[Experiences from a multidisciplinary cardiogenetic clinic]. / Ärftliga hjärt­kärlsjukdomar ­ ett multidisciplinärt arbetssätt krävs.

Comprehensive genetic and clinical care of families with monogenic cardiovascular diseases requires competences from different medical specialties. Genetic assessment, cascade screening, risk estimation, treatment and follow-up is difficult to cover. Fourteen years ago, a center for cardiovascular diseases was created in our hospital, to improve the care of families with monogenic cardiovascular diseases. At our center, clinical geneticists, cardiologists, angiologists, pediatric cardiologists and genetic counselors work together in a seamless organization, while still having different clinic affiliations. A key feature of this organization are the family outpatient clinics, where the proband and his/her relatives at genetic risk are invited to take part. When the family or relatives live in other parts of the country, they are invited to participate through video conference.  In this paper we report our experiences and working routines from more than 300 families and 2000 individuals.

Plasma folate, but not homocysteine, is associated with Apolipoprotein A1 levels in a non-fortified population.

BACKGROUND: Elevated total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) in humans is associated with cardiovascular disease but prevention trials have failed to confirm causality. Reported reasons for this association have been that homocysteine and its major genetic determinant methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) may have an effect on HDL and Apolipoprotein (Apo) A1 levels. We wanted to study if tHcy and its major determinants were correlated with Apo A1 levels in a large population without folate fortification. METHODS: This study was a prospective incident nested case-referent study within the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study Cohort (NSHDSC), including 545 cases with first myocardial infarction and 1054 matched referents, median age at inclusion was 59 years. Univariate and multiple regression analyzes was used to study the associations between apolipoproteins Apo A1 and B, tHcy, folate and vitamin B12 in plasma as well as MTHFR polymorphisms 677C>T and 1298A>C. RESULTS: Apo A1 and Apo B were strongly associated with the risk of a first myocardial infarction. tHcy was not associated with Apo A1 levels. Instead, folate had an independent positive association with Apo A1 levels in univariate and multiple regression models. The associations were seen in all men and women, among referents but not among cases. MTHFR polymorphisms had no clear effect on Apo A1 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Analyzing over 1500 subjects we found an independent positive association between plasma folate (major dietary determinant of tHcy) and Apo A1 levels among those who later did not develop a first myocardial infarction. No association was seen between tHcy and Apo A1.

A reversal of decreasing trends in population cholesterol levels in Västerbotten County, Sweden.

BACKGROUND: High cholesterol is identified as a major risk factor for chronic non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Monitoring trends of cholesterol levels and comparing trends across population groups are important to assess population distribution and risks related to cholesterol change over time. Cholesterol surveillance data are lacking, even in high-income countries. OBJECTIVES: To describe the trends in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in different population groups and to estimate the risk of developing hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia in Västerbotten County, Sweden during 1990-2010. DESIGNS AND METHODS: Since 1990, 133,082 individuals living in Västerbotten County, Northern Sweden, invited on their 30th, 40th, 50th and 60th birthdays, participated in the Västerbotten Intervention Program. Ten years after baseline data collection, 34,868 individuals were surveyed for a second time. In addition to a self-administered health questionnaire (that included information on socioeconomic status, demographics, self-reported health and lifestyle behaviours), blood cholesterol and triglyceride were examined. RESULTS: The level and prevalence of hypercholesterolemia decreased significantly from 1990 to 2007, but the trends began to increase during 2008-2010 in men, women, and in all educational groups. Men had significantly higher serum triglyceride levels than women and their cholesterol levels were similar to those of the women. This study shows that those with basic education and who live in rural inlands had consistently higher triglyceride level than those who live in the city and have higher educational attainments. People with basic education are also at higher risk of developing hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia at 10-year follow-up; the risk is much higher among the older cohorts, particularly women. During 1990-2010, the proportion of participants who reported treatment with lipid-lowering agents increased from 1.1% to 9.6% among men and 0.5% to 5.3% among women. About 60% of those treated achieved treatment goals for cholesterol or triglycerides. CONCLUSIONS: The increasing trend in cholesterol level in the Västerbotten population during 2008-2010 needs to be closely monitored. Addressing the unequal distribution of cholesterol, as well as other risk factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, high blood glucose, among those with basic education, and particularly among populations in rural areas are important to prevent higher burdens of chronic non-communicable diseases in this population.

A randomized lifestyle intervention with 5-year follow-up in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance: pronounced short-term impact but long-term adherence problems.

AIMS: To compare data on cardiovascular risk factor changes in lipids, insulin, proinsulin, fibrinolysis, leptin and C-reactive protein, and on diabetes incidence, in relation to changes in lifestyle. METHODS: The study was a randomized lifestyle intervention trial conducted in northern Sweden between 1995 and 2000, in 168 individuals with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and body mass index above 27 at start. The intensive intervention group (n = 83) was subjected to a 1-month residential lifestyle programme. The usual care group (n = 85) participated in a health examination ending with a single counselling session. Follow-up was conducted at 1, 3 and 5 years. RESULTS: At 1-year follow-up, an extensive cardio-metabolic risk factor reduction was demonstrated in the intensive intervention group, along with a 70% decrease of progress to type 2 diabetes. At 5-year follow-up, most of these beneficial effects had disappeared. Reported physical activity and fibre intake as well as high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were still increased, and fasting insulin and proinsulin were lower. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention affected several important cardio-metabolic risk variables beneficially, and reduced the risk for type 2 diabetes, but the effects persisted only as long as the new lifestyle was maintained. Increased physical activity seemed to be the behaviour that was most easy to preserve.

Sex-related differences in the associations between hyperleptinemia, insulin resistance and dysfibrinolysis.

The adipocyte-derived hormone leptin is associated with insulin resistance and reduced fibrinolytic status--or dysfibrinolysis--in humans. As leptin associates differentially to the development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in men and women, we hypothesized that leptin and insulin sensitivity are related to dysfibrinolysis in a sex-dependent manner. Thirty-two men and 40 women were recruited from the Monitoring of trends and determinants in Cardiovascular disease (MONICA) population sample, representing the highest and lowest quartiles of fasting insulin levels. Lipids, fibrinolytic status [plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) activity, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) mass and activity, and tPA-PAI complex], leptin, testosterone and sex-hormone-binding globulin were measured. Insulin sensitivity was estimated using the euglycaemic clamp technique. Body composition was determined by bioimpedance. Determinants for circulating levels of fibrinolytic factors were explored in a multivariate linear regression analysis. Levels of fibrinolytic variables and estimated insulin sensitivity did not differ between men and women. Leptin was independently associated with reduced fibrinolytic status (high PAI-1 activity, low tPA activity, high tPA mass, and high tPA-PAI complex) in men (P < 0.001-0.002). In women, fat mass and/or insulin sensitivity were related to these factors (P < 0.001-0.03), and leptin only to reduced tPA activity (P = 0.002). Hyperleptinemia, dysfibrinolysis, insulin sensitivity and androgenicity associate differentially in men and women.

Improved fibrinolytic activity during exercise may be an effect of the adipocyte-derived hormones leptin and adiponectin.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity is associated with improved fibrinolytic activity and reduced risk for cardiovascular disease. High levels of leptin and low levels of adiponectin, both adipocyte-derived hormones, or adipokines, are related to dysfibrinolysis and risk for cardiovascular disease. In this study, we explored if improved fibrinolytic activity during exercise could be linked to changes in leptin and adiponectin levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty healthy men (mean age 36 years) participated in a 14-day long skiing expedition in the Swedish mountains. They were randomly assigned to either a 40% or a 30% fat-based diet. Anthropometry, lipids, fibrinolytic activity (PAI-1 activity, tPA activity and mass) and adipokines (leptin and adiponectin) were measured before, during and six weeks after the expedition. RESULTS: PAI-1 activity and circulating levels of leptin decreased whereas levels of adiponectin increased during exercise. The fall in PAI-1 activity showed a strong linear association with changes in leptin and adiponectin levels (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Changes in leptin and adiponectin levels were independent of decreasing waist circumference. However, the association between anthropometric measures and adipokines changed considerably during the expedition. Adiponectin was weakly and negatively associated with BMI at baseline. In contrast, there was a strong positive association between adiponectin and BMI after two weeks of exercise, whereas the association between leptin and BMI became less pronounced. In addition, increasing leptin and decreasing adiponectin levels were associated with increasing PAI-1 activity during the six weeks following the expedition. After six weeks of normal activity, fibrinolytic activity and hormone levels returned towards baseline levels. CONCLUSION: Heavy exercise induced improved fibrinolytic activity, which was associated independently with changes in circulating levels of the adipocyte-derived hormones leptin and adiponectin. Improved fibrinolytic activity (and reduced risk for cardiovascular disease) related to physical activity could possibly be mediated by leptin and adiponectin.

Effect of sibutramine on weight reduction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of sibutramine together with brief lifestyle modification for weight reduction in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Investigator-initiated, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial. SETTING: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology in primary care, referral centers, and private practice. PATIENT(S): Forty-two patients with confirmed PCOS were included in the study, and 34 patients completed the study. INTERVENTION: Sibutramine 15 mg once daily together with brief lifestyle modification was compare with placebo together with brief lifestyle modification. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The primary endpoint was to assess weight loss. Secondary endpoints included the efficacy of sibutramine for treatment of menstrual pattern and cardiovascular risk factors. RESULT(S): After 6 months the sibutramine group had lost 7.8 +/- 5.1 kg compared with a weight loss of 2.8 +/- 6.2 kg in the placebo group. Sibutramine treatment resulted in significant decreases in apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A ratio, triglycerides, and cystatin C levels. CONCLUSION(S): Sibutramine in combination with lifestyle intervention results in significant weight reduction in obese patients with PCOS. In addition to the weight loss, sibutramine seems to have beneficial effects on metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors.

In face of the increasing efficacy of lipid-lowering therapy, is there still a place for LDL-apheresis?

Based on a large body of evidence, high LDL-cholesterol concentrations in blood is a key factor of coronary heart disease (CHD). Overall, the observational studies show a curvilinear relationship between blood cholesterol level and coronary heart disease risk. Even more relevant are the randomised trials, firmly establishing that within just a few years a cholesterol-lowering therapy confers a dramatic effect on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. More recent studies indicate that there is a greater risk reduction in those subjects achieving lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels--i.e. lower is better. While this favours aggressive therapy, it is nevertheless imperative to precise patients selection for every therapy that entails a major commitment for the patient and medical community. Therefore, well-defined criteria for use of LDL-apheresis have yet to be established in the light of the expanding therapeutic armamentarium. Based on the current knowledge of the impact of statin therapy and anticipating that new options will further optimize the management of dyslipidemia in high-risk patients, we propose a reliable assessment of the effects of LDL-apheresis.

Interactions between fibrinolysis, lipoproteins and leptin related to a first myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The summarized importance of haemostatic and metabolic variables (insulin, lipids including lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] and leptin) in predicting first myocardial infarction, as well as possible interactions among these variables, have not been reported. DESIGN: A prospective case-control study nested within the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort. METHODS: Sixty-two men diagnosed with a first myocardial infarction were sex- and age-matched with 124 controls. Conditional logistic regression was conducted including established risk factors, plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) mass concentration, von Willebrand factor, insulin, proinsulin, specific insulin, apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I), Lp(a), and leptin. Interaction analysis was also performed for tPA, apo A-I, Lp(a), leptin and proinsulin. RESULTS: Smoking, low plasma levels of apo A-I and high plasma levels of cholesterol, Lp(a), tPA, PAI-1, proinsulin and leptin were associated with myocardial infarction in univariate conditional logistic regression analysis. High tPA [odds ratio (OR), 21.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.04-222] and Lp(a) (OR, 7.21; 95% CI, 1.31-39.8) and low apo A-I (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.02-0.93) remained significant risk determinants in multivariate analysis with smoking habits, body mass index, hypertension, cholesterol, and diabetes included as covariates. There were non-significant synergic interactions between high Lp(a) and leptin and tPA, respectively, and between high Lp(a) and low apo A-I. CONCLUSION: Plasma levels of tPA, Lp(a), and apo A-I are independently associated with subsequent development of a first myocardial infarction in men.

A 52-week, multicenter, randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, double-dummy study to assess the efficacy of atorvastatin and simvastatin in reaching low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride targets: the treat-to-target (3T) study.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines for the prevention of coronary heart disease call for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction as the primary target of treatment and reduction of triglycerides (TG) as an additional target. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of atorvastatin and simvastatin to reduce LDL-C and TG concentrations and to meet 3 target lipid levels: LDL-C or=4.0 mmol/L (>or=155 mg/dL), were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive once-daily oral treatment with 20 mg atorvastatin or 20 mg simvastatin. Fasting (12-hour) blood samples for the estimation of lipid levels and clinical laboratory values were collected after 4, 8, 12, 26, and 52 weeks. The dose was doubled after 12 weeks if the target National Cholesterol Education Program level of LDL-C (

Tissue-specific changes in peripheral cortisol metabolism in obese women: increased adipose 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity.

Cushing's syndrome and the metabolic syndrome share clinical similarities. Reports of alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are inconsistent, however, in the metabolic syndrome. Recent data highlight the importance of adipose 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1), which regenerates cortisol from cortisone and, when overexpressed in fat, produces central obesity and glucose intolerance. Here we assessed the HPA axis and 11beta-HSD1 activity in women with moderate obesity and insulin resistance. Forty women were divided into tertiles according to body mass index (BMI; median, 22.0, 27.5, and 31.4, respectively). Serum cortisol levels were measured after iv CRH, low dose dexamethasone suppression, and oral cortisone administration. Urinary cortisol metabolites were measured in a 24-h sample. A sc abdominal fat biopsy was obtained in 14 participants for determination of 11beta-HSD type 1 activity in vitro. Higher BMI was associated with higher total cortisol metabolite excretion (r = 0.49; P < 0.01), mainly due to increased 5alpha- and, to a lesser extent, 5beta-tetrahydrocortisol excretion, but no difference in plasma cortisol basally, after dexamethasone, or after CRH, and only a small increase in the ACTH response to CRH. Hepatic 11beta-HSD1 conversion of oral cortisone to cortisol was impaired in obese women (area under the curve, 147,736 +/- 28,528, 115,903 +/- 26,032, and 90,460 +/- 18,590 nmol/liter.min; P < 0.001). However, 11beta-HSD activity in adipose tissue was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.55; P < 0.05). In obese females increased reactivation of glucocorticoids in fat may contribute to the characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. Increased inactivation of cortisol in liver may be responsible for compensatory activation of the HPA axis. These alterations in cortisol metabolism may be a basis for novel therapeutic strategies to reduce obesity-related complications.