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Williams KJ. Eradicating Atherosclerotic Events by Targeting Early Subclinical Disease: It Is Time to Retire the Therapeutic Paradigm of Too Much, Too Late. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2024; 44:48-64. [PMID: 37970716 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.123.320065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Recent decades have seen spectacular advances in understanding and managing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but paradoxically, clinical progress has stalled. Residual risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events is particularly vexing, given recognized lifestyle interventions and powerful modern medications. Why? Atherosclerosis begins early in life, yet clinical trials and mechanistic studies often emphasize terminal, end-stage plaques, meaning on the verge of causing heart attacks and strokes. Thus, current clinical evidence drives us to emphasize aggressive treatments that are delayed until patients already have advanced arterial disease. I call this paradigm "too much, too late." This brief review covers exciting efforts that focus on preventing, or finding and treating, arterial disease before its end-stage. Also included are specific proposals to establish a new evidence base that could justify intensive short-term interventions (induction-phase therapy) to treat subclinical plaques that are early enough perhaps to heal. If we can establish that such plaques are actionable, then broad screening to find them in early midlife individuals would become imperative-and achievable. You have a lump in your coronaries! can motivate patients and clinicians. We must stop thinking of a heart attack as a disease. The real disease is atherosclerosis. In my opinion, an atherosclerotic heart attack is a medical failure. It is a manifestation of longstanding arterial disease that we had allowed to progress to its end-stage, despite knowing that atherosclerosis begins early in life and despite the availability of remarkably safe and highly effective therapies. The field needs a transformational advance to shift the paradigm out of end-stage management and into early interventions that hold the possibility of eradicating the clinical burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, currently the biggest killer in the world. We urgently need a new evidence base to redirect our main focus from terminal, end-stage atherosclerosis to earlier, and likely reversible, human arterial disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Jon Williams
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Department of Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, PA
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Antza C, Gallo A, Boutari C, Ershova A, Gurses KM, Lewek J, Mirmaksudov M, Silbernagel G, Sandstedt J, Lebedeva A. Prevention of cardiovascular disease in young adults: Focus on gender differences. A collaborative review from the EAS Young Fellows. Atherosclerosis 2023; 384:117272. [PMID: 37734996 DOI: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2023.117272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
A steady rise in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has been observed in young adults within the last decades. This trend corresponds to an increasing prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2 among young adults living in developed countries. Moreover, age-specific risk factors, such as substance abuse, contraceptive medication, and pregnancy-related diseases also correlate with an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we discuss the available data for young adults on the epidemiology and the rationale for the causality of traditional and newly emerging risk factors of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. We focus on gender-related differences in the exposure to these risk factors, investigate the recent data regarding screening and risk stratification in the young adult population, and describe the current state of the art on lifestyle and therapeutic intervention strategies in the primary prevention setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Antza
- 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Papageorgiou Hospital, 56429, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Antonio Gallo
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM UMR1166, Lipidology and Cardiovascular Prevention Unit, Department of Nutrition, APHP, Pitié-Salpètriêre Hospital, F-75013, Paris, France
| | - Chrysoula Boutari
- 2nd Propaedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokration General Hospital, 54642, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Alexandra Ershova
- Laboratory of Clinomics, National Medical Research Centre for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Petroverigskiy Pereulok, 10, 101990, Moscow, Russia
| | - Kadri Murat Gurses
- Department of Cardiology, Selçuk University, School of Medicine, 42250, Selçuklu, Konya, Turkey
| | - Joanna Lewek
- Department of Preventive Cardiology and Lipidology, Chair of Nephrology and Hypertension, Medical University of Lodz, Rzgowska St. 281/289, 93-338, Lodz, Poland; Department of Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Diseases, Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital Research Institute (PMMHRI), Rzgowska St. 281/289, 93-338, Lodz, Poland
| | - Mirakhmadjon Mirmaksudov
- Department of Electrophysiology, Republican Specialized Scientific Practical Medical Centre of Cardiology, Osiyo St. 4, 100052, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Günther Silbernagel
- Division of Vascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerpl. 2, 8036, Graz, Austria
| | - Joakim Sandstedt
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41390, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 41390, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anna Lebedeva
- Clinic of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Heart Centre Dresden University Hospital, Dresden University of Technology, Fetscherst. 76, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
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Vajravelu ME, Tas E, Arslanian S. Pediatric Obesity: Complications and Current Day Management. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1591. [PMID: 37511966 PMCID: PMC10381624 DOI: 10.3390/life13071591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity affects approximately 1 in 5 youth globally and increases the risk of complications during adolescence and young adulthood, including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Children and adolescents with obesity frequently experience weight stigma and have an impaired quality of life, which may exacerbate weight gain. Pediatric obesity is typically defined using sex-, age-, and population-specific body mass index percentiles. Once identified, pediatric obesity should always be managed with lifestyle modification. However, adolescents with obesity may also benefit from anti-obesity medications (AOM), several of which have been approved for use in adolescents by the US Food and Drug Administration, including liraglutide, phentermine/topiramate, and semaglutide. For children with specific, rare monogenic obesity disorders, setmelanotide is available and may lead to significant weight loss. Metabolic and bariatric surgery may be used for the management of severe obesity in youth; though highly effective, it is limited to specialized centers and has had relatively low pediatric uptake. In this narrative review using pediatric-focused data from original research, reviews, clinical practice guidelines, governmental agencies, and pharmaceutical companies, we review obesity-related metabolic complications in youth and management strategies, including AOM and bariatric surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Ellen Vajravelu
- Center for Pediatric Research in Obesity and Metabolism, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Ave., Faculty Pavilion 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Emir Tas
- Center for Pediatric Research in Obesity and Metabolism, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Ave., Faculty Pavilion 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Silva Arslanian
- Center for Pediatric Research in Obesity and Metabolism, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Ave., Faculty Pavilion 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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Huang Q, Liu Z, Wei M, Huang Q, Feng J, Liu Z, Xia J. The atherogenic index of plasma and carotid atherosclerosis in a community population: a population-based cohort study in China. Cardiovasc Diabetol 2023; 22:125. [PMID: 37244995 PMCID: PMC10225098 DOI: 10.1186/s12933-023-01839-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is an important alternative metabolic biomarker of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the correlation between the AIP and carotid atherosclerosis is unknown among the general population. METHODS A total of 52,380 community residents, aged ≥ 40 years who underwentcervical vascular ultrasound from December 2017 to December 2020 in Hunan China, were selected for retrospective analysis. The AIP was calculated as a logarithmically converted ratio of triglycerides (TG) to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). The participants were divided into AIP quartile groups (Q1-Q4). Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to examine the association of the AIP with carotid atherosclerosis. Stratified analyses were applied to control for confounding factors. The incremental predictive value of the AIP was further assessed. RESULTS After adjusting for traditional risk factors, an increased AIP was associated with a higher rate of carotid atherosclerosis (CA), increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and plaques [odds ratio, OR (95% confidence interval, CI): 1.06 (1.04, 1.08), 1.07 (1.05, 1.09), and 1.04 (1.02, 1.06) per 1-SD increase in the AIP, respectively]. Compared with those participants in the quartile 1 group, those in the quartile 4 group had a greater risk of CA [OR 1.18, 95% CI (1.12, 1.25)], increased CIMT [OR 1.20, 95% CI (1.13, 1.26)], and plaques [OR 1.13, 95% CI (1.06, 1.19)]. However, we did not observe an association between the AIP and stenosis [0.97 (0.77, 1.23), p for trend = 0.758]. Restricted cubic spline analyses also showed a cumulative increase in the risk of CA, increased CIMT, and plaques but not stenosis severity (> 50%) with an increase of the AIP. Subgroup analyses showed that a more significant association between the AIP and the prevalence of increased CA was detected in younger subjects (aged < 60 years) with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 24 and fewer comorbidities. Additionally, the AIP provided incremental predictive capacity over established risk factors for CA, as shown by an improvement in the net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discrimination index (IDI) (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS An elevated AIP in a community-based population is associated with a higher rate of CA. the AIP could serve as a potential biomarker for CA risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Huang
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87, Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
- Department of Neurology, Peking University people's hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zeyu Liu
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87, Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Minping Wei
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87, Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Qing Huang
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87, Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Jie Feng
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87, Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Zunjing Liu
- Department of Neurology, Peking University people's hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Xia
- Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, No.87, Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
- Clinical Research Center for Cerebrovascular Disease of Hunan Province, Central South University, Changsha, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
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