Stress hyperglycemia and poor outcomes in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Hyperglycemia, characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, is frequently observed in patients with acute coronary syndrome, including ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). There are conflicting sources regarding the relationship between hyperglycemia and outcomes in STEMI patients. We aimed to compile evidence to assess the association between hyperglycemia and adverse outcomes. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search for articles on PubMed and Embase using search strategies which yielded 4,061 articles. After full-text screening, 66 articles were included for systematic review, and 62 articles were further selected for meta-analysis. Results: The 66 included articles spanned the years 2005-2023. Of these, 45 articles reported admission blood glucose, 13 articles used HbA1c, and 7 articles studied fasting blood glucose. Most studies defined STEMI with primary PCI as their inclusion criteria. Mortality was the most often outcome reported related to hyperglycemia. Overall, 55 (83.3%) studies were at low risk of bias. Both admission and fasting blood glucose were significantly related to short- and long-term mortality after STEMI, with a pooled risk ratio (RR) of 3.02 (95%CI: 2.65-3.45) and 4.47 (95% CI: 2.54-7.87), respectively. HbA1c showed substantial association with long-term mortality (HR 1.69, 95% CI: 1.31-2.18)) with a pooled RR of 1.58 (95% CI 1.26-1.97). In subsequent analyses, admission hyperglycemia was associated with an increased risk of reinfarction (pooled RR 1.69, 95% CI 1.31-2.17), heart failure (pooled RR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.37-1.77), cardiogenic shock (pooled RR 3.68, 95% CI 2.65-5.11), repeat PCI or stent thrombosis (pooled RR 1.99, 95% CI 1.21-3.28), and composite major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (pooled RR 1.99, 95% CI: 1.54-2.58). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that hyperglycemia has a strong association with poor outcomes after STEMI. Admission and fasting blood glucose are predictors for short-term outcomes, while HbA1c is more appropriate for predicting longer-term outcomes in STEMI patients. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO 2021 (CRD42021292985).

In-hospital mortality of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after implementation of national health insurance (NHI) in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: The National Health Insurance (NHI) was implemented in Indonesia in 2014, and cardiovascular diseases are one of the diseases that have overburdened the healthcare system. However, data concerning the relationship between NHI and cardiovascular healthcare in Indonesia are scarce. We aimed to describe changes in cardiovascular healthcare after the implementation of the NHI while determining whether the implementation of the NHI is related to the in-hospital mortality of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: This is a retrospective comparative study of two cohorts in which we compared the data of 364 patients with ACS from 2013 to 2014 (Cohort 1), before and early after NHI implementation, with those of 1142 patients with ACS from 2018 to 2020 (Cohort 2), four years after NHI initiation, at a tertiary cardiac center in Makassar, Indonesia. We analyzed the differences between both cohorts using chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test. To determine the association between NHI and in-hospital mortality, we conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We observed an increase in NHI users (20.1% to 95.6%, p < 0.001) accompanied by a more than threefold increase in patients with ACS admitted to the hospital in Cohort 2 (from 364 to 1142, p < 0.001). More patients with ACS received invasive treatment in Cohort 2, with both thrombolysis and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) rates increasing more than twofold (9.2% to 19.2%; p < 0.001). There was a 50.8% decrease in overall in-hospital mortality between Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated the potential beneficial effect of universal health coverage (UHC) in improving cardiovascular healthcare by providing more accessible treatment. It can provide evidence to urge the Indonesian government and other low- and middle-income nations dealing with cardiovascular health challenges to adopt and prioritize UHC.

Effect of age and gender on high - Sensitivity C - Reactive protein levels serum on health worker with latent tuberculosis and healthy control.

BACKGROUND: Latent tuberculosis is defined as a state of persistent immune response stimulated by Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens with no evidence and signs of active TB . Health workers have a high risk of developing latent TB disease due to occupational exposure from patients. High sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) assays have been developed for special values that may indicate low-grade inflammatory lesions as is true in measurement of latent tuberculosis infection. Factors that affect CRP levels are gender and age. Our study is conducted to asses effect of age and gender on Hs- CReactive protein leves serum on health worker with latent tuberculosis and healthy control. METHOD: This research is a cross sectional study using primary data. The research was conducted at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Makassa Hospital and Community Center For Lung Health In South Sulawesi. Studied subject were recruited by consecutivesampling, in which the patient who met the inclusion criteria and then the serum HsCRP test was measured. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. RESULT: During the study period , 80 subjects met the inclusion criteria. At age ≤ 32 years, the mean HsCRP was found to be lower in latent TB than in healthy controls, but not statistically significant (p>0.370). At age >32 years, the mean HsCRP was found to be higher in latent TB than in healthy controls, but not statistically significant (p>2.49). In males, the mean HsCRP was found to be higher in latent TB than in healthy controls, but not statistically significant (P =0.584). In women, the mean HsCRP was found to be lower in latent TB than in healthy controls, but not statistically significant (P =0.712). CONCLUSION: Serum HsCRP levels were found to be higher in latent TB subjects with increasing age and male gender but not statistically significant.

Clinical Cardiology in South East Asia: Indonesian Lessons from the Present towards Improvement.

Although cardiovascular care has improved in the last decade in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in South-East Asia Region; these countries, particularly Indonesia, are still encountering a number of challenges in providing standardized healthcare systems. This article aimed to highlight the current state of cardiology practices in primary and secondary care, including the novel cardiovascular risk factors, recommendations for improving the quality of care, and future directions of cardiovascular research in limited settings in South-East Asia. We also provided the most recent evidence by addressing our latest findings on cardiovascular research in Indonesia, a region where infrastructure, human, and financial resources are largely limited. Improving healthcare policies to reduce a nations' exposure to CVD risk factors, providing affordable and accessible cardiovascular care both at primary and secondary levels, and increasing capacity building for clinical research should be warranted in the LMICs in South-East Asia.

CYP2A6 gene polymorphism and severity of coronary atherosclerosis in Indonesian male smokers: A pilot study.

Nicotine is a toxic alkaloid known to be responsible for the addictive feature of cigarettes. CYP2A6 genetic polymorphism among individuals was suspected to explain the relationship between cigarette smoking and related diseases. CYP2A6 works to slow nicotine metabolism and thus maintain a more prolonged nicotine concentration and increase nicotine exposure to the blood. We aimed to investigate the correlation between the CYP2A6 gene with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis. This cross-sectional study was conducted from April to July 2010 in Makassar Cardiac Centre, Dr Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, Indonesia. Sixty-four male active smokers at the age of ≥45 years, diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD), were recruited and asked to smoke the usual number of cigarettes in the last 1 month prior to blood collection for CYP2A6 genotyping. Spearman correlation was performed to analyze the association between the allele variants and coronary stenosis degree, adjusted for CAD risk factors. Furthermore, we estimated the risk ratio to quantify the correlation. Of the 64 male smokers with CAD, the mean duration of smoking was 36.9 ± 8.6 years, and 49 (76.6%) were heavy smokers with >20 cigarettes per day. All 128 alleles were observed. Our results showed that all participants with CYP2A6 variants had a significant correlation with severe coronary artery stenosis (P = .006). Thus, this study suggests that the mutant CYP2A6 gene allele significantly increased the risk of having severe coronary stenosis 1.2 times higher compared to the wild type. This pilot study showed that CYP2A6 gene has an influential role in atherosclerotic development in male smokers. However, our findings should be confirmed with further more extensive studies.

Peak oxygen uptake and metabolic equivalents explained by six-minute walk test: A prospective observational study in predicting heart failure patient readmission.

Background: Current statistics indicate that the overall cost of heart disease exceeds IDR 6.67 trillion per year. This growing concern has led researches on heart failure patient readmission in developing countries, and opened discussions on tactics to suppress hospital readmission rates. This study assesses the potential of VO2max and METs obtained from the 6-min walk test in predicting heart failure patient readmission. Methods: This seven-month prospective cohort study recruited patients with heart failure which then underwent the 6-min walk test before discharged. Walking distance, estimated VO2 max, and METs were calculated and recorded. Patients were then followed-up for 3 months to track readmissions under the same diagnosis during the research period. The correlation between VO2max and METs with patient readmission was assessed. Results: A total of 93 samples were included in this study. The results demonstrated that VO2max and METs correlate with incidence of heart failure readmission ≤30 days post discharge, with VO2max showing a moderate ability to predict patient readmissions with a cut-off of 14.5 mL/kgBW/minute (C = 0.750, p < 0.001), while METs showed a weak ability to predict readmissions with a cut-off of 3.8 (C = 0.743, p < 0.001). Conclusions: VO2 max and METs values acquired from 6MWT examination correlates with heart failure patient readmission ≤30 days. This knowledge can be used to prevent increased readmission rates, therefore hoping that it will be able to reduce the burden of treatment costs on heart failure patients.

Doxorubicin induced immune abnormalities and inflammatory responses via HMGB1, HIF1-α and VEGF pathway in progressive of cardiovascular damage.

Background: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a commonly used treatment for cancer and the mechanism of DOX-induced cardiomyocyte damage in cardiovascular disease is not fully understood. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), strong induce proinflammatory cytokines via damage associated molecular pattern (DAMP) which its interaction with the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE), that affect cytokine release, and angiogenesis via the role of HMBG1, HIF-1α and VEGF as an important regulator in these cardiac failure processes. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is plays an important role in the cellular response to systemic oxygen levels of cells and VEGF is an angiogenic factor and can stimulate cellular responses on the surface of endothelial cells will be described. Objective: The aim of this article is to comprehensively review the role of HMGB1, HIF-1α, and VEGF in DOX-induced Cardiovascular Disease and its molecular mechanisms. Methods: The data in this study were collect by search the keyword combinations of medical subject headings (MeSH) of "HMGB1", "HIF-1 α", "VEGF", "DOX" and "Cardiovascular disease" and relevant reference lists were manually searched in PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus database. All relevant articles in data base above were included and narratively discussed in this review article. Results: Several articles were revealed that molecular mechanisms of the DOX in cardiomyocyte damage and related to HMGB1, HIF-1α and VEGF and may potential treatment and prevention to cardiovascular disease in DOX intervention. Conclusion: HMGB1, HIF-1α and VEGF has a pivotal regulator in DOX-induce cardiomyocyte damage and predominantly acts through different pathways. The role of HMGB1 in DOX-induced myocardial damage suggests that HMGB1 is a mediator of DOX-induced damage. In addition, DOX can inhibit HIF-1α activity where DOX can decrease HIF-1α expression and HIF-1α is also responsible for upregulation of several angiogenic factors, including VEGF. VEGF plays an important role in angiogenesis and anti-angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo and reduces the side effects of DOX markedly. In addition, the administration of anti-angiogenesis will show an inhibitory effect on angiogenesis mediated by the VEGF signaling pathway and triggered by DOX in cells.

Telemedicine for detecting Brugada Syndrome in eastern Indonesia: A multi-center prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of Brugada syndrome has been reported to occur mostly in Asian countries. However, key countries such as Indonesia, the largest-populated Southeast Asian country, have yet to report any existing data regarding the incidence of Brugada syndrome among its population. Detecting these patients has been challenging, especially in primary healthcare settings, which generally have limited resources. Telemedicine may represent an ideal solution for initial diagnosis to determine if a patient may have this condition. METHODS: We collected and analyzed numerous 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECG) of patients who visited various healthcare centers in Makassar for routine medical check-up between June 2017-April 2018. Electrocardiograms from these centers were sent to the Cardiac Center at Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital in Makassar via telemedicine. RESULTS: During the period, we successfully obtained 9558 ECGs. While none of the patients were initially suspected of Brugada Syndrome, we found 102 (1.07%) among them to have a Brugada ECG pattern (BrEP). BrEP was more commonly found in males compared to females (67.6% vs. 32.4% of the cases found). There were significant differences in the number of confirmed cases among the types of BrEP for male and female patients. The number of confirmed cases of BrEP in male and female patients were significantly different (p < 0.05), where the number of cases for male vs. female was 8 vs. 4 for type 1, 17 vs. 1 for type 2, and 44 vs. 28 for type 3. CONCLUSION: Brugada syndrome is a disease that is at grave risk of being frequently underdiagnosed. Our study indicates that telemedicine can become an appropriate tool that can assist physicians in detecting suspected patients. Future efforts should also be directed at studying the possible use of telemedicine for detecting other similarly rare conditions.

Tele-ECG consulting and outcomes on primary care patients in a low-to-middle income population: the first experience from Makassar telemedicine program, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine has been a popular tool to overcome the lack of access to healthcare facilities, primarily in underprivileged populations. We aimed to describe and assess the implementation of a tele-electrocardiography (ECG) program in primary care settings in Indonesia, and subsequently examine the short- and mid-term outcomes of patients who have received tele-ECG consultations. METHODS: ECG recordings from thirty primary care centers were transmitted to Makassar Cardiac Center, Indonesia from January to July 2017. We cross-sectionally measured the performance of this tele-ECG program, and prospectively sent a detailed questionnaire to general practitioners (GPs) at the primary care centers. We performed follow-up at 30 days and at the end of the study period to assess the patient outcomes. RESULTS: Of 505 recordings, all (100%) ECGs were qualified for analysis, and about half showed normal findings. The mean age of participants was 53.3 ± 13.6 years, and 40.2% were male. Most (373, 73.9%) of these primary care patients exhibited manifested CVD symptom with at least one risk factor. Male patients had more ischemic ECGs compared to women (p < 0.01), while older age (> 55 years) was associated with ischemic or arrhythmic ECGs (p < 0.05). Factors significantly associated with a normal ECG were younger age, female gender, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and no history of previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) or medication. More patients with an abnormal ECG had a history of hypertension, known diabetes, and were current smokers (p < 0.05). Of all tele-consultations, GPs reported 95% of satisfaction rate, and 296 (58.6%) used tele-ECG for an expert opinion. Over the total follow-up (14 ± 6.6 months), seven (1.4%) patients died and 96 (19.0%) were hospitalized for CVD. Of 88 patients for whom hospital admission was advised, 72 (81.8%) were immediately referred within 48 h following the tele-ECG consultation. CONCLUSIONS: Tele-ECG can be implemented in Indonesian primary care settings with limited resources and may assist GPs in immediate triage, resulting in a higher rate of early hospitalization for indicated patients.

Park Algorithm as Predictor of Premature Ventricular Contraction Origin in Three-Dimensional Mapping Electrophysiological Studies.

PURPOSE: In the past few years, premature ventricular contraction (PVC) has attracted immense attention, both in patients with or without structural heart disease. Despite the technological advancement, no guiding tools are currently available to assist in the prediction of origin of PVC using a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) before electrophysiology and ablation procedures. Park and co-workers compiled the existing algorithms for the morphology of ECG from the literature and generated a single algorithm based on specific features of ECG for the prediction of PVC origin. The Park algorithm is limited to idiopathic PVC and has not been evaluated clinically. In the present study, the Park algorithm was used to predict PVC origin in patients with or without structural heart disease and compared with the gold standard examination based on three-dimensional electrophysiological mapping studies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study employing ECG data and electrophysiology study (EPS) reports from patients' medical records at Integrated Heart Center Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital, Makassar, Indonesia was conducted. The study was performed from April 2018 to June 2019 with a total of 31 samples; however, four samples were excluded during the EPS. RESULTS: In the present study, the incidence of structural heart disease was 45.2%. The suitability of the Park algorithm for electrophysiological evaluation was 85.2%, both in the case of PVC with and/or without structural heart disease. The prediction of the origin of PVC in the right or left heart using the Park algorithm showed a sensitivity of 95%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, negative predictive value of 87.5%, and accuracy of 96%. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study suggest significant accuracy of the Park algorithm in the prediction of location of origin of PVC. High sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of the Park algorithm highlight its suitability to be used for determining the location of PVC origin in the right or left heart.

Adherence to guideline recommendations for coronary angiography in a poor South-East Asian setting: Impact on short- and medium-term clinical outcomes.

In South-East Asian populations and particularly in Indonesia, access to coronary angiography (CAG) is limited. We aimed to assess the adherence for undergoing CAG for indicated patients, according to the guideline recommendations. We then examined whether this adherence would have an impact on patients' short- and medium-term mortality and morbidity. We consecutively enrolled 474 patients with acute and stable coronary artery disease who had indication for CAG at Makassar Cardiac Center, Indonesia from February 2013 to December 2014. We found that adherence to CAG recommendation in poor South-East Asian setting is low. Of 474 recommended patients, only 273 (57.6%) underwent the procedure. Factors for not undergoing CAG were: older age, female gender, low educational and socio-economic status, and insurance type. While reasons for patients refusing CAG and subsequent intervention included fear, symptoms reduction, and lack of trust concerning the procedure benefit. During follow-up (median 19 (IQR 6-39.3) months), 155 (32.7%) patients died, and 259 (54.6%) experienced at least one adverse event. Adherence to CAG recommendation was associated with a significantly lower short- and medium-term mortality, independent of revascularization and other potential confounders. In sub-group analysis, adhered patients "with revascularization" had significantly better outcomes compared to the "non-revascularization" and "not adhere" groups.

Characteristics and Prevalence of Premature Ventricular Complex: A Telemedicine Study.

BACKGROUND: Premature ventricular complex (PVC) is the etiology of cardiomyopathy known as PVC-induced cardiomyopathy. Various studies have shown certain characteristics that predispose to cardiomyopathy. Present study was the first community-based study conducted to determine the characteristics and prevalence of PVC in certain population, especially Makassar City. METHODS: This study used a cross-sectional study method conducted from June 2017 to May 2018 using data from Telemedicine Electrocardiogram (ECG) at Hasanuddin University Hospital. The characteristics of PVC were QRS PVC duration, coupling interval (CI), PVC morphology in lead V1. RESULTS: We calculated 8,847 ECGs, and found 98 ECGs with PVC (1.1%). Incidence of PVC was higher in women than men (52%). Characteristics of PVC with QRS duration include < 140 ms (45.9%); 140 - 159 ms (31.6%); and > 160 ms (22.4%), respectively; and PVC with CI < 300 ms (2%), CI 300 - 599 ms (88%), and CI > 600 ms (10%). Left bundle branch block (LBBB) and right bundle branch block (RBBB) morphology were found in (76.5%) and (19.4%) subjects in turn. Statistically, QRS PVC duration and PVC morphology showed significant differences based on age group (sequentially, P = 0.012 and P = 0.014). While gender only showed a significant difference in QRS PVC duration (P = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of PVC in the population of Makassar City is similar to the prevalence in other general populations. There are differences in the distribution and prevalence of PVC based on their characteristics according to age group and gender.

Predictors of medium-term mortality in patients hospitalised with coronary artery disease in a resource-limited South-East Asian setting.

Objective: To measure medium-term outcomes and determine the predictors of mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) both during and after hospitalisation in a resource-limited South-East Asian setting. Methods: From February 2013 to December 2014, we conducted a prospective observational cohort study of 477 patients admitted to Makassar Cardiac Center, Indonesia, with acute coronary syndrome and stable CAD. We actively obtained data on clinical outcomes and after-discharge management until April 2017. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to examine predictors for our primary outcome, all-cause mortality. Results: From hospital admission, patients were followed over a median of 18 (IQR 6-36) months; in total 154 (32.3%) patients died. More patients with acute myocardial infarction died in the hospital compared with patients with unstable and stable angina (p=0.002). Over the total follow-up, there was a difference in mortality between non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (n=41, 48.2%), ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (n=65, 30.8%), unstable angina (n=18, 26.5%) and stable coronary artery disease (n=30, 26.5%) groups (p=0.007). The independent predictors of all-cause mortality were hyperglycaemia on admission (HR 1.55 (95% CI 1.12 to 2.14), p=0.008), heart failure/Killip class ≥2 (HR 2.50 (95% CI 1.76 to 3.56), p<0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min (HR 1.77 (95% CI 1.26 to 2.50), p=0.001), no revascularisation (percutaneous coronary intervention/coronary artery bypass grafting) (HR 2.38 (95% CI 1.31 to 4.33), p=0.005) and poor adherence to after-discharge medications (HR 10.28 (95% CI 5.52 to 19.16), p<0.001). Poor medication adherence predicted postdischarge mortality and did so irrespective of underlying CAD diagnosis (p interaction=0.88). Conclusions: Patients with CAD in a poor South-East Asian setting experience high in-hospital and medium-term mortality. The initial severity of the disease, lack of access to guidelines-recommended therapy and poor adherence to after-discharge medications are the main drivers for excess mortality. Improved access to early and late hospital care and patient education should be prioritised for better survival.

Characteristics and the average 30-day and 6-month clinical outcomes of patients hospitalised with coronary artery disease in a poor South-East Asian setting: the first cohort from Makassar Cardiac Center, Indonesia.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a detailed description of characteristics at hospital admission and clinical outcomes at 30-day and 6-month follow-up in patients hospitalised with coronary artery disease (CAD) in a poor South-East Asian setting. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study. SETTING: From February 2013 to December 2014, in Makassar Cardiac Center, Indonesia. PARTICIPANTS: 477 patients with CAD (acute coronary syndrome and stable CAD). OUTCOME MEASURES: All-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). RESULTS: Out of 477 patients with CAD, the proportion of young age (<60 years) was 53.9% and 72.7% were male. At admission, 44.2% of patients were diagnosed with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 38.6% with diagnosis or signs of heart failure and 75.1% had previous hypertension. Out of 211 patients with STEMI, only 4.7% had been treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and 6.2% received thrombolysis. The time lapse from symptom onset to hospital admission was 26.8 (IQR 10.0-48.0) hours, and 19.1% of all patients had undergone either PCI or coronary artery bypass graft. The survival rate at 6 months was 78.9%. The rates of all-cause mortality at 30 days and 6 months were 13.4% and 7.3%, respectively; the rate of composite MACE at 30 days was 26.2% and 18.0% at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CAD from a poor South-East Asian setting present themselves with predominantly unstable conditions of premature CAD. These patients show relatively severe illness, have significant time delay from symptom onset to admission or intervention, and most do not receive the guidelines-recommended treatment. Awareness of symptoms, prompt initial management of acute CVD, well-established infrastructures and resources both in primary and secondary hospital for CVD should be improved to reduce the high rates of 30-day and 6-month mortality and adverse outcomes in this population.

Infections in early life and premature acute coronary syndrome: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Infections in young children may affect the vasculature and initiate early atherosclerosis. Whether infections experienced in childhood play a part in adult clinical cardiovascular disease remains unclear. We investigated the association between infections in early life and the occurrence of premature coronary heart disease. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case-control study of 153 patients with a first acute coronary syndrome before the age of 56 years and 153 age- and sex-matched controls. Any history of severe infections in childhood and adolescence was obtained, together with clinical and laboratory measurements and other cardiovascular risk factors. We developed an infection score for the overall burden of early life infections. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the associations. RESULTS: Infections experienced in early life increased the risk of acquiring acute coronary syndrome at a young age with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.67 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-4.83, p = 0.001). After adjustments for traditional risk factors, lifestyle, dietary patterns, socio-economic status and parental history of cardiovascular events, these associations remained significant and changed only slightly. There was an indication for an interaction between infections in early life and current cardiovascular risk (Framingham Risk Score (FRS); p-interaction = 0.052). Within participants with a low FRS (<10%), the OR of early life infection for acute coronary syndrome was 1.49 (95% CI 0.72-3.08, p = 0.283); within participants with an intermediate FRS (10-20%), the OR was 4.35 (95% CI 1.60-11.84, p = 0.004); and within participants with a high FRS (>20%), the OR 10.00 (95% CI 1.21-82.51, p = 0.032). CONCLUSION: Infections in early life may partly explain premature coronary heart disease in adulthood and may potentiate traditional cardiovascular risk factor effects.

Asymptomatic diabetes: the difference between population-based and office-based screening.

AIM: To compare the results between population-based and office-based diabetes screening. METHODS: In 1997, a population-based screening was performed on a group of government employees and retired subjects in the Makassar Municipality. Since the year 2000, we performed screening at the clinic. For clinical-based screening, we focused the screening on those with high risks for developing diabetes mellitus, i.e. all subjects aged > or =45 or those aged < 45 with one or more of the following abnormalities: obese (BMI > 25 kg/m2), elevated blood pressure (> or =140/90 mmHg in adults), family history of diabetes, previous identified IFG or IGT, HDL-cholesterol < or =35 mg/dl and/or triglyceride > or =250 mg/dL, and history of gestational diabetes mellitus or delivery of babies > or =4000 gram. For population-based screening, the criteria for diabetes mellitus was based on a single test 2-hours post load (75 gram glucose), while for office-based screening, the WHO l999 was used i.e. fasting and 2-hours post 75 gram glucose load (OGTT). RESULTS: During the screening in the population, 941 subjects were screened, 290 women and 651 men. There were 51 diabetic subjects, or a prevalence of 5.42%, 21 women or 7.24% of all women, and 30 men or 4.60% of all men. At the clinical setting, 907 were screened, 483 women and 424 men. Among these subjects, 155 fulfilled the diabetes criteria, with a prevalence of 17.1%. There were 78 diabetic women or 16.1% of all women, and 77 men or 18.2% of all men. If the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in the clinical setting is based only on 2 hours post load (the same as for population-based) only 70 patients can be detected, for a prevalence of 7.7%, which is still higher compared to the results of the population-based screening. All figures obtained from the office-based screening were higher as compared to the population-based results. CONCLUSION: These results show that office-based screening detected more asymptomatic diabetes compared to population-based screening. It is suggested that early detection of asymptomatic diabetes is performed at the clinic, either at the hospital or doctor's private office.