Cardiovascular Diseases


Blood Pressure Variability Linked to Dementia

A prospective cohort study of a general Japanese population demonstrated a significant independent association between increased day-to-day blood pressure variability (BPV) measured with home blood pressure monitoring and risk of dementia. The study included 1674 community-dwelling Japanese elderly without dementia, ≥60 years of age, and followed up for 5 years […]


Sodium Linked to Adverse Cardiac Function

A study revealed that estimated sodium intake (ESI) >3.7 g/day is associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and function. The study performed speckle-tracking analysis on echocardiograms with available urinary sodium data (N = 2,996). Mean age of participants was 49 ± 14 years, 57% were female, 50% were African American, and […]


Genetic Calcium Levels Linked to Risk of CAD and MI

A mendelian randomization study concluded that a genetic predisposition to higher serum calcium levels was associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI). The study included 60 801 CAD cases (approximately 70% with MI) and 123 504 noncases, with baseline data collected from 1948 and populations derived […]


Improved Diet Quality Linked to Lower Mortality

A US study showed that improved diet quality over 12 years was consistently associated with a decreased risk of death. The study used Cox proportional-hazards models to calculate adjusted hazard ratios for total and cause-specific mortality among 47,994 women and 25,745 men from 1998 through 2010, with changes in diet […]


BMI Linked to Cardiometabolic Diseases

http://jamanetwork.com/The cross-sectional baseline data from a population-based cohort study in UK identified associations between body mass index (BMI) and risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The study included 119 859 participants with complete phenotypic (medical and sociodemographic) and genetic data between […]


Bleeding Risk with Aspirin Increased with Age

A UK prospective population-based study of long-term antiplatelet treatment (predominantly daily aspirin 75 mg enteric coated) in secondary prevention of vascular disease showed that the severity, case fatality, and poor functional outcome of bleeds increased with age, and that in patients aged 75 years or older, most major upper gastrointestinal […]


Lithium Use in Early Pregnancy Linked to Congenital Cardiac Defects

A US cohort study suggested that maternal use of lithium during the first trimester was associated with an increased risk of cardiac malformations, including Ebstein’s anomaly (right ventricular outflow tract obstruction defects). The study included 1,325,563 pregnancies in women who delivered a live-born infant between 2000 and 2010. Cardiac malformations […]


Intensive BP Control Supported

A systematic review and network meta-analysis, which allowed the simultaneous comparison of multiple achieved systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels on clinical outcomes while preserving trial-level treatment randomization, indicates that treating patients to reduce SBP below currently recommended targets may significantly reduce risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality, with […]


Early Onset Hypertension Linked to Risks and Heritability

A multigenerational, prospective cohort study in the US concluded that early onset (age <55 years) compared with late onset hypertension was associated with greater odds of cardiovascular death and with greater risk for hypertension in offspring. The study included 3614 first generation participants with mortality data and 1635 initially non-hypertensive […]


NSAIDs Increase Heart Attack Risk

Systematic review followed by an individual patient data meta-analysis concluded that all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including naproxen, were found to be associated with an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Risk of AMI with celecoxib was comparable to that of traditional NSAIDS and was lower than for rofecoxib. […]