Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors and carotid intima-media thickness: The USE-IMT study

Cardiometabolic Risk Clusters and Their Reproductive Correlates: A Latent Class Analysis of Indian Women

Background

Cardiometabolic conditions are rising among women in low- and middle-income countries and appearing at younger ages. The role of female reproductive characteristics in cardiometabolic risk is not well understood.

Methods

We analyzed seven reproductive characteristics and seven cardiometabolic indicators obtained from 644,191 non-pregnant women aged 15-49 years in the 2019-2021 India National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-5). We conducted a latent class analysis of cardiometabolic indicators (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, random blood glucose, body mass index, waist circumference, and use of anti-hyperglycemic and antihypertensive pharmacotherapy) to identify risk clusters. Multinomial logistic regression models accounting for age and sociodemographic characteristics assessed associations between reproductive characteristics (age at menarche, age at first birth, natural or surgical menopause, parity, time since last birth, experience of pregnancy loss, current contraceptive use) and cluster membership.

Results

Women had a median age of 29.4 (IQR: 21.5-38.4) years, were mostly married (71%), and resided in rural areas (68%). Five cardiometabolic clusters emerged: normal (36%), high-normal (46%), isolated-overweight (12%), hypertension-overweight (6%), and glucose dysregulation-overweight (1%). Early menarche (<13 years), early age at first birth (<20 years), and natural or surgical menopause were positively associated with two or more high-risk clusters (ORs: 1.13-1.62). Higher parity was associated with higher relative odds of isolated-overweight (ORs: 1.31-1.39), while longer time since last birth (≥ 8 years) was associated with hypertension-overweight (OR: 1.25 95% CI: 1.18-1.31) and glucose dysregulation-overweight (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.37). Pregnancy loss increased the odds of all high-risk clusters (ORs: 1.21-1.42), while contraceptive use decreased the odds (ORs: 0.88-0.93).

Conclusions

Five cardiometabolic risk clusters were identified in Indian women, with cluster membership linked to reproductive characteristics. The timing of fertility milestones and reproductive history appear relevant for early risk stratification among women in early to middle adulthood.

Key Messages

Indian women aged 15-49 years exhibited 5 distinct patterns of cardiometabolic risk clustering: normal, high-normal, isolated-overweight, hypertension-overweight, and glucose dysregulation-overweight clusters.Early age at menarche (<13 years), early age at first birth (<20 years), natural or surgical menopause, higher parity, longer time since last birth, and pregnancy losses were associated with at least one of the high-risk cardiometabolic clusters.Reproductive history and the timing of reproductive milestones may improve early disease risk stratification in Indian women.

Psychological stress and the longitudinal progression of subclinical atherosclerosis

OBJECTIVE

In a midlife sample of adults, the present study tested the extent to which changes in psychological stress relate to the progression of subclinical cardiovascular disease over multiple years and explored the potential moderating role of cardiometabolic risk.

METHOD

Participants were screened to exclude those with clinical cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, and other chronic illnesses, as well as those taking psychotropic, cardiovascular, lipid, and glucose control medications. At baseline (N = 331) and then again at follow-up an average of 3 years later (N = 260), participants completed the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, underwent assessments of their cardiometabolic risk, and underwent ultrasonography to measure carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), which is a surrogate indicator of subclinical atherosclerosis.

RESULTS

Regression models showed that the change in psychological stress from baseline to follow-up was positively associated with the corresponding change in IMT, with covariate control for age at baseline, sex at birth, and variability in length of follow-up across participants. Cardiometabolic risk factors did not statistically moderate this longitudinal association. In exploratory analyses, cardiometabolic risk factors also did not statistically mediate this association.

CONCLUSION

These longitudinal findings suggest that increases in psychological stress in midlife relate to corresponding increases in subclinical atherosclerosis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Association of Intima-Media Thickness Measured at the Common Carotid Artery With Incident Carotid Plaque: Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis of 20 Prospective Studies

Background The association between common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) and incident carotid plaque has not been characterized fully. We therefore aimed to precisely quantify the relationship between CCA-IMT and carotid plaque development. Methods and Results We undertook an individual participant data meta-analysis of 20 prospective studies from the Proof-ATHERO (Prospective Studies of Atherosclerosis) consortium that recorded baseline CCA-IMT and incident carotid plaque involving 21 494 individuals without a history of cardiovascular disease and without preexisting carotid plaque at baseline. Mean baseline age was 56 years (SD, 9 years), 55% were women, and mean baseline CCA-IMT was 0.71 mm (SD, 0.17 mm). Over a median follow-up of 5.9 years (5th-95th percentile, 1.9-19.0 years), 8278 individuals developed first-ever carotid plaque. We combined study-specific odds ratios (ORs) for incident carotid plaque using random-effects meta-analysis. Baseline CCA-IMT was approximately log-linearly associated with the odds of developing carotid plaque. The age-, sex-, and trial arm-adjusted OR for carotid plaque per SD higher baseline CCA-IMT was 1.40 (95% CI, 1.31-1.50; I2=63.9%). The corresponding OR that was further adjusted for ethnicity, smoking, diabetes, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and lipid-lowering and antihypertensive medication was 1.34 (95% CI, 1.24-1.45; I2=59.4%; 14 studies; 16 297 participants; 6381 incident plaques). We observed no significant effect modification across clinically relevant subgroups. Sensitivity analysis restricted to studies defining plaque as focal thickening yielded a comparable OR (1.38 [95% CI, 1.29-1.47]; I2=57.1%; 14 studies; 17 352 participants; 6991 incident plaques). Conclusions Our large-scale individual participant data meta-analysis demonstrated that CCA-IMT is associated with the long-term risk of developing first-ever carotid plaque, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Risk Factor Clusters and Cardiovascular Disease in High-Risk Patients: The UCC-SMART Study

Background:

Clustering of vascular risk factors, i.e., the co-existence of two or more risk factors, has been associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population. This study aims to firstly, examine patterns of clustering of major cardiovascular risk factors in high-risk patients and their relation with the risk of recurrent cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Secondly, to assess which combinations are associated with the highest risk of CVD and all-cause mortality and to study population attributable fractions.

Methods:

A total of 12,616 patients from the Utrecht Cardiovascular Cohort – Second Manifestations of ARTerial diseases (UCC-SMART) study consisting of patients with or a high risk to develop cardiovascular disease were studied. We constructed sixteen clusters based on four individual modifiable risk factors (hypertension, dyslipidemia, current smoking, overweight). Patients were followed from September 1997 to March 2017. Cox proportional hazard models were used to compute adjusted hazard ratios for CVD risk and all-cause mortality and 95% confidence intervals for clusters, with patients without any risk factor as reference group. The population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated. Subgroup analyses were conducted by age and sex.

Results:

During a mean follow-up period of 8.0 years, 1836 CVD events were registered. The prevalence of patients with zero, one, two, three, and four risk factors was 1.4, 11.4, 32.0, 44.8 and 10.4%. The corresponding hazard ratios (HR) for CVD risk and all-cause mortality were 1.65 (95% CI 0.77; 3.54) for one risk factor, 2.61 (1.24; 5.50) for two, 3.25 (1.55; 6.84) for three, and 3.74 (1.77; 7.93) for four risk factors, with patients without any risk factor as reference group. The PAFs were 6.9, 34.0, 50.1 and 22.2%, respectively. The smoking-hypertension-dyslipidemia combination was associated with the highest HR: 4.06 (1.91; 8.63) and the hypertension-dyslipidemia combination with the highest PAF: 37.1%.

Conclusion:

Clusters including smoking and hypertension contributed to the highest risk of CVD and all-cause mortality. This study confirms that risk factor clustering is common among patients at high-risk for CVD and is associated with an increased risk of CVD and all-cause mortality.

Clusters of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Their Association with Atherosclerosis and Chronic Inflammation among Adults and Elderly in Florianópolis, Southern Brazil

Fundamento

O aumento significativo de doenças cardiovasculares em países em desenvolvimento alerta sobre seu impacto em populações carentes.

Objetivo

Identificar a relação de agrupamentos de componentes da síndrome metabólica (SM) com aterosclerose e inflamação crônica em adultos e idosos.

Métodos

Análise transversal usando dados de dois estudos populacionais de tipo coorte realizados em Florianópolis, sul do Brasil (EpiFloripa Adult Cohort Study, n = 862, 39,9±11,5 anos; EpiFloripa Aging Cohort Study, n = 1197, 69,7±7,1 anos). Pressão arterial (PA), circunferência da cintura (CC), e níveis plasmáticos de lipídio e glicose foram analisados como fatores individuais ou como agrupamentos de componentes da SM (como número de componentes presentes em um indivíduo ou como combinações). Os desfechos incluíram espessura intima-media carotídea (EIMC), placas ateroscleróticas, e níveis de proteína C reativa (CRP). Regressão linear múltipla e regressão logística, ajustadas quanto aos fatores de confusão, foram usadas para análise. O nível de significância adotado foi de 5%.

Resultados

Indivíduos com PA e CC elevadas, dislipidemia e hiperglicemia (61,5%) apresentaram maiores valores de EIMC e PCR que aqueles que não apresentaram componentes de SM. CC elevada foi um determinante comum de inflamação sistêmica, ao passo que a coexistência de PA elevada e CC elevada (agrupamentos de dois ou três fatores) associou-se com maior EIMC (β entre +3,2 e +6,1 x 10-2 mm; p < 0,05) e PCR (_EXPβ entre 2,18 e 2,77; p < 0,05).

Conclusão

A coexistência de PA e CC elevadas associou-se com maiores valores de EIMC e níveis de PCR. A obesidade central, isolada ou em combinação com outros fatores de risco, teve efeito sobre a inflamação sistêmica.

Ten-year risk of fatal cardiovascular disease and its association with metabolic risk factors among waste pickers in South Africa

Background

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among non-communicable diseases in South Africa. Several metabolic risk factors contribute to the development of CVD. Informal workers such as waste pickers could be unhealthy lifestyle naive, and most public health research on CVD does not include this understudied population. This study estimated the 10-year risk of fatal CVD and its association with metabolic risk factors in an understudied study population of waste pickers in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among waste pickers in two landfill sites in Johannesburg. We used the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) risk charts to estimate the 10-year risk of fatal CVD. We then employed ordinary least squares regression to assess the association between the 10-year risk of fatal CVD with metabolic risk factors. Other variables adjusted in the regression model were HIV status, education, income, injuries from work, clinic visits in the previous 12 months, and alcohol consumption.

Results

A total of 370 waste pickers were included in this analysis, 265 (73.41%) were males. The mean age of the participants was 34 years. The majority were between the age of 20 and 39 years. More than 55% of the waste pickers did not visit a clinic in the previous 12 months, and 68.57% were smoking. The 10-year survival probability from CVD was more than 99% for both males and females. In the multivariable regression model, elevated blood glucose showed a non-significant increase in the mean percentage of 10-year risk of fatal CVD. Waste pickers who were overweight/obese, and hypertensive had high statistically significant mean percentages of the 10-year risk of fatal CVD compared to those who did not have the metabolic risk factors.

Conclusions

Prevention of 10-year risk of fatal CVD in this understudied population of waste pickers should target the control of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Health awareness and education for waste pickers will be an important step in reducing the burden of these metabolic risk factors. We further recommend that health systems should recognize waste pickers as a high-risk group and consider extensive CVDs surveillance.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-021-02150-y.

Tofogliflozin does not delay progression of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 diabetes: a prospective, randomized, open-label, parallel-group comparative study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of tofogliflozin, a selective sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, on atherosclerosis progression in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients without apparent cardiovascular disease (CVD) by monitoring carotid intima-media thickness (IMT).

METHODS

This prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint, multicenter, parallel-group, comparative study included 340 subjects with T2DM and no history of apparent CVD recruited at 24 clinical units. Subjects were randomly allocated to either the tofogliflozin treatment group (n = 169) or conventional treatment group using drugs other than SGLT2 inhibitors (n = 171). Primary outcomes were changes in mean and maximum common carotid IMT measured by echography during a 104-week treatment period.

RESULTS

In a mixed-effects model for repeated measures, the mean IMT of the common carotid artery (mean-IMT-CCA), along with the right and left maximum IMT of the CCA (max-IMT-CCA), significantly declined in both the tofogliflozin (- 0.132 mm, SE 0.007; - 0.163 mm, SE 0.013; - 0.170 mm, SE 0.020, respectively) and the control group (- 0.140 mm, SE 0.006; - 0.190 mm, SE 0.012; - 0.190 mm, SE 0.020, respectively). Furthermore, the tofogliflozin and the conventional treatment group did not significantly differ in the progression of the mean-IMT-CCA (mean change (95% CI) 0.008 (- 0.009, 0.025) mm, P = 0.34), along with the right (mean change (95% CI) 0.027 (- 0.005, 0.059) mm, P = 0.10) and the left max-IMT-CCA (mean change (95% CI) 0.020 (- 0.030, 0.070), P = 0.43). Similar findings were obtained even after adjusting for traditional CV risk factors and/or administration of drugs at baseline. Relative to the control treatment effects, tofogliflozin significantly reduced the HbA1c, blood glucose level, body weight/body mass index, abdominal circumference, and systolic blood pressure, and significantly increased the HDL-C. The total and serious adverse events incidences did not significantly vary between the treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

No IMT changes were observed between the tofogliflozin and the conventional treatment groups. However, tofogliflozin is a safe and effective treatment option for managing primary CVD risk factors in this population. Clinical Trial Registration UMIN000017607 ( https://www.umin.ac.jp/icdr/index.html ).

The population attributable risk and clustering of stroke risk factors in different economical regions of China

The greatest regional variation in stroke prevalence exists in China. However, whether there are differences in population attributable risk (PAR) and clustering of stroke risk factors among regions resulting in stroke geographic variation is unclear.We conducted face-to-face surveys of residents of 14 provinces from September 2016 to May 2017 who participated in the Chinese Stroke Screening and Prevention Project. We compared the specific PAR values of eight risk factors and the different cluster rates and patterns in China.A total of 84,751partipants were included. Eight factors accounted for 70% to 80% of the PAR of overall stroke in China. Not only did the PAR of the total risk factors differ among the 3 regions, but the PAR of the same risk factor also varied among different regions. The top 3 factors with the greatest PAR variations among the 3 regions were dyslipidemia, physical inactivity and family history of stroke. The clustering rates and patterns varied by regions. The overall proportion of participants with 0, 1, 2, 3, and ≥4 risk factors were 34.4%, 28.0%, 17.4%, 9.2%, and 10.3% in eastern China; 31.0%, 27.9%, 19.8%, 10.8%, and 9.9% in Central China and 28.2%, 29.5%, 19.9%, 10.8%, and 11.0% in western China, respectively. On basis of hypertension, the most common risk cluster patterns were overweight or smoking, dyslipidemia and physical inactivity, with other risk factors in the eastern, central and western regions, respectively.The rates and patterns of clustering and the potential importance of stroke risk factors in different regions may together contribute to the geographical variation in stroke prevalence in China.

Carotid intima media thickness is in a relation to risk factors for coronary artery disease

INTRODUCTION

Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a double line pattern measured from the lumen-intima to media-adventitia interface. Measuring CIMT with B-mode ultrasound can detect early arterial wall changes. We aimed to measure CIMT in manifested atherosclerotic disease and find a relation to present risk factors.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This cross sectional study included a population of 657 patients, with documented coronary artery disease (CAD), 66,1% were men (469 pts), 33,9% were women (241 pts). The mean age of patients was 64,72 years (55,6-73,8). The measurement of CIMT (maximal and mean) was performed with B-mode ultrasound, on longitudinal view, on multiple plaque-free segments at the level of common carotid artery, on the far wall, on both sides. Multivariate regression analysis was done to estimate independent factors for CIMT, when risk factors, age, and sex included in analysis.

RESULTS

The mean value of maximal CIMT was 0,96 mm (0,52-1,4), mean value of mean CIMT was 0,88 mm (range 0,61-1,15) and mean systolic blood pressure of 133,21 mm Hg (108,03-158,39) was found. Increased CIMT was found in 75,7% of patients (502 pts). Smoking was found as an independent risk factor for increased CIMT with odds ratio (OR) 4,7 (95% CI; 0,67-5,32) and diabetes mellitus with OR 1,6 (95% CI; 0,47-2,16).

CONCLUSION

Diabetes and smoking are independently related to increased CIMT. These are preliminary results of National survey on 657 pts with coronary artery disease.

Nonlinear model for the carotid artery disease 10-year risk prediction by fusing conventional cardiovascular factors to carotid ultrasound image phenotypes: A Japanese diabetes cohort study

MOTIVATION

This study presents a novel nonlinear model which can predict 10-year carotid ultrasound image-based phenotypes by fusing nine traditional cardiovascular risk factors (ethnicity, gender, age, artery type, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, hypertension, low-density lipoprotein, and smoking) with five types of carotid automated image phenotypes (three types of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), wall variability, and total plaque area).

METHODOLOGY

Two-step process was adapted: First, five baseline carotid image-based phenotypes were automatically measured using AtheroEdge^™ (AtheroPoint^™ , CA, USA) system by two operators (novice and experienced) and an expert. Second, based on the annual progression rates of cIMT due to nine traditional cardiovascular risk factors, a novel nonlinear model was adapted for 10-year predictions of carotid phenotypes.

RESULTS

Institute review board (IRB) approved 204 Japanese patients' left/right common carotid artery (407 ultrasound scans) was collected with a mean age of 69 ± 11 years. Age and hemoglobin were reported to have a high influence on the 10-year carotid phenotypes. Mean correlation coefficient (CC) between 10-year carotid image-based phenotype and age was improved by 39.35% in males and 25.38% in females. The area under the curves for the 10-year measurements of five phenotypes IMT_ave10yr , IMT_max10yr , IMT_min10yr , IMTV_10yr , and TPA_10yr were 0.96, 0.94, 0.90, 1.0, and 1.0. Inter-operator variability between two operators showed significant CC (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

A nonlinear model was developed and validated by fusing nine conventional CV risk factors with current carotid image-based phenotypes for predicting the 10-year carotid ultrasound image-based phenotypes which may be used risk assessment.

Consideration of Sex Differences in Design and Reporting of Experimental Arterial Pathology Studies-Statement From ATVB Council

There are many differences in arterial diseases between men and women, including prevalence, clinical manifestations, treatments, and prognosis. The new policy of the National Institutes of Health, which requires the inclusion of sex as a biological variable for preclinical studies, aims to foster new mechanistic insights and to enhance our understanding of sex differences in human diseases. The purpose of this statement is to suggest guidelines for designing and reporting sex as a biological variable in animal models of atherosclerosis, thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysms, and peripheral arterial disease. We briefly review sex differences of these human diseases and their animal models, followed by suggestions on experimental design and reporting of animal studies for these vascular pathologies.