SMA Shows Its Heart on Wear Red Day

SMA is going Red for Women and joining the American Heart Association’s National Wear Red Day today to spotlight women’s heart health and raise awareness about cardiovascular disease.

Original Article

Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in US Adults with and without Heart Failure: 2007–2018 NHANES

Objectives: Current evidence describing physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) in people with and without heart failure (HF) is limited. This study examines PA participation and ST in a nationally representative sample of US adults with and without self-reported HF. Methods: The study sample (N = 21,633) included US…

Original Article

Diagnosis of Gout as a Correlative Risk for Acute Myocardial Infarction in the Absence of Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Objectives: We aimed to study the impact of gout as a correlative risk factor in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among patients without known MI risk factors. Our study population was obtained from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) 2011–2018 using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth…

Original Article

Nationwide Trends in Prevalent Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Diseases in Young Adults: Differences by Sex and Race and In-Hospital Outcomes

Objectives: Prevalence and trends in all cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among young adults (18–39 years) have not been evaluated on a large scale stratified by sex and race. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence and temporal trend of CVD risk factors in US inpatients younger…

Original Article

Frequency of β-Blocker Use Following Exacerbations of COPD in Patients with Compelling Indication for Use

Objective: To assess the current use of β-blockers in patients with compelling indications for use, following the acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective observational study using data from all of the patients admitted to five institutions for an acute exacerbation of COPD. Patients…

Original Article

Blood Pressure, HIV, and Cocaine Use Among Ethnically and Racially Diverse Individuals

Objectives: Racial minorities are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and CVD is the primary cause of mortality among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals. Cocaine use also has been associated with hypertension. This study examined the contribution of lifestyle factors to systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) among…

Original Article

Subclinical Atherosclerosis Among Young and Middle-Aged Adults Using Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Measurements

Objectives: The presence of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid arteries is a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Research and data on CVD risk have been derived primarily from individuals aged 55 years or older, and assessment of CVD risk among young and middle-aged adults seldom has been studied. The…

Original Article

Association Between Multiple Modifiable Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension among Asymptomatic Patients in Central Appalachia

Objectives: The central Appalachian region of the United States is disproportionately burdened with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and associated risk factors; however, research to inform clinical practice and policies and programs is sparse. This study aimed to examine the association between multiple modifiable risk factors for CVD and hypertension in asymptomatic…

Review Article

Statin-Associated Diabetes Mellitus: Review and Clinical Guide

A small but significant link between new-onset diabetes mellitus (NOD) and statin therapy was noted with rosuvastatin users in the Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin study. Since then multiple analyses have further confirmed this association, with most studies demonstrating a modest…

Original Article

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Hispanic Adolescents in South Texas

Objectives: Despite a national crisis of increased prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in adolescents, especially among Hispanics, there is a paucity of data on health indicators among farmworker adolescents and their peers. The main aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk…

Review Article

Pediatric Dyslipidemia: Recommendations for Clinical Management

During the last 50 years, it has become evident that atherosclerosis originates in childhood. Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) events are rare in children, autopsy data and imaging studies have documented subclinical disease in association with measurable risk factors during childhood. When present at a young age, risk factors track into…

Original Article

Discrepancies in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Calculation Affect Aspirin Use Recommendations in Patients with Diabetes

Objectives: Aspirin is recommended for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in patients who are at high risk for CVD. The objective of this study was to compare agreement between two American Diabetes Association–endorsed CVD risk calculators in identifying candidates for aspirin therapy. Methods: Adult patients with diabetes mellitus (n = 238)…

Review Article

Hyperuricemia, Gout, and Related Comorbidities: Cause and Effect on a Two-Way Street

The prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia has increased dramatically during the last several decades, to the point that gout is the most common inflammatory arthritis in the United States, affecting approximately 8 million Americans. Patients with gout frequently have multiple comorbidities, including hypertension, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes,…

Review

Annual Influenza Vaccination: Offering Protection Beyond Infection

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the world, is largely preventable. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that annual vaccination with inactivated influenza vaccine reduces morbidity and mortality associated with CVD; however, immunization rates in patients with CVD fall consistently below the goals established by Healthy People…

Review

Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: Benign Bystander or Culpable Contributor to Adverse Health Outcomes?

Abstract: Elevation in serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) often accompanies vitamin D deficiency and renal impairment. PTH elevation in renal failure is viewed as an unfavorable development. Evidence is increasing that PTH elevation may be associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In many instances these PTH effects appear to be independent…

Review

Recent Diabetes Issues Affecting the Primary Care Clinician

Diabetes accounts for millions of office visits each year to primary care offices in the United States. Successful care of the patient with type 2 diabetes requires not only focus on glucose management but also on comorbidities such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and obesity which are closely linked to microvascular and…

Review

Protean Manifestations of Vitamin D Deficiency, Part 1: The Epidemic of Deficiency

Abstract: Just when vitamin deficiencies were thought to be a “thing of the past” a new vitamin deficiency-that of vitamin D has developed over the past 20 years. Vitamin D works like a hormone being produced primarily in one organ (the kidney) before circulating through the bloodstream to multiple organs…

Original Article

The Association Between Chlamydia pneumoniae and Metabolic Syndrome in Taiwanese Adults

Objective:Both Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) seropositivity and metabolic syndrome (MeS) have been identified as risk factors for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the association between Cp seropositivity and MeS has not been extensively studied.Background:We recruited participants from Taiwanese adults who received an annual health examination at a medical facility. We…

Review Article

Rationale for Fixed-Dose Combination Therapy to Reach Lower Blood Pressure Goals

Expert committees in the United States and Europe formulated their currently recommended target blood pressures of <140/90 mm Hg or <130/80 mm Hg in persons with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or coronary artery disease based on the totality of clinical data available at the time. However, accumulating evidence indicates that…

Review Article

The Pleiotropic Effects of Antihypertensive Agents: Do They Account for Additional Cardiovascular Benefit Beyond BP Reduction?

Hypertension commonly clusters with other cardiovascular risk factors, giving rise to the concept that hypertension is a multifaceted disease that potentially shares common pathogenic pathways with other risk factors. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system has a central role in the shared mechanisms of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, primarily through angiotensin II. Increased…