abdominal aorta dilatation, the multivariable analysis showed a predictive value of ascending aortic dilatation (OR = 14.8, 95% CI: 2.36-92.8, p = 0.004) and age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00-1.08, p = 0.027). In addition, cut-off values were established for age groups determining the risk of thoracic aorta dilatation over 49 years and abdominal aorta dilatation over 54 years. Conclusions: The results of our analysis showed predictive factors, including ascending aorta dilatation and co-existence of coronary artery disease, particularly over 49 years of age for thoracic, while ascending aorta dilatation and age, particularly over 54 years, for abdominal aorta dilatation. These features may be considered to increase clinical vigilance in patients with aortic diameter abnormalities.
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BACKGROUND: An imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory mechanisms is indicated in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic plaque. The coronary artery and carotid disease, despite sharing similar risk factors, are developed separately. The aim of this study was to analyze possible mechanisms between trace element hair-scalp concentrations and whole blood counts that favor atherosclerotic plaque progression in certain locations. METHODS: There were 65 (36 (55%) males and 29 (45%) females) patients with a median age of 68 (61-73) years enrolled in a prospective, preliminary, multicenter analysis. The study group was composed of 13 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD group) referred for surgical revascularization due to multivessel coronary disease, 34 patients with carotid artery disease (carotid group) admitted for vascular procedure, and 18 patients in a control group (control group). RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the CAD and carotid groups regarding lymphocyte (p = 0.004) counts. The biochemical comparison between the coronary and carotid groups revealed significant differences regarding chromium (Cr) (p = 0.002), copper (Cu) (p < 0.001), and zinc (Zn) (p < 0.001) concentrations. Spearman Rank Order Correlations between lymphocyte counts and trace elements in the analyzed groups were performed, revealing a strong correlation with zinc (R = 0.733, p < 0.001) in the control group (non-CAD, non-carotid). CONCLUSION: Significant differences in hair-scalp concentrations related to atherosclerosis location were observed in our analysis. The interplay between zinc concentration and lymphocyte count may play a pivotal role in cardiovascular disease development.
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One of the causes of hypertension is excess weight gain, which can also affect the course of this disease. Both the diagnosis and management of hypertension commonly use ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; the results of which correlate more strongly with cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular death than office blood pressure monitoring. We evaluated blood pressure values and their variability from hour to hour to see if and when they differed between hypertensive patients with and without obesity. The study included 1345 patients who underwent 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and then were divided into groups according to body mass index and waist circumference. The obtained data were analyzed according to the subjects' wake-up time, and short-term blood pressure variability parameters were calculated as the mean of the absolute values of the differences between consecutive measurements. The systolic blood pressure in obese subjects was significantly higher between 1 and 5 h before waking than in normal-weighted individuals. In turn, the variability in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was higher with increasing body mass index. The difference in systolic blood pressure values and blood pressure variability was most prominent in the last 5 h of sleep in obese patients.
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Several studies showed the role of trace elements in the increase in human susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases. Carotid artery stenosis is a leading cause of ischemic neurological events. We aimed to analyze the potential role of trace elements in hair as biomarkers of atherosclerotic carotid artery disease. Materials and Methods: Fifty-seven (n = 31 (54%) men and n = 26 (46%) women) individuals with a mean age of 67.7 ± 7.7 years who were white, European, non-Hispanic, and non-Latino were diagnosed and treated in hypertensiology/internal medicine and surgical departments over three consecutive months. Of these patients, forty were diagnosed with advanced carotid artery disease, and seventeen comprised a group of healthy controls. Inflammatory and oncological diseases were exclusion criteria. Hair samples were collected, and 14 trace elements were analyzed. Clinical and laboratory data were compared and revealed differences in the co-existence of diabetes (p = 0.036) and smoking history (p = 0.041). In the multivariable analysis, zinc, chrome, and copper revealed predictive value for the occurrence of carotid artery disease, and their combined receiver operating curve showed area under the curve of 0.935, with a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 82.4%. Conclusion: Our report shows the significance of trace elements analyses in patients with advanced carotid artery disease. We revealed that zinc, copper, and chrome concentrations are of particular importance in differentiating atherosclerotic disease and may serve as biomarkers of carotid atherosclerosis. Hair samples represent an easily obtained and beneficial biomatrix for the assessment of biomarkers.