Cost-effectiveness of aspirin treatment in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease events in subgroups based on age, gender, and varying cardiovascular risk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Greving, J.P.; Buskens, E.; Koffijberg, H.; Algra, A.

2008-01-01

Background-Aspirin is effective for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events, but it remains unclear for which subgroups of individuals aspirin is beneficial. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of aspirin separately for men and women of different ages with various levels of cardiovascular

The role of homocysteine-lowering B-vitamins in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

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Debreceni, Balazs; Debreceni, Laszlo

2014-06-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the Western world. The effort of research should aim at the primary prevention of CVD. Alongside statin therapy, which is maintained to be an effective method of CVD prevention, there are alternative methods such as vitamin B substitution therapy with folic acid (FA), and vitamins B12 and B6 . B-vitamins may inhibit atherogenesis by decreasing the plasma level of homocysteine (Hcy)-a suspected etiological factor for atherosclerosis-and by other mechanisms, primarily through their antioxidant properties. Although Hcy-lowering vitamin trials have failed to demonstrate beneficial effects of B-vitamins in the prevention of CVD, a meta-analysis and stratification of a number of large vitamin trials have suggested their effectiveness in cardiovascular prevention (CVP) in some aspects. Furthermore, interpretation of the results from these large vitamin trials has been troubled by statin/aspirin therapy, which was applied along with the vitamin substitution, and FA fortification, both of which obscured the separate effects of vitamins in CVP. Recent research results have accentuated a new approach to vitamin therapy for CVP. Studies undertaken with the aim of primary prevention have shown that vitamin B substitution may be effective in the primary prevention of CVD and may also be an option in the secondary prevention of disease if statin therapy is accompanied by serious adverse effects. Further investigations are needed to determine the validity of vitamin substitution therapy before its introduction in the protocol of CVD prevention. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Use and Misuse of Aspirin in Primary Cardiovascular Prevention

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Sergio Coccheri

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The use of low-dose aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular (CV events in healthy or apparently healthy people is a widely debated topic. Many arguments indicate that “primary prevention” is only a conventional definition and that the transition from primary to secondary prevention represents a continuum of increasing levels of CV risk. Although there are no direct proofs of a different efficacy of aspirin at different CV risk levels, in low-risk populations aspirin will appear to be less efficient. In fact, the lower number of events occurring in patients at low risk yields lower absolute numbers of events prevented. As many as 6 meta-analyses of trials of primary CV prevention with aspirin versus placebo, performed between 2009 and 2016, confirmed the above concepts and showed a concordant, significant reduction in nonfatal myocardial infarction, with no significant effects on stroke, as well as on CV and all-cause mortality. The recent demonstration of a moderate protective effect of aspirin on cancer (especially colorectal confers, however, additional value to the use of aspirin, although unusually long durations of treatment and optimal daily compliance seem to be necessary. Because aspirin increases the bleeding risk, the evaluation of its net clinical benefit is an important point of debate. Thus, it is justified to search for a cutoff level of global CV risk above which the net clinical benefit of aspirin becomes evident. Such a threshold value has been calculated considering the data of 9 primary prevention trials, by the Thrombosis Group of the European Society of Cardiology, and has been indicated as a risk value of 2 or more major CV events per 100 persons per year. Also, in the recent 2016 US Guidelines, the main criterion adopted for the indication of aspirin is the level of global CV risk (suggested cutoff is 1 or more major CV events per 100 persons per year. Beyond the different values selected, it is seems very

Individualized Statin Benefit for Determining Statin Eligibility in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Thanassoulis, George; Williams, Ken; Altobelli, Kathleen Kimler; Pencina, Michael J; Cannon, Christopher P; Sniderman, Allan D

2016-04-19

Current guidelines recommend statins in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease on the basis of predicted cardiovascular risk without directly considering the expected benefits of statin therapy based on the available randomized, controlled trial evidence. We included 2134 participants representing 71.8 million American residents potentially eligible for statins in primary prevention from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for the years 2005 to 2010. We compared statin eligibilities using 2 separate approaches: a 10-year risk-based approach (≥7.5% 10-year risk) and an individualized benefit approach (ie, based on predicted absolute risk reduction over 10 years [ARR10] ≥2.3% from randomized, controlled trial data). A risk-based approach led to the eligibility of 15.0 million (95% confidence interval, 12.7-17.3 million) Americans, whereas a benefit-based approach identified 24.6 million (95% confidence interval, 21.0-28.1 million). The corresponding numbers needed to treat over 10 years were 21 (range, 9-44) and 25 (range, 9-44). The benefit-based approach identified 9.5 million lower-risk (statin treatment who had the same or greater expected benefit from statins (≥2.3% ARR10) compared with higher-risk individuals. This lower-risk/acceptable-benefit group includes younger individuals (mean age, 55.2 versus 62.5 years; PStatin treatment in this group would be expected to prevent an additional 266 508 cardiovascular events over 10 years. An individualized statin benefit approach can identify lower-risk individuals who have equal or greater expected benefit from statins in primary prevention compared with higher-risk individuals. This approach may help develop guideline recommendations that better identify individuals who meaningfully benefit from statin therapy. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Which interventions offer best value for money in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease?

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Linda J Cobiac

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Despite many decades of declining mortality rates in the Western world, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. In this research we evaluate the optimal mix of lifestyle, pharmaceutical and population-wide interventions for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In a discrete time Markov model we simulate the ischaemic heart disease and stroke outcomes and cost impacts of intervention over the lifetime of all Australian men and women, aged 35 to 84 years, who have never experienced a heart disease or stroke event. Best value for money is achieved by mandating moderate limits on salt in the manufacture of bread, margarine and cereal. A combination of diuretic, calcium channel blocker, ACE inhibitor and low-cost statin, for everyone with at least 5% five-year risk of cardiovascular disease, is also cost-effective, but lifestyle interventions aiming to change risky dietary and exercise behaviours are extremely poor value for money and have little population health benefit. CONCLUSIONS: There is huge potential for improving efficiency in cardiovascular disease prevention in Australia. A tougher approach from Government to mandating limits on salt in processed foods and reducing excessive statin prices, and a shift away from lifestyle counselling to more efficient absolute risk-based prescription of preventive drugs, could cut health care costs while improving population health.

Effectiveness of programmes as part of primary prevention demonstrated on the example of cardiovascular diseases and the metabolic syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Korczak, Dieter; Dietl, Markus; Steinhauser, Gerlinde

2011-04-01

The HTA-report (HTA = Health Technology Assessment) deals with the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus type 2. In 2009 approximately 356,000 people died in Germany due to cardiovascular diseases. According to estimations about 6.3 million people are suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2. The interventions that are subsidized by the public health insurance are mainly focused on sufficient physical activities, healthy nutrition, stress management and the reduction of the consumption of addictive drugs and luxury food. Which lifestyle-related measures and/or programmes for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and of the metabolic syndrome are effective? To what extent will the health status be improved by these offers? To what extent will existing health resources and skills be strengthened by these offers? Are there any differences regarding the effectiveness among the interventions with respect to different settings or subgroups? Which lifestyle-related interventions and/or programmes for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and of the metabolic syndrome are sustainable and cost-effective? Which outcome parameters are in the view of the contributors decisive for the evaluation of the effectiveness? In the view of the contributor are there different values between the outcome parameters? In the view of the payers and other actors are there different values between the outcome parameters? Which ethical and juridical factors have to be considered? Which social and/or socio-economic parameters influence the use of the services and effectiveness? A systematic literature research is done in 35 databases. For the period 2005 to 2010, reviews, epidemiological and clinical studies as well as economical evaluations which deal with primary prevention programmes regarding cardiovascular diseases or the metabolic syndrome are included. 44 publications meet the inclusion criteria. These studies confirm the effectiveness of the

Effectiveness of programmes as part of primary prevention demonstrated on the example of cardiovascular diseases and the metabolic syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Korczak, Dieter

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The HTA-report (HTA = Health Technology Assessment deals with the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus type 2. In 2009 approximately 356,000 people died in Germany due to cardiovascular diseases. According to estimations about 6.3 million people are suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2. The interventions that are subsidized by the public health insurance are mainly focused on sufficient physical activities, healthy nutrition, stress management and the reduction of the consumption of addictive drugs and luxury food. Objectives: Which lifestyle-related measures and/or programmes for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and of the metabolic syndrome are effective? To what extent will the health status be improved by these offers? To what extent will existing health resources and skills be strengthened by these offers? Are there any differences regarding the effectiveness among the interventions with respect to different settings or subgroups? Which lifestyle-related interventions and/or programmes for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and of the metabolic syndrome are sustainable and cost-effective? Which outcome parameters are in the view of the contributors decisive for the evaluation of the effectiveness? In the view of the contributor are there different values between the outcome parameters? In the view of the payers and other actors are there different values between the outcome parameters? Which ethical and juridical factors have to be considered? Which social and/or socio-economic parameters influence the use of the services and effectiveness? Methods: A systematic literature research is done in 35 databases. For the period 2005 to 2010, reviews, epidemiological and clinical studies as well as economical evaluations which deal with primary prevention programmes regarding cardiovascular diseases or the metabolic syndrome are included. Results: 44 publications meet the

Influenza vaccines for preventing cardiovascular disease

OpenAIRE

Clar,Christine; Oseni,Zainab; Flowers,Nadine; Keshtkar-Jahromi,Maryam; Rees,Karen

2015-01-01

ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: This is an update of the original review published in 2008. The risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes is increased with influenza-like infection, and vaccination against influenza may improve cardiovascular outcomes.OBJECTIVES: To assess the potential benefits of influenza vaccination for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.METHODS:Search methods:We searched the following electronic databases on 18 October 2013: The Cochrane Library (including Coch...

Influenza vaccines for preventing cardiovascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Clar, Christine; Oseni, Zainab; Flowers, Nadine; Keshtkar-Jahromi, Maryam; Rees, Karen

2015-05-05

This is an update of the original review published in 2008. The risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes is increased with influenza-like infection, and vaccination against influenza may improve cardiovascular outcomes. To assess the potential benefits of influenza vaccination for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. We searched the following electronic databases on 18 October 2013: The Cochrane Library (including Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Economic Evaluation Database (EED) and Health Technology Assessment database (HTA)), MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded, Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science and ongoing trials registers (www.controlled-trials.com/ and www.clinicaltrials.gov). We examined reference lists of relevant primary studies and systematic reviews. We performed a limited PubMed search on 20 February 2015, just before publication. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of influenza vaccination compared with placebo or no treatment in participants with or without cardiovascular disease, assessing cardiovascular death or non-fatal cardiovascular events. We used standard methodological procedures as expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. We carried out meta-analyses only for cardiovascular death, as other outcomes were reported too infrequently. We expressed effect sizes as risk ratios (RRs), and we used random-effects models. We included eight trials of influenza vaccination compared with placebo or no vaccination, with 12,029 participants receiving at least one vaccination or control treatment. We included six new studies (n = 11,251), in addition to the two included in the previous version of the review. Four of these trials (n = 10,347) focused on prevention of influenza in the general or elderly population and reported cardiovascular outcomes among their safety analyses; four trials (n = 1682) focused on prevention of

Are the current recommendations for the use of aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease applicable in low-income countries?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noubiap JJ

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Jean Jacques N Noubiap,1,2 Jobert Richie N Nansseu3,41Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2Medical Diagnostic Center, Yaoundé, Cameroon; 3Sickle Cell Disease Unit, Mother and Child Centre, Chantal BIYA Foundation, Yaoundé, Cameroon; 4Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, CameroonAbstract: Although evidence has accumulated that long-term aspirin therapy is beneficial in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD, a lot of controversies persist regarding the benefit of aspirin use in primary prevention of CVD. In low-income countries (LIC specifically, the decision to prescribe aspirin for primary CVD prevention is more problematic, as there is a dearth of evidence in this regard. Aspirin has been shown to have relative beneficial effects in preventing a first myocardial infarction, but not stroke. However, as stroke is the prevailing CVD in many LIC, especially in Africa, the benefit of aspirin in these settings is therefore questionable. Indeed, there is no published trial that has evaluated the benefits and risks of continuous aspirin therapy in populations of LIC. Furthermore, though cardiovascular risk assessment is crucial in decision-making for the use of aspirin in primary prevention of CVD, there are no risk assessment tools that have been validated in African populations. Studies are urgently warranted, to determine the usefulness of aspirin in primary prevention of CVD in low-income settings where the drug is highly available and affordable, as CVD is becoming the leading cause of deaths in LIC.Keywords: aspirin, cardiovascular disease, primary prevention, low-income countries

Primary care in the prevention, treatment and control of cardiovascular disease in sub-Saharan Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Ojji, Dike B; Ojji, Dike B Ojji; Lamont, Kim; Sliwa, Karen; Ojji, Olubunmi I; Egenti, Bibiana Nonye; Sliwa, Karen

2017-01-01

Summary Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the frontrunner in the disease spectrum of sub-Saharan Africa, with stroke and ischaemic heart disease ranked seventh and 14th as leading causes of death, respectively, on this sub-continent. Unfortunately, this region is also grappling with many communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional disorders. Limited resources and the high cost of CVD treatment necessitate that primary prevention should have a high priority for CVD control in sub- Saharan Africa. One major challenge of such an approach is how to equip primary care to respond promptly and effectively to this burden. We present a practical approach on how primary care in sub-Saharan Africa could effectively address the prevention, treatment and control of CVD on the subcontinent. For effective prevention, control and treatment of CVD in sub-Saharan Africa, there should be strategic plans to equip primary care clinics with well-trained allied healthcare workers who are supervised by physicians. PMID:28752890

Multifactorial Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Hypertension : the Cardiovascular Polypill

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lafeber, M; Spiering, W; Visseren, F L J; Grobbee, D E

2016-01-01

Hypertension is a major, if not the most important, contributor to the disease burden and premature death globally which is largely related to cardiovascular disease. In both the primary and the secondary preventions of cardiovascular disease, blood pressure (BP) targets are often not achieved which

The Role of Aspirin in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

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Ittaman, Sunitha V.; VanWormer, Jeffrey J.; Rezkalla, Shereif H.

2014-01-01

Aspirin therapy is well-accepted as an agent for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events and current guidelines also define a role for aspirin in primary prevention. In this review, we describe the seminal trials of aspirin use in the context of current guidelines, discuss factors that may influence the effectiveness of aspirin therapy for cardiovascular disease prevention, and briefly examine patterns of use. The body of evidence supports a role for aspirin in both secondary and primary prevention of cardiovascular events in selected population groups, but practice patterns may be suboptimal. As a simple and inexpensive prophylactic measure for cardiovascular disease, aspirin use should be carefully considered in all at-risk adult patients, and further measures, including patient education, are necessary to ensure its proper use. PMID:24573704

Influenza vaccines for preventing cardiovascular disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine Clar

Full Text Available ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: This is an update of the original review published in 2008. The risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes is increased with influenza-like infection, and vaccination against influenza may improve cardiovascular outcomes.OBJECTIVES: To assess the potential benefits of influenza vaccination for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.METHODS:Search methods:We searched the following electronic databases on 18 October 2013: The Cochrane Library (including Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE, Economic Evaluation Database (EED and Health Technology Assessment database (HTA, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded, Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science and ongoing trials registers (www.controlled-trials.com/ and www.clinicaltrials.gov. We examined reference lists of relevant primary studies and systematic reviews. We performed a limited PubMed search on 20 February 2015, just before publication.Selection criteria:Randomised controlled trials (RCTs of influenza vaccination compared with placebo or no treatment in participants with or without cardiovascular disease, assessing cardiovascular death or non-fatal cardiovascular events.Data collection and analysis:We used standard methodological procedures as expected by The Cochrane Collaboration. We carried out meta-analyses only for cardiovascular death, as other outcomes were reported too infrequently. We expressed effect sizes as risk ratios (RRs, and we used random-effects models.MAIN RESULTS: We included eight trials of influenza vaccination compared with placebo or no vaccination, with 12,029 participants receiving at least one vaccination or control treatment. We included six new studies (n = 11,251, in addition to the two included in the previous version of the review. Four of these trials (n = 10,347 focused on prevention of influenza in the general or elderly population

The use of statins in primary prevention

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Stürzlinger, Heidi

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Background: The use of statins in secondary prevention of cardiovascular events is well established. However, there is ongoing discussion about the use of statins in the context of primary prevention. Moreover statins - besides cholesterol-lowering effects - are assumed to have pleiotropic effects. Positive impacts on diseases like stroke, Alzheimer's disease or osteoporosis are discussed but still have to be proven. Objectives: The aim of this report is first to investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of statins in primary prevention of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular events and second to examine the economic implications for Germany - particularly in comparison to existing prevention programs. Finally ethical questions are considered. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed for the period between 1998 and 2004 which yielded 3704 abstracts. Overall 43 articles were included for assessment and 167 for background information, according to predefined selection criteria. Results: Most studies within the context of primary prevention describe significant risk reductions with regard to cardiovascular events; yet no significant results according to the reduction of the overall mortality rate can be seen. With respect to stroke, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease results are inconsistent. Regarding cost-effectiveness of primary prevention with statins results turn out to be inconsistent as well or even negative for populations with low to moderate risk. For groups with high cardiovascular risk the intervention is mostly assessed to be cost-effective. No cost-effectiveness study for Germany was found. According to a rough estimate of future expenses statin drug expenses of the German legal health insurance might increase at least by 50% in the case of an enlargement of the group of recipients. Discussion: To thoroughly estimate the cost-effectiveness of the use of statins in primary prevention in Germany a model calculation

Aspirin for Primary Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Richman, Ilana B; Owens, Douglas K

2017-07-01

Aspirin reduces the risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke, and the risk of colorectal cancer. Aspirin increases the risk of gastrointestinal and intracranial bleeding. The best available evidence supports initiating aspirin in select populations. In 2016, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended initiating aspirin for the primary prevention of both cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer among adults ages 50 to 59 who are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Adults 60 to 69 who are at increased cardiovascular disease risk may also benefit. There remains considerable uncertainty about whether younger and older patients may benefit. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aspirin and the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases: An Approach Based on Individualized, Integrated Estimation of Risk.

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Volpe, Massimo; Battistoni, Allegra; Gallo, Giovanna; Coluccia, Roberta; De Caterina, Raffaele

2017-09-01

While the use of aspirin in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular (CVD) is well established, aspirin in primary prevention is not systematically recommended because the absolute CV event reduction is similar to the absolute excess in major bleedings. Recently, emerging evidence suggests the possibility that the assumption of aspirin, may also be effective in the prevention of cancer. By adding to the CV prevention benefits the potential beneficial effect of aspirin in reducing the incidence of mortality and cancer could tip the balance between risks and benefits of aspirin therapy in the primary prevention in favour of the latter and broaden the indication for treatment with in populations at average risk. While prospective and randomized study are currently investigating the effect of aspirin in prevention of both cancer and CVD, clinical efforts at the individual level to promote the use of aspirin in global (or total) primary prevention could be already based on a balanced evaluation of the benefit/risk ratio.

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with hormone replacement therapy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schierbeck, L

2015-01-01

Many peri- and postmenopausal women suffer from a reduced quality of life due to menopausal symptoms and preventable diseases. The importance of cardiovascular disease in women must be emphasized, as it is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in women. It is well known that female hormones...... contribute to the later onset of cardiovascular disease in women. The effect of estrogens has for decades been understood from observational studies of postmenopausal women treated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Later, treatment with HRT was disregarded due to the fear of side......-effects and an ambiguity of the cardiovascular advantages. Accumulating knowledge from the large number of trials and studies has elucidated the cause for the disparity in results. In this paper, the beneficial effects of HRT, with emphasis on cardiovascular disease are explained, and the relative and absolute risks...

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: case series and literature review.

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Fasano, S; Margiotta, D P; Navarini, L; Pierro, L; Pantano, I; Riccardi, A; Afeltra, A; Valentini, G

2017-12-01

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Low-dose aspirin, hydroxychloroquine and statins have been suggested to play a prophylactic role of cardiovascular events. This study is devoted to reviewing the literature on the topic and assessing the effects of these drugs in preventing a first cardiovascular event in a two-centre Italian series. Methods A PubMed search on cardiovascular prevention in systemic lupus erythematosus was performed. Moreover, systemic lupus erythematosus patients admitted to two centres from 2000-2015, who at admission had not experienced any cardiovascular event, were investigated. Aspirin, hydroxychloroquine and statin use, and the occurrence of any cardiovascular event, were recorded at each visit. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the role of traditional, disease-related cardiovascular risk factors and of each of the three drugs in the occurrence of new cardiovascular events. Results The literature search produced conflicting results. Two hundred and ninety-one systemic lupus erythematosus patients were included in the study and followed for a median of eight years. During follow-up, 16 cardiovascular events occurred. At multivariate analysis, taking aspirin (hazard ratio: 0.24) and hydroxychloroquine for more than five years (hazard ratio: 0.27) reduced, while antiphospholipid antibody positivity (hazard ratio: 4.32) increased, the risk of a first cardiovascular event. No effect of statins emerged. Conclusion Our study confirms an additive role of aspirin and hydroxychloroquine in the primary prophylaxis of cardiovascular events in Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The lack of any detected effect in previous reports may depend on the design of studies and their short follow-up period.

Risk stratification in cardiovascular disease primary prevention - scoring systems, novel markers, and imaging techniques.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Zannad, Faiez

2012-04-01

The aim of this paper is to review and discuss current methods of risk stratification for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, emerging biomarkers, and imaging techniques, and their relative merits and limitations. This report is based on discussions that took place among experts in the area during a special CardioVascular Clinical Trialists workshop organized by the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Drug Therapy in September 2009. Classical risk factors such as blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels remain the cornerstone of risk estimation in primary prevention but their use as a guide to management is limited by several factors: (i) thresholds for drug treatment vary with the available evidence for cost-effectiveness and benefit-to-risk ratios; (ii) assessment may be imprecise; (iii) residual risk may remain, even with effective control of dyslipidemia and hypertension. Novel measures include C-reactive protein, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) , genetic markers, and markers of subclinical organ damage, for which there are varying levels of evidence. High-resolution ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging to assess carotid atherosclerotic lesions have potential but require further validation, standardization, and proof of clinical usefulness in the general population. In conclusion, classical risk scoring systems are available and inexpensive but have a number of limitations. Novel risk markers and imaging techniques may have a place in drug development and clinical trial design. However, their additional value above and beyond classical risk factors has yet to be determined for risk-guided therapy in CVD prevention.

Low prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among primary school ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Identification of obesity and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease in childhood is strongly recommended for prevention of the diseases in adulthood. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of the conventional cardiovascular risk factors among primary school children aged 6-15 years in Urban Dar es ...

Primary care in the prevention, treatment and control of cardiovascular disease in sub-Saharan Africa

OpenAIRE

Ojji, Dike B; Ojji, Dike B Ojji; Lamont, Kim; Sliwa, Karen; Ojji, Olubunmi I; Egenti, Bibiana Nonye; Sliwa, Karen

2017-01-01

Summary Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the frontrunner in the disease spectrum of sub-Saharan Africa, with stroke and ischaemic heart disease ranked seventh and 14th as leading causes of death, respectively, on this sub-continent. Unfortunately, this region is also grappling with many communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional disorders. Limited resources and the high cost of CVD treatment necessitate that primary prevention should have a high priority for CVD control in sub- Saharan A...

The primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: nurse practitioners using behaviour modification strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, Todd Charles; Keeping-Burke, Lisa

2014-01-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) places great financial strain on the health care system and dramatically affects individual quality of life. As primary health care providers, nurse practitioners (NPs) are ideally positioned to advise clients on risk factor and lifestyle modifications that ameliorate the impact of CVD. While the lifestyle targets for CVD prevention are established, the most effective means of achieving these goals remain uncertain. Behaviour modification strategies, including motivational interviewing (MI) and the transtheoretical model (TTM), have been suggested, but neither approach is established as being more efficacious than the other. In this paper, evidence on the effectiveness of the two approaches for modifying smoking, diet, and exercise behaviour are presented, and a recommendation for NP practice is made.

Contemporary Primary Prevention Aspirin Use by Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Impact of US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations, 2007-2015: A Serial, Cross-sectional Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Van't Hof, Jeremy R; Duval, Sue; Walts, Adrienne; Kopecky, Stephen L; Luepker, Russell V; Hirsch, Alan T

2017-10-03

No previous study has evaluated the impact of past US Preventive Services Task Force statements on primary prevention (PP) aspirin use in a primary care setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate temporal changes in PP aspirin use in a primary care population, stratifying patients by their 10-year global cardiovascular disease risk, in response to the 2009 statement. This study estimated biannual aspirin use prevalence using electronic health record data from primary care clinics within the Fairview Health System (Minnesota) from 2007 to 2015. A total of 94 270 patient encounters had complete data to estimate a 10-year cardiovascular disease risk score using the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association global risk estimator. Patients were stratified into low- (aspirin use averaged 43%. When stratified by low, intermediate and high risk, average PP aspirin use was 41%, 63%, and 73%, respectively. Average PP aspirin use decreased after the publication of the 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement: from 45% to 40% in the low-risk group; from 66% to 62% in the intermediate-risk group; and from 76% to 73% in the high-risk group, before and after the guideline. Publication of the 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation was not associated with an increase in aspirin use. High risk PP patients utilized aspirin at high rates. Patients at intermediate risk were less intensively treated, and patients at low risk used aspirin at relatively high rates. These data may inform future aspirin guideline dissemination. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

Exercise for prevention of cardiovascular disease: Evidence-based recommendations

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Geevar Zachariah

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Sedentary lifestyle is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD. In India, a large percentage of the people are physically inactive with fewer than 10% engaging in recreational physical activity. Physical activity has many beneficial effects on the risk factors for CVD. Apart from improving fitness level, it decreases myocardial oxygen demand and improves myocardial perfusion. There is an inverse association between physical activity and all-cause mortality. In primary prevention, physical inactivity is associated with a two-fold increase in the risk for coronary events. In secondary prevention, data confirm the existence of an inverse dose–response relationship between cardiovascular fitness and the all-cause mortality in large populations of cardiovascular patients. Guidelines from the American authorities as well as the European Society of Cardiology provide specific recommendations for exercise depending on the clinical setting (primary or secondary prevention of CVD and the patient-specific factors (the patient's physical activity level and the perceived CVD risk. The present review summarizes the clinical evidence regarding the role of exercise in CVD prevention and the exercise recommendations from the leading Cardiac societies.

Modifying Health Behavior to Prevent Cardiovascular Diseases: A Nationwide Survey among German Primary Care Physicians

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Sven Schneider

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular diseases (CVD are a major public health concern as they are the leading cause of death in developed countries. Primary care is considered to be the ideal setting for CVD prevention. Therefore, more than 4,000 German primary care physicians (PCPs were asked about their attitudes towards and their activities regarding the prevention of CVD in the nationwide ÄSP-kardio Study. The focus of the study was on health behavior modification. Two thirds of the participating PCPs stated that they routinely provided brief inventions to assist patients in reducing both their tobacco (72% and alcohol (61% consumption, to encourage them to increase their levels of physical activity (72%, and to assist them in adjusting to a more healthy diet (66%, and in achieving a healthy body weight (69%. However, only between 23% (quitting smoking and 49% (diet modification of PCPs felt that they had been successful in helping patients modify their lifestyles. Insufficient reimbursement, cultural diversity and a lack of time were reported to be the most problematic barriers to successful intervention in the primary care setting. Despite these obstacles, the majority of German PCPs was engaged in prevention and health behavior intervention to reduce the incidence and progression of CVD.

Risk scoring for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Karmali, Kunal N; Persell, Stephen D; Perel, Pablo; Lloyd-Jones, Donald M; Berendsen, Mark A; Huffman, Mark D

2017-03-14

The current paradigm for cardiovascular disease (CVD) emphasises absolute risk assessment to guide treatment decisions in primary prevention. Although the derivation and validation of multivariable risk assessment tools, or CVD risk scores, have attracted considerable attention, their effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain. To assess the effects of evaluating and providing CVD risk scores in adults without prevalent CVD on cardiovascular outcomes, risk factor levels, preventive medication prescribing, and health behaviours. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library (2016, Issue 2), MEDLINE Ovid (1946 to March week 1 2016), Embase (embase.com) (1974 to 15 March 2016), and Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Science (CPCI-S) (1990 to 15 March 2016). We imposed no language restrictions. We searched clinical trial registers in March 2016 and handsearched reference lists of primary studies to identify additional reports. We included randomised and quasi-randomised trials comparing the systematic provision of CVD risk scores by a clinician, healthcare professional, or healthcare system compared with usual care (i.e. no systematic provision of CVD risk scores) in adults without CVD. Three review authors independently selected studies, extracted data, and evaluated study quality. We used the Cochrane 'Risk of bias' tool to assess study limitations. The primary outcomes were: CVD events, change in CVD risk factor levels (total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and multivariable CVD risk), and adverse events. Secondary outcomes included: lipid-lowering and antihypertensive medication prescribing in higher-risk people. We calculated risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous data and mean differences (MD) or standardised mean differences (SMD) for continuous data using 95% confidence intervals. We used a fixed-effects model when heterogeneity (I²) was at least 50% and a random-effects model for substantial heterogeneity

Policy environment for prevention, control and management of cardiovascular diseases in primary health care in Kenya.

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Asiki, Gershim; Shao, Shuai; Wainana, Carol; Khayeka-Wandabwa, Christopher; Haregu, Tilahun N; Juma, Pamela A; Mohammed, Shukri; Wambui, David; Gong, Enying; Yan, Lijing L; Kyobutungi, Catherine

2018-05-09

In Kenya, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) accounted for more than 10% of total deaths and 4% of total Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) in 2015 with a steady increase over the past decade. The main objective of this paper was to review the existing policies and their content in relation to prevention, control and management of CVDs at primary health care (PHC) level in Kenya. A targeted document search in Google engine using keywords "Kenya national policy on cardiovascular diseases" and "Kenya national policy on non-communicable diseases (NCDs)" was conducted in addition to key informant interviews with Kenyan policy makers. Relevant regional and international policy documents were also included. The contents of documents identified were reviewed to assess how well they aligned with global health policies on CVD prevention, control and management. Thematic content analysis of the key informant interviews was also conducted to supplement the document reviews. A total of 17 documents were reviewed and three key informants interviewed. Besides the Tobacco Control Act (2007), all policy documents for CVD prevention, control and management were developed after 2013. The national policies were preceded by global initiatives and guidelines and were similar in content with the global policies. The Kenya health policy (2014-2030), The Kenya Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan (2014-2018) and the Kenya National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable diseases (2015-2020) had strategies on NCDs including CVDs. Other policy documents for behavioral risk factors (The Tobacco Control Act 2007, Alcoholic Drinks Control (Licensing) Regulations (2010)) were available. The National Nutrition Action Plan (2012-2017) was available as a draft. Although Kenya has a tiered health care system comprising primary healthcare, integration of CVD prevention and control at PHC level was not explicitly mentioned in the policy documents. This review revealed

Socioeconomic status and health inequalities for cardiovascular prevention among elderly Spaniards.

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Mejía-Lancheros, Cília; Estruch, Ramón; Martínez-González, Miguel A; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi; Corella, Dolores; Gómez-Gracia, Enrique; Fiol, Miquel; Lapetra, José; Covas, Maria I; Arós, Fernando; Serra-Majem, Lluís; Pintó, Xavier; Basora, Josep; Sorlí, José V; Muñoz, Miguel A

2013-10-01

Although it is known that social factors may introduce inequalities in cardiovascular health, data on the role of socioeconomic differences in the prescription of preventive treatment are scarce. We aimed to assess the relationship between the socioeconomic status of an elderly population at high cardiovascular risk and inequalities in receiving primary cardiovascular treatment, within the context of a universal health care system. Cross-sectional study of 7447 individuals with high cardiovascular risk (57.5% women, mean age 67 years) who participated in the PREDIMED study, a clinical trial of nutritional interventions for cardiovascular prevention. Educational attainment was used as the indicator of socioeconomic status to evaluate differences in pharmacological treatment received for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Participants with the lowest socioeconomic status were more frequently women, older, overweight, sedentary, and less adherent to the Mediterranean dietary pattern. They were, however, less likely to smoke and drink alcohol. This socioeconomic subgroup had a higher proportion of coexisting cardiovascular risk factors. Multivariate analysis of the whole population found no differences between participants with middle and low levels of education in the drug treatment prescribed for 3 major cardiovascular risk factors (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]): hypertension (0.75 [0.56-1.00] vs 0.85 [0.65-1.10]); diabetic participants (0.86 [0.61-1.22] vs 0.90 [0.67-1.22]); and dyslipidemia (0.93 [0.75-1.15] vs 0.99 [0.82-1.19], respectively). In our analysis, socioeconomic differences did not affect the treatment prescribed for primary cardiovascular prevention in elderly patients in Spain. Free, universal health care based on a primary care model can be effective in reducing health inequalities related to socioeconomic status. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Automated electronic reminders to facilitate primary cardiovascular disease prevention: randomised controlled trial

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Holt, Tim A; Thorogood, Margaret; Griffiths, Frances; Munday, Stephen; Friede, Tim; Stables, David

2010-01-01

Background Primary care databases contain cardiovascular disease risk factor data, but practical tools are required to improve identification of at-risk patients. Aim To test the effects of a system of electronic reminders (the ‘e-Nudge’) on cardiovascular events and the adequacy of data for cardiovascular risk estimation. Design of study Randomised controlled trial. Setting Nineteen general practices in the West Midlands, UK. Method The e-Nudge identifies four groups of patients aged over 50 years on the basis of estimated cardiovascular risk and adequacy of risk factor data in general practice computers. Screen messages highlight individuals at raised risk and prompt users to complete risk profiles where necessary. The proportion of the study population in the four groups was measured, as well as the rate of cardiovascular events in each arm after 2 years. Results Over 38 000 patients' electronic records were randomised. The intervention led to an increase in the proportion of patients with sufficient data who were identifiably at risk, with a difference of 1.94% compared to the control group (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.38 to 2.50, P<0.001). A corresponding reduction occurred in the proportion potentially at risk but requiring further data for a risk estimation (difference = –3.68%, 95% CI = –4.53 to –2.84, P<0.001). No significant difference was observed in the incidence of cardiovascular events (rate ratio = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.85 to 1.10, P = 0.59). Conclusion Automated electronic reminders using routinely collected primary care data can improve the adequacy of cardiovascular risk factor information during everyday practice and increase the visibility of the at-risk population. PMID:20353659

Vitamin, mineral, and multivitamin supplements for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer: U.S. Preventive services Task Force recommendation statement.

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Moyer, Virginia A

2014-04-15

Update of the 2003 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on vitamin supplementation to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer. The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the efficacy of multivitamin or mineral supplements in the general adult population for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. This recommendation applies to healthy adults without special nutritional needs (typically aged 50 years or older). It does not apply to children, women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, or persons who are chronically ill or hospitalized or have a known nutritional deficiency. The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of multivitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer. (I statement). The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of single- or paired-nutrient supplements (except β-carotene and vitamin E) for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer. (I statement). The USPSTF recommends against β-carotene or vitamin E supplements for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer. (D recommendation).

Lack of control of hypertension in primary cardiovascular disease prevention in Europe: Results from the EURIKA study.

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Borghi, Claudio; Tubach, Florence; De Backer, Guy; Dallongeville, Jean; Guallar, Eliseo; Medina, Jesús; Perk, Joep; Roy, Carine; Banegas, José R; Rodriguez-Artalejo, Fernando; Halcox, Julian P

2016-09-01

The prevalence of and factors associated with uncontrolled hypertension and apparent resistant hypertension were assessed in the European Study on Cardiovascular Risk Prevention and Management in Usual Daily Practice (EURIKA; NCT00882336). EURIKA was a cross-sectional observational study including patients being treated for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in 12 European countries. Patients were assessed if they were being treated for hypertension (N=5220). Blood pressure control was defined according to European guidelines, with sensitivity analysis taking account of patients' age and diabetes status. Associated factors were assessed using multivariate analysis. In the primary analysis, a total of 2691 patients (51.6%) had uncontrolled hypertension. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of having uncontrolled hypertension included female sex (odds ratio [OR]: 2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.93-2.73), body mass index (BMI; OR per kg/m(2): 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.04), and geographic location. A total of 749 patients (14.3%) had apparent resistant hypertension. Factors significantly associated with an increased risk of having apparent resistant hypertension included BMI (OR per kg/m(2): 1.06; 95% CI: 1.04-1.08), diabetes (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.06-1.53), use of statins (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.15-1.62), serum uric acid levels (OR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.09-1.23), and geographic location. Similar results were seen in sensitivity analyses. Over 50% of patients treated for hypertension continued to have uncontrolled blood pressure and 14.3% had apparent resistant hypertension. Positive associations were seen with other cardiovascular risk factors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in people with schizophrenia.

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Holt, R I G

2015-08-01

Primary prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease is an important priority for people with schizophrenia. This review aims to identify lifestyle and pharmacological interventions that reduce diabetes and cardiovascular disease in people with schizophrenia. PubMed and other electronic databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Lifestyle interventions that focus on diet and physical activity reduce the incidence of diabetes. Similar programmes in people with schizophrenia have led to significant weight loss and may reasonably be expected to reduce diabetes in the long-term. Metformin may be considered when lifestyle change is not feasible or effective. Lifestyle interventions, particularly smoking cessation, are likely to be effective in reducing cardiovascular disease in people with schizophrenia. Although cardiovascular prevention trials with statins have not been performed in people with schizophrenia, similar reductions in cholesterol has been seen as in the general population and statins should be considered for those at high risk. Traditional cardiovascular risk prediction models perform well in identifying those at high cardiovascular risk, but bespoke prediction models using data from people with schizophrenia perform better. Reducing diabetes and cardiovascular disease requires a coordinated and concerted effort from mental and physical health teams working across primary and secondary care. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[Statement of the Spanish Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Prevention Committee (CEIPC) on the 2012 European Cardiovascular Prevention Guidelines].

Science.gov (United States)

Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; Lobos Bejarano, José María; Villar Alvarez, Fernando; Sans, Susana; Pérez, Antonio; Pedro-Botet, Juan; Moreno Carriles, Rosa María; Maiques, Antonio; Lizcano, Angel; Lizarbe, Vicenta; Gil Núñez, Antonio; Fornés Ubeda, Francisco; Elosua, Roberto; de Santiago Nocito, Ana; de Pablo Zarzosa, Carmen; de Álvaro Moreno, Fernando; Cortés, Olga; Cordero, Alberto; Camafort Babkowski, Miguel; Brotons Cuixart, Carlos; Armario, Pedro

2013-01-01

Based on the two main frameworks for evaluating scientific evidence--SEC and GRADE--European cardiovascular prevention guidelines recommend interventions across all life stages using a combination of population-based and high-risk strategies with diet as the cornerstone of prevention. The evaluation of cardiovascular risk (CVR) incorporates HDL levels and psychosocial factors, a very high risk category, and the concept of age-risk. They also recommend cognitive-behavioural methods (e.g., motivational interviewing, psychological interventions, led by health professionals and with the participation of the patient's family, to counterbalance psychosocial stress and reduce CVR through the institution of positive habits such as a healthy diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, and adherence to treatment. Additionally, public health interventions--such as smoking ban in public areas or the elimination of trans fatty acids from the food chain--are also essential. Other innovations include abandoning antiplatelet therapy in primary prevention and the recommendation of maintaining blood pressure (BP) within the 130-139/80-85 mmHg range in diabetic patients and individuals with high CVR. Finally, due to the significant impact on patient progress and medical costs, special emphasis is given to the low therapeutic adherence levels observed. In sum, improving cardiovascular prevention requires a true partnership among the political class, public administrations, scientific and professional associations, health foundations, consumer associations, patients and their families. Such partnership would promote population-based and individual strategies by taking advantage of the broad spectrum of scientific evidence available, from clinical trials to observational studies and mathematical models to evaluate population-based interventions, including cost-effectiveness analyses.

Rosuvastatin, inflammation, C-reactive protein, JUPITER, and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease--a perspective.

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Kones, Richard

2010-12-09

The major public health concern worldwide is coronary heart disease, with dyslipidemia as a major risk factor. Statin drugs are recommended by several guidelines for both primary and secondary prevention. Rosuvastatin has been widely accepted because of its efficacy, potency, and superior safety profile. Inflammation is involved in all phases of atherosclerosis, with the process beginning in early youth and advancing relentlessly for decades throughout life. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a well-studied, nonspecific marker of inflammation which may reflect general health risk. Considerable evidence suggests CRP is an independent predictor of future cardiovascular events, but direct involvement in atherosclerosis remains controversial. Rosuvastatin is a synthetic, hydrophilic statin with unique stereochemistry. A large proportion of patients achieve evidence-based lipid targets while using the drug, and it slows progression and induces regression of atherosclerotic coronary lesions. Rosuvastatin lowers CRP levels significantly. The Justification for Use of statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) trial was designed after the observation that when both low density lipoprotein and CRP were reduced, patients fared better than when only LDL was lowered. Advocates and critics alike acknowledge that the benefits of rosuvastatin in JUPITER were real. After a review, the US Food and Drug Administration extended the indications for rosuvastatin to include asymptomatic JUPITER-eligible individuals with one additional risk factor. The American Heart Association and Centers of Disease Control and Prevention had previously recognized the use of CRP in persons with "intermediate risk" as defined by global risk scores. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines went further and recommended use of statins in persons with low LDL and high CRP levels at intermediate risk. The JUPITER study focused attention on ostensibly healthy individuals with

Improving cardiovascular outcomes among Aboriginal Australians: Lessons from research for primary care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra C Thompson

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Background: The Aboriginal people of Australia have much poorer health and social indicators and a substantial life expectancy gap compared to other Australians, with premature cardiovascular disease a major contributor to poorer health. This article draws on research undertaken to examine cardiovascular disparities and focuses on ways in which primary care practitioners can contribute to reducing cardiovascular disparities and improving Aboriginal health. Methods: The overall research utilised mixed methods and included data analysis, interviews and group processes which included Aboriginal people, service providers and policymakers. Workshop discussions to identify barriers and what works were recorded by notes and on whiteboards, then distilled and circulated to participants and other stakeholders to refine and validate information. Additional engagement occurred through circulation of draft material and further discussions. This report distils the lessons for primary care practitioners to improve outcomes through management that is attentive to the needs of Aboriginal people. Results: Aspects of primordial, primary and secondary prevention are identified, with practical strategies for intervention summarised. The premature onset and high incidence of Aboriginal cardiovascular disease make prevention imperative and require that primary care practitioners understand and work to address the social underpinnings of poor health. Doctors are well placed to reinforce the importance of healthy lifestyle at all visits to involve the family and to reduce barriers which impede early care seeking. Ensuring better information for Aboriginal patients and better integrated care for patients who frequently have complex needs and multi-morbidities will also improve care outcomes. Conclusion: Primary care practitioners have an important role in improving Aboriginal cardiovascular care outcomes. It is essential that they recognise the special needs of their

Improving cardiovascular outcomes among Aboriginal Australians: Lessons from research for primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Sandra C; Haynes, Emma; Woods, John A; Bessarab, Dawn C; Dimer, Lynette A; Wood, Marianne M; Sanfilippo, Frank M; Hamilton, Sandra J; Katzenellenbogen, Judith M

2016-01-01

The Aboriginal people of Australia have much poorer health and social indicators and a substantial life expectancy gap compared to other Australians, with premature cardiovascular disease a major contributor to poorer health. This article draws on research undertaken to examine cardiovascular disparities and focuses on ways in which primary care practitioners can contribute to reducing cardiovascular disparities and improving Aboriginal health. The overall research utilised mixed methods and included data analysis, interviews and group processes which included Aboriginal people, service providers and policymakers. Workshop discussions to identify barriers and what works were recorded by notes and on whiteboards, then distilled and circulated to participants and other stakeholders to refine and validate information. Additional engagement occurred through circulation of draft material and further discussions. This report distils the lessons for primary care practitioners to improve outcomes through management that is attentive to the needs of Aboriginal people. Aspects of primordial, primary and secondary prevention are identified, with practical strategies for intervention summarised. The premature onset and high incidence of Aboriginal cardiovascular disease make prevention imperative and require that primary care practitioners understand and work to address the social underpinnings of poor health. Doctors are well placed to reinforce the importance of healthy lifestyle at all visits to involve the family and to reduce barriers which impede early care seeking. Ensuring better information for Aboriginal patients and better integrated care for patients who frequently have complex needs and multi-morbidities will also improve care outcomes. Primary care practitioners have an important role in improving Aboriginal cardiovascular care outcomes. It is essential that they recognise the special needs of their Aboriginal patients and work at multiple levels both outside and

Individualized cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice : Estimation of benefit and cost

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Slob, MC

2017-01-01

For treatment decisions in clinical practice, group-level treatment effects need to be translated into benefit for an individual patient. In both the primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention setting (Chapter 2), patients differ widely in the risk for cardiovascular events, and the benefit

A community-based intervention for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in the slums of Nairobi: the SCALE UP study protocol for a prospective quasi-experimental community-based trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oti, Samuel O.; van de Vijver, Steven J. M.; Kyobutungi, Catherine; Gomez, Gabriela B.; Agyemang, Charles; Moll van Charante, Eric P.; Brewster, Lizzy M.; Hendriks, Marleen E.; Schultsz, Constance; Ettarh, Remare; Ezeh, Alex; Lange, Joep

2013-01-01

The burden of cardiovascular disease is rising in sub-Saharan Africa with hypertension being the main risk factor. However, context-specific evidence on effective interventions for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in resource-poor settings is limited. This study aims to evaluate the

Whole grain cereals for the primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

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Kelly, Sarah Am; Hartley, Louise; Loveman, Emma; Colquitt, Jill L; Jones, Helen M; Al-Khudairy, Lena; Clar, Christine; Germanò, Roberta; Lunn, Hannah R; Frost, Gary; Rees, Karen

2017-08-24

reported) to whole grain versus lower whole grain or refined grain control groups. We found no studies that reported the effect of whole grain diets on total cardiovascular mortality or cardiovascular events (total myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, total stroke). All included studies reported the effect of whole grain diets on risk factors for cardiovascular disease including blood lipids and blood pressure. All studies were in primary prevention populations and had an unclear or high risk of bias, and no studies had an intervention duration greater than 16 weeks.Overall, we found no difference between whole grain and control groups for total cholesterol (mean difference 0.07, 95% confidence interval -0.07 to 0.21; 6 studies (7 comparisons); 722 participants; low-quality evidence).Using GRADE, we assessed the overall quality of the available evidence on cholesterol as low. Four studies were funded by independent national and government funding bodies, while the remaining studies reported funding or partial funding by organisations with commercial interests in cereals. There is insufficient evidence from RCTs of an effect of whole grain diets on cardiovascular outcomes or on major CVD risk factors such as blood lipids and blood pressure. Trials were at unclear or high risk of bias with small sample sizes and relatively short-term interventions, and the overall quality of the evidence was low. There is a need for well-designed, adequately powered RCTs with longer durations assessing cardiovascular events as well as cardiovascular risk factors.

Cardiovascular Risk in Primary Hyperaldosteronism.

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Prejbisz, A; Warchoł-Celińska, E; Lenders, J W M; Januszewicz, A

2015-12-01

After the first cases of primary aldosteronism were described and characterized by Conn, a substantial body of experimental and clinical evidence about the long-term effects of excess aldosterone on the cardiovascular system was gathered over the last 5 decades. The prevalence of primary aldosteronism varies considerably between different studies among hypertensive patients, depending on patient selection, the used diagnostic methods, and the severity of hypertension. Prevalence rates vary from 4.6 to 16.6% in those studies in which confirmatory tests to diagnose primary aldosteronism were used. There is also growing evidence indicating that prolonged exposure to elevated aldosterone concentrations is associated with target organ damage in the heart, kidney, and arterial wall, and high cardiovascular risk in patients with primary aldosteronism. Therefore, the aim of treatment should not be confined to BP normalization and hypokalemia correction, but rather should focus on restoring the deleterious effects of excess aldosterone on the cardiovascular system. Current evidence convincingly demonstrates that both surgical and medical treatment strategies beneficially affect cardiovascular outcomes and mortality in the long term. Further studies can be expected to provide better insight into the relationship between cardiovascular risk and complications and the genetic background of primary aldosteronism. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Defibrillator implantations for primary prevention in the United States: Inappropriate care or inadequate documentation: Insights from the National Cardiovascular Data ICD Registry.

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Kaiser, Daniel W; Tsai, Vivian; Heidenreich, Paul A; Goldstein, Mary K; Wang, Yongfei; Curtis, Jeptha; Turakhia, Mintu P

2015-10-01

Prior studies have reported that more than 20% of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantations in the United States do not adhere to trial-based criteria. We sought to investigate the patient characteristics associated with not meeting the inclusion criteria of the clinical trials that have demonstrated the efficacy of primary prevention ICDs. Using data from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry's ICD Registry, we identified patients who received ICDs for primary prevention from January 2006 to December 2008. We determined whether patients met the inclusion criteria of at least 1 of the 4 ICD primary prevention trials: Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial (MADIT), MADIT-II, Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT), and the Multicenter Unsustained Tachycardia Trial (MUSTT). Among 150,264 patients, 86% met criteria for an ICD implantation based on trial data. The proportion of patients who did not meet trial-based criteria increased as age decreased. In multivariate analysis, the significant predictors for not meeting trial criteria included prior cardiac transplantation (odds ratio [OR] 2.1), pediatric electrophysiology operator (OR 2.0), and high-grade atrioventricular conduction disease (OR 1.4). Among National Cardiovascular Data Registry registrants receiving first-time ICDs for primary prevention, the majority met trial-based criteria. Multivariate analyses suggested that many patients who did not meet the trial-based criteria may have had clinical circumstances that warranted ICD implantation. These findings caution against the use of trial-based indications to determine site quality metrics that could penalize sites that care for younger patients. The planned incorporation of appropriate use criteria into the ICD registry may better characterize patient- and site-level quality and performance. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in Greece: Greek results of the EURIKA study.

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Elisaf, Moses; Tzouvelekis, Emmanouil; Nikas, Nikos

2014-01-01

The EURIKA study was designed to describe the control of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a real-world primary prevention setting in Europe, to estimate residual CVD risk, and to assess physicians' attitudes to and perceptions of risk factor management. The present manuscript reports the EURIKA results from Greece. EURIKA was a multinational, cross-sectional study conducted in 12 European countries. Randomly selected physicians completed a questionnaire regarding their demographics and CVD prevention beliefs and practices. Consenting patients who were free of CVD, aged 50 years, and with 1 CVD risk factor, were recruited. Risk factor definition and treatment goals were based on the 2007 European guidelines on CVD prevention. Global CVD risk was estimated using the SCORE equation. In addition, each patient provided a fasting blood sample for measurement of serum lipids, and HbA1c. Overall, 620 evaluable patients (male/female 46%/54%) were enrolled by 63 physicians (13 hospital-based, 50 office-based) across Greece. Almost one-third of the patients (27.3%) were classified as highrisk (SCORE5%). Blood pressure, dyslipidaemia and diabetes were controlled in 47.5%, 37.4% and 43.8% of the population who were treated for the respective risk factors, with more than one-fourth of the controlled patients remaining at high risk. The ESC 2007 and ESC/ESH 2007 guidelines were the most popular (44.4% and 38.1% respectively), while the ESC/ESH tool was most frequently reported to be used by physicians for global CVD risk calculation (42%), followed by SCORE (36%), and Framingham (36%). The major barriers to the use of guidelines and risk calculation tools were the plethora of guidelines and time constraints (87.5% and 69.2% respectively). Control of key CVD risk factors appears to be suboptimal in primary prevention patients in Greece, with a remarkable proportion of controlled patients remaining at high risk. Although guidelines and global risk calculation tools are

Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts.

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Estruch, Ramón; Ros, Emilio; Salas-Salvadó, Jordi; Covas, Maria-Isabel; Corella, Dolores; Arós, Fernando; Gómez-Gracia, Enrique; Ruiz-Gutiérrez, Valentina; Fiol, Miquel; Lapetra, José; Lamuela-Raventos, Rosa M; Serra-Majem, Lluís; Pintó, Xavier; Basora, Josep; Muñoz, Miguel A; Sorlí, José V; Martínez, J Alfredo; Fitó, Montserrat; Gea, Alfredo; Hernán, Miguel A; Martínez-González, Miguel A

2018-06-21

Observational cohort studies and a secondary prevention trial have shown inverse associations between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular risk. In a multicenter trial in Spain, we assigned 7447 participants (55 to 80 years of age, 57% women) who were at high cardiovascular risk, but with no cardiovascular disease at enrollment, to one of three diets: a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts, or a control diet (advice to reduce dietary fat). Participants received quarterly educational sessions and, depending on group assignment, free provision of extra-virgin olive oil, mixed nuts, or small nonfood gifts. The primary end point was a major cardiovascular event (myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes). After a median follow-up of 4.8 years, the trial was stopped on the basis of a prespecified interim analysis. In 2013, we reported the results for the primary end point in the Journal. We subsequently identified protocol deviations, including enrollment of household members without randomization, assignment to a study group without randomization of some participants at 1 of 11 study sites, and apparent inconsistent use of randomization tables at another site. We have withdrawn our previously published report and now report revised effect estimates based on analyses that do not rely exclusively on the assumption that all the participants were randomly assigned. A primary end-point event occurred in 288 participants; there were 96 events in the group assigned to a Mediterranean diet with extra-virgin olive oil (3.8%), 83 in the group assigned to a Mediterranean diet with nuts (3.4%), and 109 in the control group (4.4%). In the intention-to-treat analysis including all the participants and adjusting for baseline characteristics and propensity scores, the hazard ratio was 0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.91) for a Mediterranean diet with extra

Riesgo cardiovascular, una herramienta útil para la prevención de las enfermedades cardiovasculares Cardiovascular risk, a useful tool for prevention of cardiovascular diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Vega Abascal

2011-03-01

Full Text Available El riesgo cardiovascular se define como la probabilidad de padecer un evento cardiovascular en un determinado período. Mejorar la exactitud en la predicción del riesgo requiere la evaluación y el tratamiento de múltiples factores de riesgo cardiovascular, los que tienen un efecto sinérgico, más que aditivo, sobre el riesgo cardiovascular total. El cálculo utilizando métodos cuantitativos es más preciso que el obtenido con métodos cualitativos. La predicción del riesgo cardiovascular ha constituido, en los últimos años, la piedra angular en las guías clínicas de prevención cardiovascular, y deviene una herramienta útil del Médico de Familia para establecer prioridades en la atención primaria, mejorando la atención a los pacientes y eligiendo más eficazmente la terapéutica a seguir, con el objetivo de acercarnos más a la realidad multifactorial de las enfermedades cardiovasculares y a su prevención.The cardiovascular risk is defined like a probability of suffering a cardiovascular event in a determined period. To improve the accuracy in risk prediction requires the assessment and treatment of different cardiovascular risk factors, which have a synergistic effect more than additive on the total cardiovascular risk. The calculus using quantitative methods is more accurate than that obtained with qualitative methods. The prediction of cardiovascular risk has been in past years the cornerstone in clinical guidances of cardiovascular prevention and becomes an useful tool for Family Physician to establish priorities in the primary care, improving the patients care and selecting in a more effective way the therapy to be followed to bring closer more to multifactor reality of cardiovascular diseases and its prevention.

Prevalence and treatment of atherogenic dyslipidemia in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in Europe: EURIKA, a cross-sectional observational study.

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Halcox, Julian P; Banegas, José R; Roy, Carine; Dallongeville, Jean; De Backer, Guy; Guallar, Eliseo; Perk, Joep; Hajage, David; Henriksson, Karin M; Borghi, Claudio

2017-06-17

Atherogenic dyslipidemia is associated with poor cardiovascular outcomes, yet markers of this condition are often ignored in clinical practice. Here, we address a clear evidence gap by assessing the prevalence and treatment of two markers of atherogenic dyslipidemia: elevated triglyceride levels and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This cross-sectional observational study assessed the prevalence of two atherogenic dyslipidemia markers, high triglyceride levels and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, in the study population from the European Study on Cardiovascular Risk Prevention and Management in Usual Daily Practice (EURIKA; N = 7641; of whom 51.6% were female and 95.6% were White/Caucasian). The EURIKA population included European patients, aged at least 50 years with at least one cardiovascular risk factor but no history of cardiovascular disease. Over 20% of patients from the EURIKA population have either triglyceride or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels characteristic of atherogenic dyslipidemia. Furthermore, the proportions of patients with one of these markers were higher in subpopulations with type 2 diabetes mellitus or those already calculated to be at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Approximately 55% of the EURIKA population who have markers of atherogenic dyslipidemia are not receiving lipid-lowering therapy. A considerable proportion of patients with at least one major cardiovascular risk factor in the primary cardiovascular disease prevention setting have markers of atherogenic dyslipidemia. The majority of these patients are not receiving optimal treatment, as specified in international guidelines, and thus their risk of developing cardiovascular disease is possibly underestimated. The present study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT00882336).

The Mediterranean Diet: its definition and evaluation of a priori dietary indexes in primary cardiovascular prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

D'Alessandro, Annunziata; De Pergola, Giovanni

2018-01-18

We have analysed the definition of Mediterranean Diet in 28 studies included in six meta-analyses evaluating the relation between the Mediterranean Diet and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Some typical food of this dietary pattern like whole cereals, olive oil and red wine were taken into account only in a few a priori indexes, and the dietary pattern defined as Mediterranean showed many differences among the studies and compared to traditional Mediterranean Diet of the early 1960s. Altogether, the analysed studies show a protective effect of the Mediterranean Diet against cardiovascular disease but present different effects against specific conditions as cerebrovascular disease and coronary heart disease. These different effects might depend on the definition of Mediterranean Diet and the indexes of the adhesion to the same one used. To compare the effects of the Mediterranean Diet against cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke a univocal model of Mediterranean Diet should be established as a reference, and it might be represented by the Modern Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. The a priori index to evaluate the adhesion to Mediterranean Diet might be the Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern Score that has some advantages in comparison to the others a priori indexes.

Multimorbidity and quality of preventive care in Swiss university primary care cohorts.

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Sven Streit

Full Text Available Caring for patients with multimorbidity is common for generalists, although such patients are often excluded from clinical trials, and thus such trials lack of generalizability. Data on the association between multimorbidity and preventive care are limited. We aimed to assess whether comorbidity number, severity and type were associated with preventive care among patients receiving care in Swiss University primary care settings.We examined a retrospective cohort composed of a random sample of 1,002 patients aged 50-80 years attending four Swiss university primary care settings. Multimorbidity was defined according to the literature and the Charlson index. We assessed the quality of preventive care and cardiovascular preventive care with RAND's Quality Assessment Tool indicators. Aggregate scores of quality of provided care were calculated by taking into account the number of eligible patients for each indicator.Participants (mean age 63.5 years, 44% women had a mean of 2.6 (SD 1.9 comorbidities and 67.5% had 2 or more comorbidities. The mean Charlson index was 1.8 (SD 1.9. Overall, participants received 69% of recommended preventive care and 84% of cardiovascular preventive care. Quality of care was not associated with higher numbers of comorbidities, both for preventive care and for cardiovascular preventive care. Results were similar in analyses using the Charlson index and after adjusting for age, gender, occupation, center and number of visits. Some patients may receive less preventive care including those with dementia (47% and those with schizophrenia (35%.In Swiss university primary care settings, two thirds of patients had 2 or more comorbidities. The receipt of preventive and cardiovascular preventive care was not affected by comorbidity count or severity, although patients with certain comorbidities may receive lower levels of preventive care.

Cardiovascular Prevention of Cognitive Decline

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Jean-Jacques Monsuez

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Midlife cardiovascular risk factors, including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipemia, and an unhealthy lifestyle, have been linked to subsequent incidence, delay of onset, and progression rate of Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. Conversely, optimal treatment of cardiovascular risk factors prevents and slows down age-related cognitive disorders. The impact of antihypertensive therapy on cognitive outcome in patients with hypertension was assessed in large trials which demonstrated a reduction in progression of MRI white matter hyperintensities, in cognitive decline and in incidence of dementia. Large-scale database correlated statin use and reduction in the incidence of dementia, mainly in patients with documented atherosclerosis, but clinical trials failed to reach similar conclusions. Whether a multitargeted intervention would substantially improve protection, quality of life, and reduce medical cost expenditures in patients with lower risk profile has not been ascertained. This would require appropriately designed trials targeting large populations and focusing on cognitive decline as a primary outcome endpoint.

EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF LIPID-LOWERING DRUGS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES IN THE ELDERLY

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E. A. Ushkalova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Effect of hyperlipidemia on morbidity and mortality in elderly patients is considered. Authors also cover issues of efficacy and safety of lipid-lowering therapy in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in patients ≥80 years of age who are the most quickly growing group of population and have the highest cardiovascular risk. They stress the need to take into account polymorbidity and polypharmacy that increase the risk of adverse reactions due to the use of both statins and their drug-drug interactions, which requires an assessment of risk/benefit ratio. In addition, there is a need for development of reliable prognostic tools to predict relevant outcomes (e.g., stroke, decrease in functionality/independence, quality of life reduction and rationales for lipid-lowering therapy in the elderly and also their adherence to treatment.

Benefit-harm analysis and charts for individualized and preference-sensitive prevention: example of low dose aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

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Puhan, Milo A; Yu, Tsung; Stegeman, Inge; Varadhan, Ravi; Singh, Sonal; Boyd, Cynthia M

2015-10-01

Clinical practice guidelines provide separate recommendations for different diseases that may be prevented or treated by the same intervention. Also, they commonly provide recommendations for entire populations but not for individuals. To address these two limitations, our aim was to conduct benefit-harm analyses for a wide range of individuals using the example of low dose aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer and to develop Benefit-Harm Charts that show the overall benefit-harm balance for individuals. We used quantitative benefit-harm modeling that included 16 outcomes to estimate the probability that low dose aspirin provides more benefits than harms for a wide range of men and women between 45 and 84 years of age and without a previous myocardial infarction, severe ischemic stroke, or cancer. We repeated the quantitative benefit-harm modeling for different combinations of age, sex, and outcome risks for severe ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, myocardial infarction, cancers, and severe gastrointestinal bleeds. The analyses considered weights for the outcomes, statistical uncertainty of the effects of aspirin, and death as a competing risk. We constructed Benefit-Harm Charts that show the benefit-harm balance for different combinations of outcome risks. The Benefit-Harm Charts ( http://www.benefit-harm-balance.com ) we have created show that the benefit-harm balance differs largely across a primary prevention population. Low dose aspirin is likely to provide more benefits than harms in men, elderly people, and in those at low risk for severe gastrointestinal bleeds. Individual preferences have a major impact on the benefit-harm balance. If, for example, it is a high priority for individuals to prevent stroke and severe cancers while severe gastrointestinal bleeds are deemed to be of little importance, the benefit-harm balance is likely to favor low dose aspirin for most individuals. Instead, if severe gastrointestinal bleeds are

Neuropeptide Y stimulation as primary target for preventive measures of maladaptative cardiovascular reactions in occupational chronic stress exposure.

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Ciumaşu-Rîmbu, Mălina; Popa, Livia; Vulpoi, Carmen

2012-01-01

Chronic stress may produce a decrease in central NPY expression and subjects exposed to it may prove hypersensitivity to a novel stressor with dysfunctions in the NPY system and cardiovascular maladaptation to stress, even hypertension. Upregulation of NPY expression may contribute to successful behavioral adaptation to stress by reducing cardiovascular tone and suppressing anxious behaviors. Adaptogens, a new class of metabolic regulators stimulate NPY expression and release. The aim of this study is to increase tolerance and adaptation to stress of hypersensitive to novel stressor, occupational chronic stress exposed subjects with cardiovascular maladaptation to mild new stressor using adaptogens as part of prevention protocol. 40 military personnel with known cardiostressor reactional mode and occupational chronic stress exposure were exposed to mild novel stressor: occupational medicine routine evaluation and clinically assessed for maladaptative cardiovascular response prior and before application of 30 day prevention protocol. Employees were randomly split in two groups, one receiving standard prevention protocol (lifestyle counseling) plus adaptogens in multiple dose administration, twice daily and the other receiving only standard prevention protocol. We found significant statistic differences in all cardiovascular parameters in adaptogen group and only in diastolic blood pressure in control group. Adaptogens could be an important factor in successful prevention protocols of chronic occupational stress dysfunctions involving NPY systems.

Rationale and methods of the European Study on Cardiovascular Risk Prevention and Management in Daily Practice (EURIKA

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Jiménez Francisco

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The EURIKA study aims to assess the status of primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD across Europe. Specifically, it will determine the degree of control of cardiovascular risk factors in current clinical practice in relation to the European guidelines on cardiovascular prevention. It will also assess physicians' knowledge and attitudes about CVD prevention as well as the barriers impeding effective risk factor management in clinical practice. Methods/Design Cross-sectional study conducted simultaneously in 12 countries across Europe. The study has two components: firstly at the physician level, assessing eight hundred and nine primary care and specialist physicians with a daily practice in CVD prevention. A physician specific questionnaire captures information regarding physician demographics, practice settings, cardiovascular prevention beliefs and management. Secondly at the patient level, including 7641 patients aged 50 years or older, free of clinical CVD and with at least one classical risk factor, enrolled by the participating physicians. A patient-specific questionnaire captures information from clinical records and patient interview regarding sociodemographic data, CVD risk factors, and current medications. Finally, each patient provides a fasting blood sample, which is sent to a central laboratory for measuring serum lipids, apolipoproteins, hemoglobin-A1c, and inflammatory biomarkers. Discussion Primary prevention of CVD is an extremely important clinical issue, with preventable circulatory diseases remaining the leading cause of major disease burden. The EURIKA study will provide key information to assess effectiveness of and attitudes toward primary prevention of CVD in Europe. A transnational study creates opportunities for benchmarking good clinical practice across countries and improving outcomes. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00882336.

[Metabolic Syndrome as a marker of cardiovascular events in hypertensives in primary prevention].

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Costa, José Antonio; Rodilla, Enrique; Cardona, Joaquín; González, Carmen; Pascual, José María

2012-07-07

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of metabolic syndrome (MS) as a predictor of cardiovascular events (CVE) in hypertensives in primary prevention. This retrospective study involved 2410 non-diabetic, hypertensive patients (52% women, 43% with MS), without previous CVE. The total follow-up was 13096 patient-years with a median of 4,5 years (IIQ; 2,2-7,3). Patients with metabolic syndrome did not have more risk of CVE (HR 1,19; CI 95%:0,89-1,58; p=0,292), 183 patients had a CVE, 88 in patients with MS (15,4; CI 95%:12,4-19,0 patients-years), and 95 in patients without MS (13,0; CI 95%:10,5-15,9 patients/years) (p=0,279). In a multivariate analysis corrected for other factors, only age (HR 1,08; CI 95%: 1,07-1,10; p=0,001), male gender (HR 1,77; CI 95%: 1,27-2,45; p=0,001), smoking (HR 2,95; CI 95%: 2,01-4,34; p=0,001) at the beginning, and values of systolic arterial pressure ≥160 mm Hg (HR 1,83; CI 95%: 1,17-2,89; p=0,009) and cholesterol-low density lipoproteins ≥160 mg/dl (HR 1,58; CI 95%: 1,05-2,38; p=0,029) during the follow-up, were associated with new CVE. In hypertensive non-diabetic patients in primary prevention the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome did not add any significant prediction about future CVE over the traditional risk factors. Systolic arterial pressure ≥160 mm Hg and cholesterol-low density lipoproteins ≥160 mg/dl, respectively, during the follow up were factors related to new CVE. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

[Statement of the Spanish Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Prevention Committee (CEIPC for its Spanish acronym) on the 2012 European Cardiovascular Prevention Guidelines].

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Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Angel; Lobos Bejarano, José María; Villar Alvarez, Fernando; Sans, Susana; Pérez, Antonio; Pedro-Botet, Juan; Moreno Carriles, Rosa María; Maiques, Antonio; Lizcano, Angel; Lizarbe, Vicenta; Gil Núñez, Antonio; Fornés Ubeda, Francisco; Elosua, Roberto; de Santiago Nocito, Ana; de Pablo Zarzosa, Carmen; de Álvaro Moreno, Fernando; Cortés, Olga; Cordero, Alberto; Camafort Babkowski, Miguel; Brotons Cuixart, Carlos; Armario, Pedro

2013-01-01

Based on the two main frameworks for evaluating scientific evidence (SEC and GRADE) European cardiovascular prevention guidelines recommend interventions across all life stages using a combination of population-based and high-risk strategies with diet as the cornerstone of prevention. The evaluation of cardiovascular risk (CVR) incorporates HDL levels and psychosocial factors, a very high risk category, and the concept of age-risk. They also recommend cognitive-behavioural methods (e.g., motivational interviewing, psychological interventions) led by health professionals and with the participation of the patient's family, to counterbalance psychosocial stress and reduce CVR through the institution of positive habits such as a healthy diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, and adherence to treatment. Additionally, public health interventions - such as smoking ban in public areas or the elimination of trans fatty acids from the food chain - are also essential. Other innovations include abandoning antiplatelet therapy in primary prevention and the recommendation of maintaining blood pressure within the 130-139/80-85mmHg range in diabetic patients and individuals with high CVR. Finally, due to the significant impact on patient progress and medical costs, special emphasis is given to the low therapeutic adherence levels observed. In sum, improving cardiovascular prevention requires a true partnership among the political class, public administrations, scientific and professional associations, health foundations, consumer associations, patients and their families. Such partnership would promote population-based and individual strategies by taking advantage of the broad spectrum of scientific evidence available, from clinical trials to observational studies and mathematical models to evaluate population-based interventions, including cost-effectiveness analyses. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. y SEA. All rights reserved.

CPAP for Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

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McEvoy, R Doug; Antic, Nick A; Heeley, Emma; Luo, Yuanming; Ou, Qiong; Zhang, Xilong; Mediano, Olga; Chen, Rui; Drager, Luciano F; Liu, Zhihong; Chen, Guofang; Du, Baoliang; McArdle, Nigel; Mukherjee, Sutapa; Tripathi, Manjari; Billot, Laurent; Li, Qiang; Lorenzi-Filho, Geraldo; Barbe, Ferran; Redline, Susan; Wang, Jiguang; Arima, Hisatomi; Neal, Bruce; White, David P; Grunstein, Ron R; Zhong, Nanshan; Anderson, Craig S

2016-09-08

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events; whether treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) prevents major cardiovascular events is uncertain. After a 1-week run-in period during which the participants used sham CPAP, we randomly assigned 2717 eligible adults between 45 and 75 years of age who had moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and coronary or cerebrovascular disease to receive CPAP treatment plus usual care (CPAP group) or usual care alone (usual-care group). The primary composite end point was death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, or hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or transient ischemic attack. Secondary end points included other cardiovascular outcomes, health-related quality of life, snoring symptoms, daytime sleepiness, and mood. Most of the participants were men who had moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and minimal sleepiness. In the CPAP group, the mean duration of adherence to CPAP therapy was 3.3 hours per night, and the mean apnea-hypopnea index (the number of apnea or hypopnea events per hour of recording) decreased from 29.0 events per hour at baseline to 3.7 events per hour during follow-up. After a mean follow-up of 3.7 years, a primary end-point event had occurred in 229 participants in the CPAP group (17.0%) and in 207 participants in the usual-care group (15.4%) (hazard ratio with CPAP, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.32; P=0.34). No significant effect on any individual or other composite cardiovascular end point was observed. CPAP significantly reduced snoring and daytime sleepiness and improved health-related quality of life and mood. Therapy with CPAP plus usual care, as compared with usual care alone, did not prevent cardiovascular events in patients with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea and established cardiovascular disease. (Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia

Aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular events: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and subgroup analysis by sex and diabetes status.

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Manling Xie

Full Text Available To evaluate the benefits and harms of aspirin for the primary prevention of CVD and determine whether the effects vary by sex and diabetes status.We searched Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases for randomized controlled trials comparing the effects of aspirin with placebo or control in people with no pre-existing CVD. Two investigators independently extracted data and assessed the study quality. Analyses were performed using Stata version 12.Fourteen trials (107,686 participants were eligible. Aspirin was associated with reductions in major cardiovascular events (risk ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-0.95, myocardial infarction (0.86; 0.75-0.93, ischemic stroke (0.86; 0.75-0.98 and all-cause mortality (0.94; 0.89-0.99. There were also increases in hemorrhagic stroke (1.34; 1.01-1.79 and major bleeding (1.55; 1.35-1.78 with aspirin. The number needed to treat to prevent 1 major cardiovascular event over a mean follow-up of 6.8 years was 284. By comparison, the numbers needed to harm to cause 1 major bleeding is 299. In subgroup analyses, pooled results demonstrated a reduction in myocardial infarction among men (0.71; 0.59-0.85 and ischemic stroke among women (0.77; 0.63-0.93. Aspirin use was associated with a reduction (0.65; 0.51-0.82 in myocardial infarction among diabetic men. In meta-regression analyses, the results suggested that aspirin therapy might be associated with a decrease in stroke among diabetic women and a decrease in MI among diabetic men and risk reductions achieved with low doses (75 mg/day were as large as those obtained with higher doses (650 mg/day.The use of low-dose aspirin was beneficial for primary prevention of CVD and the decision regarding an aspirin regimen should be made on an individual patient basis. The effects of aspirin therapy varied by sex and diabetes status. A clear benefit of aspirin in the primary prevention of CVD in people with diabetes needs more trials.

[The condition of the cardiovascular prevention in Spain].

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Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; Lobos, José Maria; Brotons, Carlos; Villar, Fernando; de Pablo, Carmen; Armario, Pedro; Cortés, Olga; Gil Nuñez, Antonio; Lizcano, Angel; de Santiago, Ana; Sans, Susana

2014-01-07

In Spain, where cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death, control of their risk factors is low. This study analyzes the implementation of cardiovascular risk (CVR) assessment in clinical practice and the existence of control objectives amongst quality care indicators and professional incentive systems. Between 2010 and 2011, data from each autonomous community were collected, by means of a specific questionnaire concerning prevalence and control of major CVR factors, CVR assessment, and implementation of control objectives amongst quality care indicators and primary care incentive systems. Fifteen out of 17 autonomous communities filled in the questionnaire. CVR was calculated through SCORE in 9 autonomous communities, REGICOR in 3 and Framingham in 3, covering 3.4 to 77.6% of target population. The resulting control of the main CVR factors was low and variable: hypertension (22.7-61.3%), dyslipidemia (11-45.1%), diabetes (18.5-84%) and smoking (20-50.5%). Most autonomous communities did not consider CVR assessment and control amongst quality care indicators or incentive systems, highlighting the lack of initiatives on lifestyles. Variability exists in cardiovascular prevention policies among autonomous communities. It is necessary to implement a common agreed cardiovascular prevention guide, to encourage physicians to implement CVR in electronic clinical history, and to promote CVR assessment and control inclusion amongst quality care indicators and professional incentive systems, focusing on lifestyles management. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

2017 Position Paper of the Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (SIPREC) for an Updated Clinical Management of Hypercholesterolemia and Cardiovascular Risk: Executive Document.

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Volpe, Massimo; Volpe, Roberto; Gallo, Giovanna; Presta, Vivianne; Tocci, Giuliano; Folco, Emanuela; Peracino, Andrea; Tremoli, Elena; Trimarco, Bruno

2017-09-01

The benefits achieved by implementing cardiovascular prevention strategies in terms of reduced incidence of atherosclerotic diseases and mortality are accepted, worldwide. In particular, the clinical management of hypercholesterolemia has a fundamental role for all preventive strategies, both in primary and secondary prevention, at each stage of cardiovascular risk. Since the net clinical benefit of lipid-lowering therapy largely depends on baseline individual cardiovascular risk profile, the assessment of individual risk is essential to establish type and intensity of both preventive and therapeutic strategies. Thus, the real challenge in a setting of clinical practice is not only to identify whom to treat among individuals at low-to-moderate risk, but mostly how much and how long to treat high or very-high risk patients. This manuscript, which reflects concepts and positions that have been published in a more extensive document of the Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (SIPREC), deals with the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with dyslipidaemia, with an evidence-based approach adapted and updated from recent guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology and very recent results of randomized clinical trials. The purpose is to suggest a multidimensional and integrated actions aimed at eliminating or minimizing the impact of cardiovascular diseases and their related disabilities and mortality in patients with hypercholesterolemia.

Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables for the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

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Hartley, Louise; Igbinedion, Ewemade; Holmes, Jennifer; Flowers, Nadine; Thorogood, Margaret; Clarke, Aileen; Stranges, Saverio; Hooper, Lee; Rees, Karen

2013-06-04

There is increasing evidence that high consumption of fruit and vegetables is beneficial for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. The primary objective is to determine the effectiveness of i) advice to increase fruit and vegetable consumption ii) the provision of fruit and vegetables to increase consumption, for the primary prevention of CVD.  We searched the following electronic databases: The Cochrane Library (2012, issue 9-CENTRAL, HTA, DARE, NEED), MEDLINE (1946 to week 3 September 2012); EMBASE (1980 to 2012 week 39) and the Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science on ISI Web of Science (5 October 2012). We searched trial registers, screened reference lists and contacted authors for additional information where necessary. No language restrictions were applied. Randomised controlled trials with at least three months follow-up (follow-up was considered to be the time elapsed since the start of the intervention) involving healthy adults or those at high risk of CVD. Trials investigated either advice to increase fruit and vegetable intake (via any source or modality) or the provision of fruit and vegetables to increase intake. The comparison group was no intervention or minimal intervention. Outcomes of interest were CVD clinical events (mortality (CVD and all-cause), myocardial infarction (MI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), angiographically-defined angina pectoris, stroke, carotid endarterectomy, peripheral arterial disease (PAD)) and major CVD risk factors (blood pressure, blood lipids, type 2 diabetes). Trials involving multifactorial lifestyle interventions (including different dietary patterns, exercise) or where the focus was weight loss were excluded to avoid confounding. Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. Trials of provision of fruit and vegetables were analysed separately from trials of dietary advice

Prevalence of atherogenic dyslipidemia in primary care patients at moderate-very high risk of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular risk perception.

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Plana, Nuria; Ibarretxe, Daiana; Cabré, Anna; Ruiz, Emilio; Masana, Lluis

2014-01-01

Atherogenic dyslipidemia is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We aim to determine atherogenic dyslipidemia prevalence in primary care patients at moderate-very high cardiovascular risk and its associated cardiovascular risk perception in Spain. This cross-sectional study included 1137 primary care patients. Patients had previous cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, SCORE risk ≥ 3, severe hypertension or dyslipidemia. Atherogenic dyslipidemia was defined as low HDL-C (<40 mg/dL [males], <50 mg/dL [females]) and elevated triglycerides (≥ 150 mg/dL). A visual analog scale was used to define a perceived cardiovascular disease risk score. Mean age was 63.9 ± 9.7 years (64.6% males). The mean BMI was 29.1 ± 4.3 kg/m(2), and mean waist circumference 104.2 ± 12.7 cm (males), and 97.2 ± 14.0 cm (females). 29.4% were smokers, 76.4% had hypertension, 48.0% were diabetics, 24.7% had previous myocardial infarction, and 17.8% peripheral arterial disease. European guidelines classified 83.6% at very high cardiovascular risk. Recommended HDL-C levels were achieved by 50.1% of patients and 37.3% had triglycerides in the reference range. Target LDL-C was achieved by 8.8%. The overall atherogenic dyslipidemia prevalence was 27.1% (34.1% in diabetics). This prevalence in patients achieving target LDL-C was 21.4%. Cardiovascular risk perceived by patients was 4.3/10, while primary care physicians scored 5.7/10. When LDL-C levels are controlled, atherogenic dyslipidemia is more prevalent in those patients at highest cardiovascular risk and with diabetes. This highlights the importance of intervention strategies to prevent the residual vascular risk in this population. Both patients and physicians underestimated cardiovascular risk. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Primary Prevention of Asymptomatic Cardiovascular Disease Using Physiological Sensors Connected to an iOS App.

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Moreno-Alsasua, Leire; Garcia-Zapirain, Begonya; David Rodrigo-Carbonero, J; Ruiz, Ibon Oleagordia; Hamrioui, Sofiane; de la Torre Díez, Isabel

2017-10-26

Cardiovascular disease is the first cause of death and disease and one of the leading causes of disability in developed countries. The prevalence of this disease is expected to increase in coming years although the death rate may be lower due to better treatment. To present the design and development of a technology solution for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic patients. The system aims to raise the population's awareness of the importance of adopting healthy heart habits by using self-feedback techniques. A series of sensors which makes it possible to detect cardiovascular risk factors in asymptomatic patients were used. These sensors enable evaluation of heart rate, blood pressure, SpO 2 -oxygen saturation in blood- and body temperature. This work has developed a modular solution centred on four parts: iOS app, sensors, server and web. The CoreBluetooth library, which carries out Bluetooth 4.0 communication, was used for the connection between the app and the sensors. The data files are stored on the iPad and the server by using CoreData and SQL mechanisms. The system was validated with 20 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with established structural heart disease. Once the samples had been obtained, a comparison of all the significant data was run, in addition to a statistical analysis. The result of this calculation was a total of 32 cases of first level significance correlations (p < 0.01), for example, the inverse relationship between the daily step count and high blood pressure (p = 0.008) and 24 s level cases (p < 0.05) such as the significant correlation between risk and age (p = 0.013). The system designed in this paper has made it possible to create an application capable of collecting data on cardiovascular risk factors through a sensor system that measures physiological variables and records physical activity and diet.

Garlic for Cardiovascular Disease: Prevention or Treatment?

Science.gov (United States)

Alali, Feras Q; El-Elimat, Tamam; Khalid, Lila; Hudaib, Reema; Al-Shehabi, Tuqa Saleh; Eid, Ali H

2017-01-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global mortality with a substantial economic impact. The annual deaths are expected to increase in the next decade. An array of dietary supplements is being used by people worldwide to ameliorate cardiovascular risk factors. Garlic (Allium sativum L.), a top-selling herbal dietary supplement, is renowned for its wide range beneficial effects, particularly in the treatment and prevention of CVD. This review aims to present a thorough discussion of the available evidence-based data which support the use of garlic in the treatment or prevention of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are dissected as well. This review supports the notion that garlic has the potential to treat mild hypertension, to decrease hypercholesterolemia, and to prevent atherosclerosis. More clinical studies are essential to unequivocally understand the mechanisms underlying treatment or prevention of these cardiovascular conditions. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Statement of the Spanish Interdisciplinary Cardiovascular Prevention Committee (CEIPC for its Spanish acronym) on the 2012 European Cardiovascular Prevention Guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Royo-Bordonada, M A; Lobos Bejarano, J M; Villar Alvarez, F; Sans, S; Pérez, A; Pedro-Botet, J; Moreno Carriles, R M; Maiques, A; Lizcano, Á; Lizarbe, V; Gil Núñez, A; Fornés Ubeda, F; Elosua, R; de Santiago Nocito, A; de Pablo Zarzosa, C; de Álvaro Moreno, F; Cortés, O; Cordero, A; Camafort Babkowski, M; Brotons Cuixart, C; Armario, P

2016-04-01

Based on the two main frameworks for evaluating scientific evidence (SEC and GRADE) European cardiovascular prevention guidelines recommend interventions across all life stages using a combination of population-based and high-risk strategies with diet as the cornerstone of prevention. The evaluation of cardiovascular risk (CVR) incorporates HDL levels and psychosocial factors, a very high risk category, and the concept of age-risk. They also recommend cognitive-behavioural methods (e.g., motivational interviewing, psychological interventions) led by health professionals and with the participation of the patient's family, to counterbalance psychosocial stress and reduce CVR through the institution of positive habits such as a healthy diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, and adherence to treatment. Additionally, public health interventions - such as smoking ban in public areas or the elimination of trans fatty acids from the food chain - are also essential. Other innovations include abandoning antiplatelet therapy in primary prevention and the recommendation of maintaining blood pressure within the 130-139/80-85 mmHg range in diabetic patients and individuals with high CVR. Finally, due to the significant impact on patient progress and medical costs, special emphasis is given to the low therapeutic adherence levels observed. In sum, improving cardiovascular prevention requires a true partnership among the political class, public administrations, scientific and professional associations, health foundations, consumer associations, patients and their families. Such partnership would promote population-based and individual strategies by taking advantage of the broad spectrum of scientific evidence available, from clinical trials to observational studies and mathematical models to evaluate population-based interventions, including cost-effectiveness analyses. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights

[Eating habits in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and associated factors in elderly hypertensive individuals].

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Gadenz, Sabrina Dalbosco; Benvegnú, Luís Antônio

2013-12-01

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the elderly. In this study, healthy eating habits and associated factors in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in elderly hypertensive individuals were identified. It involved a cross-sectional study gathering primary data in a family health unit in a city in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and 212 elderly hypertensive individuals participated in the study. A higher prevalence among the lower age bracket of elderly individuals, female, with little schooling and low income was revealed. Healthy eating habits among the elderly hypertensive individuals assessed are below those recommended in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Social and economic factors, health characteristics and the use of health services influenced the adoption of healthy eating habits. The results of this study suggest that elderly hypertensive individuals find it difficult to adopt healthy eating habits. This contributes further to the definition of strategies for routine prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases in the elderly.

Cardiovascular Risk in Primary Hyperaldosteronism

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prejbisz, A.; Warchol-Celinska, E.; Lenders, J.W.M.; Januszewicz, A.

2015-01-01

After the first cases of primary aldosteronism were described and characterized by Conn, a substantial body of experimental and clinical evidence about the long-term effects of excess aldosterone on the cardiovascular system was gathered over the last 5 decades. The prevalence of primary

Moderate-intensity statin therapy seems ineffective in primary cardiovascular prevention in patients with type 2 diabetes complicated by nephropathy. A multicenter prospective 8 years follow up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sasso, Ferdinando Carlo; Lascar, Nadia; Ascione, Antonella; Carbonara, Ornella; De Nicola, Luca; Minutolo, Roberto; Salvatore, Teresa; Rizzo, Maria Rosaria; Cirillo, Plinio; Paolisso, Giuseppe; Marfella, Raffaele

2016-10-13

Although numerous studies and metanalysis have shown the beneficial effect of statin therapy in CVD secondary prevention, there is still controversy such the use of statins for primary CVD prevention in patients with DM. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of total major adverse cardio-vascular events (MACE) in a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes complicated by nephropathy treated with statins, in order to verify real life effect of statin on CVD primary prevention. We conducted an observational prospective multicenter study on 564 patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy free of cardiovascular disease attending 21 national outpatient diabetes clinics and followed them up for 8 years. 169 of them were treated with statins (group A) while 395 were not on statins (group B). Notably, none of the patients was treated with a high-intensity statin therapy according to last ADA position statement. Total MACE occurred in 32 patients from group A and in 68 patients from group B. Fatal MACE occurred in 13 patients from group A and in 30 from group B; nonfatal MACE occurred in 19 patients from group A and in 38 patients from group B. The analysis of the Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed a not statistically significant difference in the incidence of total (p 0.758), fatal (p 0.474) and nonfatal (p 0.812) MACE between the two groups. HbA1c only showed a significant difference in the incidence of MACE between the two groups (HR 1.201, CI 1.041-1.387, p 0.012). These findings suggest that, in a real clinical setting, moderate-intensity statin treatment is ineffective in cardiovascular primary prevention for patients with diabetic nephropathy. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT00535925. Date of registration: September 24, 2007, retrospectively registered.

Slow breathing and cardiovascular disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashish Chaddha

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women worldwide. Much emphasis has been placed on the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. While depression and anxiety increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular disease also increases the risk of developing anxiety and depression. Thus, promoting optimal mental health may be important for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Like lowering blood pressure, lipids, and body weight, lowering anger and hostility and improving depression and anxiety may also be an important intervention in preventive cardiology. As we strive to further improve cardiovascular outcomes, the next bridge to cross may be one of offering patients nonpharmacologic means for combating daily mental stress and promoting mental health, such as yoga and pranayama. Indeed, the best preventive cardiovascular medicine may be a blend of both Western and Eastern medicine.

'Mediterranean' dietary pattern for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

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Rees, Karen; Hartley, Louise; Flowers, Nadine; Clarke, Aileen; Hooper, Lee; Thorogood, Margaret; Stranges, Saverio

2013-08-12

The Seven Countries study in the 1960s showed that populations in the Mediterranean region experienced lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality probably as a result of different dietary patterns. Later observational studies have confirmed the benefits of adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern on CVD risk factors. Clinical trial evidence is limited, and is mostly in secondary prevention. To determine the effectiveness of a Mediterranean dietary pattern for the primary prevention of CVD. We searched the following electronic databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 9 of 12, September 2012); MEDLINE (Ovid, 1946 to October week 1 2012); EMBASE (Ovid, 1980 to 2012 week 41); ISI Web of Science (1970 to 16 October 2012); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Health Technology Assessment Database and Health Economics Evaluations Database (Issue 3 of 12, September 2012). We searched trial registers and reference lists of reviews and applied no language restrictions. We selected randomised controlled trials in healthy adults and adults at high risk of CVD. A Mediterranean dietary pattern was defined as comprising at least two of the following components: (1) high monounsaturated/saturated fat ratio, (2) low to moderate red wine consumption, (3) high consumption of legumes, (4) high consumption of grains and cereals, (5) high consumption of fruits and vegetables, (6) low consumption of meat and meat products and increased consumption of fish, and (7) moderate consumption of milk and dairy products. The comparison group received either no intervention or minimal intervention. Outcomes included clinical events and CVD risk factors. Two review authors independently extracted data and contacted chief investigators to request additional relevant information. We included 11 trials (15 papers) (52,044 participants randomised). Trials were heterogeneous in the participants recruited, in the number of dietary components and

Trends and disparities in coronary heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in the United States: findings of the national conference on cardiovascular disease prevention.

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Cooper, R; Cutler, J; Desvigne-Nickens, P; Fortmann, S P; Friedman, L; Havlik, R; Hogelin, G; Marler, J; McGovern, P; Morosco, G; Mosca, L; Pearson, T; Stamler, J; Stryer, D; Thom, T

2000-12-19

A workshop was held September 27 through 29, 1999, to address issues relating to national trends in mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular diseases; the apparent slowing of declines in mortality from cardiovascular diseases; levels and trends in risk factors for cardiovascular diseases; disparities in cardiovascular diseases by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography; trends in cardiovascular disease preventive and treatment services; and strategies for efforts to reduce cardiovascular diseases overall and to reduce disparities among subpopulations. The conference concluded that coronary heart disease mortality is still declining in the United States as a whole, although perhaps at a slower rate than in the 1980s; that stroke mortality rates have declined little, if at all, since 1990; and that there are striking differences in cardiovascular death rates by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geography. Trends in risk factors are consistent with a slowing of the decline in mortality; there has been little recent progress in risk factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and hypertension control. There are increasing levels of obesity and type 2 diabetes, with major differences among subpopulations. There is considerable activity in population-wide prevention, primary prevention for higher risk people, and secondary prevention, but wide disparities exist among groups on the basis of socioeconomic status and geography, pointing to major gaps in efforts to use available, proven approaches to control cardiovascular diseases. Recommendations for strategies to attain the year 2010 health objectives were made.

Quantifying the utility of taking pills for cardiovascular prevention.

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Hutchins, Robert; Viera, Anthony J; Sheridan, Stacey L; Pignone, Michael P

2015-03-01

The decrease in utility attributed to taking pills for cardiovascular prevention can have major effects on the cost-effectiveness of interventions but has not been well studied. We sought to measure the utility of daily pill-taking for cardiovascular prevention. We conducted a cross-sectional Internet-based survey of 1000 US residents aged ≥30 in March 2014. We calculated utility values, using time trade-off as our primary method and standard gamble and willingness-to-pay techniques as secondary analyses. Mean age of respondents was 50 years. Most were female (59%) and white (63%); 28% had less than a college degree; and 79% took ≥1 pills daily. Mean utility using the time trade-off method was 0.990 (95% confidence interval, 0.988-0.992), including ≈70% not willing to trade any amount of time to avoid taking a preventive pill daily. Using the standard gamble method, mean utility was 0.991 (0.989-0.993), with 62% not willing to risk any chance of death. Respondents were willing to pay an average of $1445 to avoid taking a pill daily, which translated to a mean utility of 0.994 (0.940-0.997), including 41% unwilling to pay any amount. Time trade-off-based utility varied by age (decreasing utility as age increased), sex, race, numeracy, difficulty with obtaining pills, and number of pills taken per day but did not vary by education level, literacy, or income. Mean utility for taking a pill daily for cardiovascular prevention is ≈0.990 to 0.994. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Atorvastatin versus Rosuvastatin in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Populations in Brazil and Columbia.

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Mould-Quevedo, Joaquín F; Gutiérrez-Ardila, Magda Vianey; Ordóñez Molina, Jaime Eduardo; Pinsky, Brett; Vargas Zea, Nicolás

2014-12-01

Latin America has witnessed a marked increase in cardiovascular (CV) disease, the leading cause of death in many countries. The benefits of lipid-lowering therapy to reduce CV-related events are widely accepted. Clinical evidence suggests that rosuvastatin is associated with slightly greater reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than is atorvastatin at comparable doses. Rosuvastatin, however, is often priced at a premium. Our objective was to examine the cost-effectiveness of using atorvastatin versus rosuvastatin in reducing CV events in Brazil and Colombia using real-world prices. A global Markov cohort model of primary and secondary CV prevention was developed and adapted to Brazilian and Colombian settings. The risks and costs of major CV events and efficacy, adherence, and costs of statins were considered. Total gains in life-years, quality-adjusted life-years, major CV events avoided, and costs over the lifetime horizon were estimated. Several dose comparisons were considered. In the Colombian analyses, differences in drug costs between therapies were considerable while outcomes were similar. The incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained for rosuvastatin versus atorvastatin was more than $700,000 and $200,000 in primary and secondary prevention, respectively. Brazilian analyses found lower incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for rosuvastatin at some dose comparisons due to similar pricing between statins. Sensitivity analyses revealed that changes in treatment efficacy and adherence had the largest impact on results. In primary and secondary CV prevention, the efficacy advantage of rosuvastatin was minimal, while its acquisition cost was higher, particularly in Colombia. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were, therefore, generally in favor of atorvastatin being the cost-effective option. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

Mixed methods evaluation of targeted case finding for cardiovascular disease prevention using a stepped wedged cluster RCT

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Marshall Tom

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A pilot project cardiovascular prevention was implemented in Sandwell (West Midlands, UK. This used electronic primary care records to identify untreated patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease then invited these high risk patients for assessment by a nurse in their own general practice. Those found to be eligible for treatment were offered treatment. During the pilot a higher proportion of high risk patients were started on treatment in the intervention practices than in control practices. Following the apparent success of the prevention project, it was intended to extend the service to all practices across the Sandwell area. However the pilot project was not a robust evaluation. There was a need for an efficient evaluation that would not disrupt the planned rollout of the project. Methods/design Project nurses will sequentially implement targeted cardiovascular case finding in a phased way across all general practices, with the sequence of general practices determined randomly. This is a stepped wedge randomised controlled trial design. The target population is patients aged 35 to 74, without diabetes or cardiovascular disease whose ten-year cardiovascular risk, (determined from data in their electronic records is ≥20%. The primary outcome is the number of high risk patients started on treatment, because these data could be efficiently obtained from electronic primary care records. From this we can determine the effects of the case finding programme on the proportion of high risk patients started on treatment in practices before and after implementation of targeted case finding. Cost-effectiveness will be modelled from the predicted effects of treatments on cardiovascular events and associated health service costs. Alongside the implementation it is intended to interview clinical staff and patients who participated in the programme in order to determine acceptability to patients and clinicians. Practical

Vitamin C supplementation for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

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Al-Khudairy, Lena; Flowers, Nadine; Wheelhouse, Rebecca; Ghannam, Obadah; Hartley, Louise; Stranges, Saverio; Rees, Karen

2017-03-16

Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient and powerful antioxidant. Observational studies have shown an inverse relationship between vitamin C intake and major cardiovascular events and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Results from clinical trials are less consistent. To determine the effectiveness of vitamin C supplementation as a single supplement for the primary prevention of CVD. We searched the following electronic databases on 11 May 2016: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library; MEDLINE (Ovid); Embase Classic and Embase (Ovid); Web of Science Core Collection (Thomson Reuters); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE); Health Technology Assessment Database and Health Economics Evaluations Database in the Cochrane Library. We searched trial registers on 13 April 2016 and reference lists of reviews for further studies. We applied no language restrictions. Randomised controlled trials of vitamin C supplementation as a single nutrient supplement lasting at least three months and involving healthy adults or adults at moderate and high risk of CVD were included. The comparison group was no intervention or placebo. The outcomes of interest were CVD clinical events and CVD risk factors. Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion, abstracted the data and assessed the risk of bias. We included eight trials with 15,445 participants randomised. The largest trial with 14,641 participants provided data on our primary outcomes. Seven trials reported on CVD risk factors. Three of the eight trials were regarded at high risk of bias for either reporting or attrition bias, most of the 'Risk of bias' domains for the remaining trials were judged as unclear, with the exception of the largest trial where most domains were judged to be at low risk of bias.The composite endpoint, major CVD events was not different between the vitamin C and placebo group (hazard ratio (HR) 0.99, 95% confidence interval

Nutraceuticals in cardiovascular prevention: lessons from studies on endothelial function.

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Zuchi, Cinzia; Ambrosio, Giuseppe; Lüscher, Thomas F; Landmesser, Ulf

2010-08-01

An "unhealthy" diet is considered as a main cause of increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the industrialized countries. There is a substantial interest in the potential cardiovascular protective effects of "nutraceuticals," that is food-derived substances that exert beneficial health effects. The correct understanding of cardiovascular effects of these compounds will have important implications for cardiovascular prevention strategies. Endothelial dysfunction is thought to play an important role in development and progression of atherosclerosis, and the characterization of the endothelial effects of several nutraceuticals may provide important insights into their potential role in cardiovascular prevention. At the same time, the analysis of the endothelial effects of nutraceuticals may also provide valuable insights into mechanisms of why certain nutraceuticals may not be effective in cardiovascular prevention, and it may aid in the identification of food-derived substances that may have detrimental cardiovascular effects. These findings further support the notion that nutraceuticals do need support from large clinical outcome trials with respect to their efficacy and safety profile for cardiovascular prevention, before their widespread use can be recommended. In fact, the term nutraceutical was coined to encourage an extensive and profound research activity in this field, and numerous large-scale clinical outcome trials to examine the effects of nutraceuticals on cardiovascular events have now been performed or are still ongoing. Whereas it is possible that single nutraceuticals may be effective in cardiovascular prevention, this field of research provides also valuable insights into which food components may be particularly important for cardiovascular prevention, to further advice the composition of a particularly healthy diet. The present review summarizes recent studies on the endothelial effects of several nutraceuticals, that have been

PRIMARY PREVENTION OF DIABETES MELLITUS: CORRECTION OF EARLY DISORDERS OF GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN CARDIOLOGY PRACTICE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. N. Mamedov

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Early glucose metabolism disorders (GMD are of interest in development of effective approaches to prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM. Data of international clinical trials shows that early GMD are an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The possibilities of GMD prevention and early treatment are discussed. Antihyperglycemic medications classification, their mode of action and efficacy are presented from evidence-based medicine point of view. This data confirms that successful DM primary prevention at early stage of GMD reduces the risk of cardiovascular complications.

Effect of gender on awareness of cardiovascular risk factors, preventive action taken, and barriers to cardiovascular health in a group of Austrian subjects.

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Haidinger, Teresa; Zweimüller, Martin; Stütz, Lena; Demir, Dondue; Kaider, Alexandra; Strametz-Juranek, Jeanette

2012-04-01

The incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increasing in industrialized countries. Preventive action is an important factor in minimizing CVD-associated morbidity and mortality. However, it is not known whether gender differences affect CVD or risk factor awareness influencing self-assessment of personal risk and preventive action. This study was performed to assess individual CVD and risk factor awareness, preventive action taken, and barriers to cardiovascular health. The study included 573 women and 336 men, randomly chosen to complete an anonymous questionnaire to assess individual CVD and risk factor awareness, preventive action taken, and barriers to cardiovascular health. The data were analyzed using SAS software. Cardiovascular disease was identified in 75% of patients, in both sexes, as the leading cause of death; however, both groups showed significant lack of knowledge about CVD risk factors. Type 2 diabetes was identified correctly in only 27.5%. Preventive action was linked more often to family members in 66.5% of women and 62.8% of men. The primary barrier to cardiovascular health in adults was incorrect assessment of personal CVD risk. More than half of female respondents (56.4%) and male respondents (52.7%) underestimated their risk of CVD. Knowledge about risk factors for CVD needs to be improved in members of both sexes. Because women, in particular, have difficulty in correctly assessing their personal CVD risk, future education programs are warranted to inform both women and men about CVD and its risk factors, thereby helping them to correctly assess their individual risk. However, greater effort is needed to inform men, compared with women, about the various ways in which to prevent CVD and to motivate them to take preventive action. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Benefits and risks for primary prevention with statins in the elderly].

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Joseph, Jean-Philippe; Afonso, Mélanie; Berdaï, Driss; Salles, Nathalie; Bénard, Antoine; Gay, Bernard; Bonnet, Fabrice

2015-12-01

Statins in primary prevention before 75 years old reduce cardiovascular events from 20 to 30% and mortality from 10% with acceptable side effects. We investigated whether these results persisted for patients aged 75 and older taking statin. Methodic review of large randomized clinical trials and meta-analyzes that included patients 75 years and older treated with statins in primary prevention. Since the 1990s, a score of randomized controlled trials studying statins versus placebo in primary prevention were published and studied in meta-analyses. Exclusion criteria, including persons older than 70 years, are often restrictive. The impact on all-cause mortality in the four main studies and meta-analyses in over 75 years has not been demonstrated. On the other hand, a recent meta-analyses of observational studies including subjects between 70 and 89 years treated with statins found that low total cholesterol was associated with a moderate decrease in cardiovascular mortality, with no decrease in all-cause mortality. Moreover, in a common context of comorbidities in this age group, statins may be responsible for many adverse effects, drug interactions and impaired quality of life. Given the lack of formal evidence of effectiveness in terms of all-cause mortality and a high level of adverse effects, the benefit/risk of primary prevention with statins is not established in the elderly. The economic weight of statin prescriptions and their possible impact on quality of life justify an economic analysis of discontinuing statin therapy for people 75 years and older. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Cardiovascular risk management of different ethnic groups with type 2 diabetes in primary care in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Elley, C Raina; Kenealy, Tim; Robinson, Elizabeth; Bramley, Dale; Selak, Vanessa; Drury, Paul L; Kerse, Ngaire; Pearson, Janet; Lay-Yee, Roy; Arroll, Bruce

2008-03-01

To examine cardiovascular preventive and renal protective treatment for different ethnic groups with diabetes in primary care. The study population included patients with type 2 diabetes attending an annual review in New Zealand primary care during 2004. Primary care data were linked to hospital admission data to identify previous cardiovascular disease (CVD). For those without previous CVD, 5-year cardiovascular risk was calculated. Proportions on, and predictors of appropriate treatment according to guidelines were investigated. Data were available on 29,179 patients. Maori and Pacific participants had high rates of obesity, poor glycaemic control and albuminuria. Two thirds of all participants with previous CVD (68% of Maori and 70% of Pacific) and 44% with high CVD risk received appropriate CVD treatment; 73% of Maori, 62% of Pacific and 65% of European patients with albuminuria received ACE-inhibitors. Those with high CVD risk were more likely, and those that were young were less likely, to receive anti-hypertensive and lipid-lowering treatment after controlling for other factors. Maori and Pacific people were receiving similar high rates of appropriate CVD and renal preventive drug therapy to Europeans, but their prevalence of smoking, obesity, raised HbA1c and albuminuria were substantially higher. Non-drug components of preventive care also need to be addressed to reduce major ethnic disparities in diabetes-related morbidity and mortality in New Zealand.

New approaches to the implementation of cardiovascular disease prevention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jørstad, H.T.

2016-01-01

Cardiovascular disease is one of the biggest contemporary health problems worldwide. To aid preventive measures, risk calculators have been developed to estimate the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease within 10 years, for use in healthy individuals. Decisions to initiate preventive measures are

Theoretical rationale of community intervention for the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease.

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MacLean, D R

1994-01-01

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the developed world, accounting for slightly more than 40% of all mortality. Along with the resultant disability of those who survive with the disease it costs the health care system in Canada approximately $17 billion on an annual basis. The known risk factors for cardiovascular disease are widespread within the population; in Canada, approximately 70% of individuals have one or more of the major risk factors. Research over the past 25 years has disclosed that a significant proportion of the cause of heart disease and its risk factors are rooted in the unhealthy habits of average living in conjunction with unfavorable physical, economic and psychosocial environments. The primary prevention of cardiovascular disease has focused on individual risk factor change combined with approaches to community organization in an effort to produce a more conducive environment for behavior change to be carried out. First-generation community programs for cardiovascular disease prevention, as illustrated by the North Karelia Project, Stanford Five City Project and others in the United States, have relied heavily on social learning theory as advanced by Bandura, from Stanford University. Second-generation prevention programs, such as the Nova Scotia Heart Health Program, have relied on these theories as well as theories of participation and community development in the prevention of major noncommunicable diseases. This paper gives an overview of the theoretical basis of community intervention programs for cardiovascular disease. Included will be a discussion of some of the various theoretical approaches used in Canada and the United States and elsewhere over the past 25 years.

[Screening for atherosclerosis to prevent cardiovascular risk : a pro-contra debate].

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Nanchen, David; Genest, Jacques

2018-02-28

Detecting atherosclerosis using imaging techniques is the subject of intense debate in the scientific community. Among the arguments in favor of screening, a better identification or better stratification of cardiovascular risk is mentioned, compared to cardiovascular risk scores based solely on traditional risk factors, such as blood pressure or cholesterol levels. Imaging techniques are also used to monitor the progression of atherosclerosis among patients using lipid-lowering or antihypertensive drugs in primary prevention. However, several experts in recent years have challenged the clinical utility of these imaging techniques in asymptomatic adults. This article proposes a debate « for or against » to describe the main arguments for or against the use of imaging for screening for atherosclerosis.

Patient participation in decision-making about cardiovascular preventive drugs - resistance as agency.

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Hultberg, Josabeth; Rudebeck, Carl Edvard

2017-09-01

The aim of the study was to describe and explore patient agency through resistance in decision-making about cardiovascular preventive drugs in primary care. Six general practitioners from the southeast of Sweden audiorecorded 80 consultations. From these, 28 consultations with proposals from GPs for cardiovascular preventive drug treatments were chosen for theme-oriented discourse analysis. The study shows how patients participate in decision-making about cardiovascular preventive drug treatments through resistance in response to treatment proposals. Passive modes of resistance were withheld responses and minimal unmarked acknowledgements. Active modes were to ask questions, contest the address of an inclusive we, present an identity as a non-drugtaker, disclose non-adherence to drug treatments, and to present counterproposals. The active forms were also found in anticipation to treatment proposals from the GPs. Patients and GPs sometimes displayed mutual renouncement of responsibility for decision-making. The decision-making process appeared to expand both beyond a particular phase in the consultations and beyond the single consultation. The recognition of active and passive resistance from patients as one way of exerting agency may prove valuable when working for patient participation in clinical practice, education and research about patient-doctor communication about cardiovascular preventive medication. We propose particular attentiveness to patient agency through anticipatory resistance, patients' disclosures of non-adherence and presentations of themselves as non-drugtakers. The expansion of the decision-making process beyond single encounters points to the importance of continuity of care. KEY POINTS Guidelines recommend shared decision-making about cardiovascular preventive treatment. We need an understanding of how this is accomplished in actual consultations.This paper describes how patient agency in decision-making is displayed through different forms

[Expert consensus for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in Chinese women].

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for Chinese women, which has not been paid enough attention at present. Chinese women account for 20 percent of 3.5 billion women all over the world. Health promotion and prevention are facing the rigorous challenge. The pathophysiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, disease diagnosis, drug metabolism and prevention strategies of woman cardiovascular diseases are different from those of men in some respects and require special attention. "Consensus for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Chinese women" is developed by Women Physician Committee of Chinese College Cardiovascular Physicians and Women's Health Work Group of Chinese Society of Cardiology, which is aimed at strengthening and promoting prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Chinese women.

Benefits & risks of statin therapy for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in Asian Indians – A population with the highest risk of premature coronary artery disease & diabetes

Science.gov (United States)

Enas, Enas A.; Kuruvila, Arun; Khanna, Pravien; Pitchumoni, C.S.; Mohan, Viswanathan

2013-01-01

Several reviews and meta-analyses have demonstrated the incontrovertible benefits of statin therapy in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). But the role for statins in primary prevention remained unclear. The updated 2013 Cochrane review has put to rest all lingering doubts about the overwhelming benefits of long-term statin therapy in primary prevention by conclusively demonstrating highly significant reductions in all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and the need for coronary artery revascularization procedures (CARPs). More importantly, these benefits of statin therapy are similar at all levels of CVD risk, including subjects at low (statins is also highly effective in delaying and avoiding expensive CARPs such as angioplasties, stents, and bypass surgeries. There is no evidence of any serious harm or threat to life caused by statin therapy, though several adverse effects that affect the quality of life, especially diabetes mellitus (DM) have been reported. Asian Indians have the highest risk of premature coronary artery disease (CAD) and diabetes. When compared with Whites, Asian Indians have double the risk of CAD and triple the risk of DM, when adjusted for traditional risk factors for these diseases. Available evidence supports the use of statin therapy for primary prevention in Asian Indians at a younger age and with lower targets for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high density lipoprotein (non-HDL-C), than those currently recommended for Americans and Europeans. Early and aggressive statin therapy offers the greatest potential for reducing the continuing epidemic of CAD among Indians. PMID:24434254

Primary Prevention With Statins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Martin B; Afzal, Shoaib; Nordestgaard, Børge G

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Guidelines recommend initiating primary prevention for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) with statins based on absolute ASCVD risk assessment. Recently, alternative trial-based and hybrid approaches were suggested for statin treatment eligibility. OBJECTIVES: This study...... the population studied, 42% were eligible for statin therapy according to the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) risk assessment and cholesterol treatment guidelines approach, versus 56% with the trial-based approach and 21% with the hybrid approach. Among these statin......-eligible subjects, the ASCVD event rate per 1,000 person-years was 9.8, 6.8, and 11.2, respectively. The ACC/AHA-recommended absolute risk score was well calibrated around the 7.5% 10-year ASCVD risk treatment threshold and discriminated better than the trial-based or hybrid approaches. Compared with the ACC...

Matriarchal model for cardiovascular prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Wild, R A; Taylor, E L; Knehans, A; Cleaver, V

1994-02-01

Family patterns of cardiovascular risk behavior are well documented. Significant correlation exists between spouse-spouse, parent-child, and sibling-sibling for cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoprotein, diet, physical activity, and smoking. Family/environmental influences are important in how/if risk and/or preventive behavior is learned. The family matriarch commonly functions as gatekeeper, controlling eating behavior, access to health care, and other patterns. She often acts as menu planner, shopper, and preparer of meals for all family members. She provides information and verbal reinforcement about food and is a powerful model concerning dietary practices. In fact, the mother, as head of household in most single-parent families, may be the only adult model for many children. Because relevance and credibility are the most important characteristics of a behavioral model, parents (especially mothers) are strong models for observational learning by children. Risk factor information and risk reduction activities adopted by the matriarch can be generalized to the entire family if she learns the skills to act as a change agent. Initiation of this process of education and training the matriarch lies with primary care providers for women (Ob-Gyns see most women). By teaching risk reduction to the matriarch as a component of primary care, physician interaction can have a rippling effect.

Primary prevention of cardio-metabolic diseases in general practice: a Dutch survey of attitudes and working methods of general practitioners.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nielen, M.M.J.; Assendelft, W.J.J.; Drenthen, A.J.M.; Hombergh, P. van den; Dis, I. van; Schellevis, F.G.

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: To study the attitudes and working methods of general practitioners (GPs) in primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney diseases. METHODS: A questionnaire with questions about attitude and working methods in the primary prevention of

[Primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases: long term results of five year long preventive intervention in 12-year old boys (ten year prospective study)].

Science.gov (United States)

Rozanov, V B; Aleksandov, A A; Shugaeva, E N; Perova, N V; Maslennikova, G Ia; Smirnova, S G; Olfer'ev, A M

2007-01-01

In a longitudinal cohort (prevention group, n=213, comparison group, n=163) of 10-year prospective follow-up we addressed efficacy of 5-year-long multifactor preventive intervention, conducted in a sample of population of 12 year old boys. Preventive intervention was carried out both at populational level and among persons with risk factors of development of cardiovascular diseases with the use of group, individual, and partly family approaches, and was directed at rationalization of nutrition, elevation of physical activity and prevention of harmful habits. During first 3 years of prevention we succeeded to achieve stable statistically significant lowering of mean levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and atherogeneity index, as well as to affect fatty component of body mass (skinfold thickness). Long term effect of 5-year long preventive intervention manifested as significantly lower level of systolic blood pressure, lower prevalence of low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol, smaller increment of low density lipoprotein cholesterol and index of atherogeneity in the prevention group. These results evidence that prevention of main factors of risk of development of cardiovascular diseases (obesity, arterial hypertension, disorders of lipid composition of the blood, and low physical activity) in child and adolescent age in the period of active growth and development is feasible, effective, safe and is able to lead to decrease of levels of these factors in adults, but should last uninterruptedly until formation of stable habits of healthy life style.

Knowledge and attitudes of primary care physicians in the management of patients at risk for cardiovascular events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Turakhia Mintu P

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Adherence to clinical practice guidelines for management of cardiovascular disease (CVD is suboptimal. The purposes of this study were to identify practice patterns and barriers among U.S. general internists and family physicians in regard to cardiovascular risk management, and examine the association between physician characteristics and cardiovascular risk management. Methods A case vignette survey focused on cardiovascular disease risk management was distributed to a random sample of 12,000 U.S. family physicians and general internists between November and December 2006. Results Responses from a total of 888 practicing primary care physicians who see 60 patients per week were used for analysis. In an asymptomatic patient at low risk for cardiovascular event, 28% of family physicians and 37% of general internists made guideline-based preventive choices for no antiplatelet therapy (p Conclusion Despite the benefits demonstrated for managing cardiovascular risks, gaps remain in primary care practitioners' management of risks according to guideline recommendations. Innovative educational approaches that address barriers may facilitate the implementation of guideline-based recommendations in CVD risk management.

Cardiovascular preventive care for patients with serious mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchie, Sarah; Muldoon, Laura

2017-11-01

To determine whether patients with serious mental illness (SMI) are receiving preventive care for cardiovascular disease at the same rate as those without SMI in an interprofessional practice with a mandate to care for persons with barriers to access to the health care system. Quality improvement exercise using a case-matched retrospective chart review. Somerset West Community Health Centre in downtown Ottawa, Ont. All patients with SMI were adult, current primary care patients from the Somerset West Community Health Centre with a recorded diagnosis of SMI (bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, or other psychosis) during the 2-year period from June 1, 2013, to May 31, 2015. Two control patients (current primary care patients without SMI and matched for age and sex) were randomly chosen for each patient with SMI. They had at least 1 record in their electronic chart during the 2-year study period of measurement of blood pressure, weight, body mass index, smoking status, lipid screening results, or diabetes screening results. Prevention score was calculated as the number of preventive tests documented out of the possible 6. Secondary measures included age, sex, comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia), mental illness diagnosis, involvement of a psychiatrist, and involvement of a mental health case worker. Patients with SMI had higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Screening rates for the 6 outcome measures were very similar between patients with and without SMI. Patients with SMI who were under the care of a psychiatrist or who had a case worker had more complete screening results than those who had neither provider. As expected, patients with SMI had higher rates of metabolic comorbidities than control patients had. Screening rates for cardiovascular risk factors were similar in the 2 groups. Involvement of mental health case workers and psychiatrists in the patients' care might be linked to more complete preventive screening

Cardiovascular risk stratification in overweight or obese patients in primary prevention. Implications for use of statins.

Science.gov (United States)

Masson, Walter; Lobo, Martín; Huerín, Melina; Molinero, Graciela; Manente, Diego; Pángaro, Mario; Vitagliano, Laura; Zylbersztejn, Horacio

2015-02-01

Cardiovascular risk estimation in patients with overweight/obesity is not standardized. Our objectives were to stratify cardiovascular risk using different scores, to analyze use of statins, to report the prevalence of carotid atherosclerotic plaque (CAP), and to determine the optimal cut-off point (OCP) of scores that discriminate between subjects with or without CAP. Non-diabetic patients with overweight or obesity in primary prevention were enrolled. The Framingham score (FS), the European score (ES), and the score proposed by the new American guidelines (NS) were calculated, and statin indication was evaluated. Prevalence of CAP was determined by ultrasound examination. A ROC analysis was performed. A total of 474 patients (67% with overweight and 33% obese) were enrolled into the study. The FS classified the largest number of subjects as low risk. PAC prevalence was higher in obese as compared to overweight subjects (44.8% vs. 36.1%, P=.04). According to the FS, ES, and NS respectively, 26.7%, 39.1%, and 39.1% of overweight subjects and 28.6%, 39.0%, and 39.0% of obese subjects had an absolute indication for statins. All three scores were shown to acceptably discriminate between subjects with and without CAP (area under the curve>0.7). The OCPs evaluated did not agree with the risk category values. Risk stratification and use of statins varied in the overweight/obese population depending on the function used. Understanding of the relationship between scores and presence of CAP may optimize risk estimate. Copyright © 2014 SEEN. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Bridging the gap between public health and primary care in prevention of cardiometabolic diseases: background of and experiences with the Prevention Consultation in The Netherlands.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Assendelft, W.J.J.; Nielen, M.M.J.; Hettinga, D.M.; Meer, V. van der; Vliet, M. van; Drenthen, A.J.M.; Schellevis, F.G.; Oosterhout, M.J.W. van

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND: There is an increasing need for programmatic prevention of cardiometabolic diseases (cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease). Therefore, in the Netherlands, a prevention programme linked to primary care has been developed. This initiative was supported by the

South American Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Rehabilitation

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AH Herdy

2014-08-01

Full Text Available In this document, the Inter-American Committee of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, together with the South American Society of Cardiology, aimed to formulate strategies, measures, and actions for cardiovascular disease prevention and rehabilitation (CVDPR. In the context of the implementation of a regional and national health policy in Latin American countries, the goal is to promote cardiovascular health and thereby decrease morbidity and mortality. The study group on Cardiopulmonary and Metabolic Rehabilitation from the Department of Exercise, Ergometry, and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology has created a committee of experts to review the Portuguese version of the guideline and adapt it to the national reality. The mission of this document is to help health professionals to adopt effective measures of CVDPR in the routine clinical practice. The publication of this document and its broad implementation will contribute to the goal of the World Health Organization (WHO, which is the reduction of worldwide cardiovascular mortality by 25% until 2025. The study group's priorities are the following: • Emphasize the important role of CVDPR as an instrument of secondary prevention with significant impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality; • Join efforts for the knowledge on CVDPR, its dissemination, and adoption in most cardiovascular centers and institutes in South America, prioritizing the adoption of cardiovascular prevention methods that are comprehensive, practical, simple and which have a good cost/benefit ratio; • Improve the education of health professionals and patients with education programs on the importance of CVDPR services, which are directly targeted at the health system, clinical staff, patients, and community leaders, with the aim of decreasing the barriers to CVDPR implementation.

Risk stratification in secondary cardiovascular prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazzeroni, Davide; Coruzzi, Paolo

2018-02-19

Worldwide, more than 7 million people experience acute myocardial infarction (AMI) every year (1), and although substantial reduction in mortality has been obtained in recent decades, one-year mortality rates are still in the range of 10%. Among patients who survive AMI, 20% suffer a second cardiovascular event in the first year and approximately 50% of major coronary events occur in those with a previous hospital discharge diagnosis of AMI (2). Despite the evidence that lifestyle changes and risk factors management strongly improve long-term prognosis, preventive care post-AMI remains sub-optimal. Cross-sectional data from the serially conducted EUROASPIRE surveys in patients with established ischemic heart disease (IHD) and people at high cardiovascular risk have demonstrated a high prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle, modifiable risk factors and inadequate use of drug therapies to achieve blood pressure and lipid goals (3). Secondary prevention programmes, defined as the level of preventive care focusing on early risk stratification, are highly recommended in all IHD patients, to restore quality of life, maintain or improve functional capacity and prevent recurrence.

Cost effective interventions for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in low and middle income countries: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Shroufi, Amir; Chowdhury, Rajiv; Anchala, Raghupathy; Stevens, Sarah; Blanco, Patricia; Han, Tha; Niessen, Louis; Franco, Oscar H

2013-03-28

While there is good evidence to show that behavioural and lifestyle interventions can reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors in affluent settings, less evidence exists in lower income settings.This study systematically assesses the evidence on cost-effectiveness for preventive cardiovascular interventions in low and middle-income settings. Systematic review of economic evaluations on interventions for prevention of cardiovascular disease. PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Scopus and Embase, Opensigle, the Cochrane database, Business Source Complete, the NHS Economic Evaluations Database, reference lists and email contact with experts. we included economic evaluations conducted in adults, reporting the effect of interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease in low and middle income countries as defined by the World Bank. The primary outcome was a change in cardiovascular disease occurrence including coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke. After selection of the studies, data were extracted by two independent investigators using a previously constructed tool and quality was evaluated using Drummond's quality assessment score. From 9731 search results we found 16 studies, which presented economic outcomes for interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease in low and middle income settings, with most of these reporting positive cost effectiveness results.When the same interventions were evaluated across settings, within and between papers, the likelihood of an intervention being judged cost effective was generally lower in regions with lowest gross national income. While population based interventions were in most cases more cost effective, cost effectiveness estimates for individual pharmacological interventions were overall based upon a stronger evidence base. While more studies of cardiovascular preventive interventions are needed in low and mid income settings, the available high-level of evidence supports a wide range of interventions for the prevention

The roles of community pharmacists in cardiovascular disease prevention and management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George J

2011-05-01

Full Text Available There is ample evidence in the international literature forpharmacist involvement in the prevention and managementof cardiovascular disease (CVD conditions in primary care.Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have confirmed thesignificant clinical benefits of pharmacist interventions for arange of CVD conditions and risk factors. Evidence generatedin research studies of Australian community pharmacistinvolvement in CVD prevention and management issummarised in this article.Commonwealth funding through the Community PharmacyAgreements has facilitated research to establish the feasibilityand effectiveness of new models of primary care involvingcommunity pharmacists. Australian community pharmacistshave been shown to effect positive clinical, humanistic andeconomic outcomes in patients with CVD conditions.Improvements in blood pressure, lipid levels, medicationadherence and CVD risk have been demonstrated usingdifferent study designs. Satisfaction for GPs, pharmacists andconsumers has also been reported. Perceived ‘turf’encroachment, expertise of the pharmacist, space, time andremuneration are challenges to the implementation of diseasemanagement services involving community pharmacists.

The use of Aspirin in Primary Prevention of cardiovascular disease: new updates El uso de la Aspirina en la Prevención Primaria de la enfermedad cardiovascular: nuevas actualizaciones O uso da Aspirina na Prevenção Primária da doença cardiovascular: novas atualizações

OpenAIRE

Luís Filipe Cavadas

2011-01-01

Many times the Family Physicians need to make the decision of start to use or not aspirin in their patients. Although the benefits of treatment with aspirin in reducing the risk of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke or vascular cause of death among men and women with pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) are well established, the role of aspirin in primary prevention is less clear. So, the objective of this work is to determine the indications of aspirin use for the primary preve...

Improved delivery of cardiovascular care (IDOCC through outreach facilitation: study protocol and implementation details of a cluster randomized controlled trial in primary care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akbari Ayub

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a need to find innovative approaches for translating best practices for chronic disease care into daily primary care practice routines. Primary care plays a crucial role in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. There is, however, a substantive care gap, and many challenges exist in implementing evidence-based care. The Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care (IDOCC project is a pragmatic trial designed to improve the delivery of evidence-based care for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease in primary care practices using practice outreach facilitation. Methods The IDOCC project is a stepped-wedge cluster randomized control trial in which Practice Outreach Facilitators work with primary care practices to improve cardiovascular disease prevention and management for patients at highest risk. Primary care practices in a large health region in Eastern Ontario, Canada, were eligible to participate. The intervention consists of regular monthly meetings with the Practice Outreach Facilitator over a one- to two-year period. Starting with audit and feedback, consensus building, and goal setting, the practices are supported in changing practice behavior by incorporating chronic care model elements. These elements include (a evidence-based decision support for providers, (b delivery system redesign for practices, (c enhanced self-management support tools provided to practices to help them engage patients, and (d increased community resource linkages for practices to enhance referral of patients. The primary outcome is a composite score measured at the level of the patient to represent each practice's adherence to evidence-based guidelines for cardiovascular care. Qualitative analysis of the Practice Outreach Facilitators' written narratives of their ongoing practice interactions will be done. These textual analyses will add further insight into understanding critical factors impacting

Perspectives of older people engaging in nurse-led cardiovascular prevention programmes: a qualitative study in primary care in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ligthart, S.A.; Eerenbeemt, K.D. van den; Pols, J.; Bussel, E.F. van; Richard, E.; Moll van Charante, E.P.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular prevention programmes are increasingly being offered to older people. To achieve the proposed benefits, adherence is crucial. Understanding the reasons for adherence and non-adherence can improve preventive care. AIM: To gain insight into what motivates older people living

Perspectives of older people engaging in nurse-led cardiovascular prevention programmes: a qualitative study in primary care in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ligthart, Suzanne A.; van den Eerenbeemt, Karin D. M.; Pols, Jeanette; van Bussel, Emma F.; Richard, Edo; Moll van Charante, Eric P.

2015-01-01

Cardiovascular prevention programmes are increasingly being offered to older people. To achieve the proposed benefits, adherence is crucial. Understanding the reasons for adherence and non-adherence can improve preventive care. To gain insight into what motivates older people living in the community

[Spanish adaptation of the 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; Armario, Pedro; Lobos Bejarano, José María; Pedro-Botet, Juan; Villar Álvarez, Fernando; Elosua, Roberto; Brotons Cuixart, Carlos; Cortés, Olga; Serrano, Benilde; Camafort Babkowski, Miguel; Gil Núñez, Antonio; Pérez, Antonio; Maiques, Antonio; de Santiago Nocito, Ana; de Castro, Almudena; Alegría, Eduardo; Baeza, Ciro; Herranz, María; Sans, Susana; Campos, Pilar

The VI European Guidelines for Cardiovascular Prevention recommend combining population and high-risk strategies with lifestyle changes as a cornerstone of prevention, and propose the SCORE function to quantify cardiovascular risk. The guidelines highlight disease specific interventions, and conditions as women, young people and ethnic minorities. Screening for subclinical atherosclerosis with noninvasive imaging techniques is not recommended. The guidelines distinguish four risk levels (very high, high, moderate and low) with therapeutic objectives for lipid control according to risk. Diabetes mellitus confers a high risk, except for subjects with type 2 diabetes with less than cardiovascular risk, taking into account the lesion of target organs. The guidelines don't recommend antiplatelet drugs in primary prevention because of the increased bleeding risk. The low adherence to the medication requires simplified therapeutic regimes and to identify and combat its causes. The guidelines highlight the responsibility of health professionals to take an active role in advocating evidence-based interventions at the population level, and propose effective interventions, at individual and population level, to promote a healthy diet, the practice of physical activity, the cessation of smoking and the protection against alcohol abuse. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

[Cardiovascular disease prevention and life style modifications].

Science.gov (United States)

Baudet, M; Daugareil, C; Ferrieres, J

2012-04-01

Cardiovascular diseases are mainly caused by atherosclerosis, the development of which is highly dependent on our Western lifestyle. Slowing this pathology depends on the reduction of risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia, high blood pressure, smoking, lack of physical activity, excess weight and diabetes. Drug treatment exists and is very effective, but too often they treat the immediate abnormality such as diabetes, high blood pressure and hypercholesterolemia and not the underlying causes: poor eating habits, lack of physical activity and excess weight. These have a negative impact on endothelial function, oxidative stress, and can trigger inflammation, arrythmias and thrombosis. Cardiovascular prevention must therefore target sedentary lifestyle, excess weight, and favor low-calorie, low-salt food and Mediterranean diet. The way this diet works begins to be understood and goes beyond simple cardiovascular prevention. Therapeutic education holds a growing and complementary role in the Public Health system which should call upon the strengths of all healthcare professionals. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier SAS.

[The PreFord Study. A prospective cohort study to evaluate the risk of a cardiovascular event (overall-collective) as well as a prospective, randomized, controlled, multicentre clinical intervention study (high-risk-collective) on primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in the Ford Motor Company employees in Germany].

Science.gov (United States)

Gysan, D B; Latsch, J; Bjarnason-Wehrens, B; Albus, C; Falkowski, G; Herold, G; Mey, E; Heinzler, R; Montiel, G; Schneider, C A; Stützer, H; Türk, S; Weisbrod, M; Predel, H G

2004-02-01

The PreFord Study is a multicenter prospective cohort study to evaluate guideline based risk management on primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore a randomised controlled trial (RCT) will be designed to analyse the effect of a special intervention program. 40,000 employees of the Ford Motor Company, Visteon Company and Deutz Company in Germany will be included, monitored for ten years and the following primary endpoints will be investigated: 1. evaluation and comparison of established and newly developed risk-scores, 2. the relative impact of single and combined cardiovascular risk factors on cardiovascular diseases, 3. the influence of a novel occupationally integrated ambulant rehabilitation program in combination with a guideline oriented optimal drug therapy within a high risk group on the primary endpoint: risk reduction by, 4. the influence of this intervention on secondary endpoints: death, myocardial infarction and stroke, combined appearance of angina pectoris and hospitalisation, occurrence of cerebral circulatory disorder and hospitalisation, occurrence of peripheral occlusive arterial disease and hospitalisation and single cardiovascular risk factors and cost-benefit-analysis. Beginning with an cross sectional study there will be a systemic screening of cardiovascular risk profiles, of anthropometric data and different lifestyle-factors. Based on these data participants will be differentiated into three risk-groups according to the risk score of the European Society of Cardiology (risk of a lethal primary acute cardiovascular event: I 1- or = 5%). In the following longitudinal study different strategies will be applied: Group I: low risk ( 1.5% per year or >15% within the next 10 years) will be randomised into two interventional groups. The first one, the intervention-group "PreFord" will perform an occupational integrated rehabilitation program (2,5-3 hours twice a week, for 15 weeks according to the BAR guidelines) with a following

Preparing nurses for leadership roles in cardiovascular disease prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Lanuza, Dorothy M; Davidson, Patricia M; Dunbar, Sandra B; Hughes, Suzanne; De Geest, Sabina

2011-07-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a critical global health issue, and cardiovascular nurses play a vital role in decreasing the global burden and contributing to improving outcomes in individuals and communities. Cardiovascular nurses require the knowledge, skills, and resources that will enable them to function as leaders in CVD. This article addresses the education, training, and strategies that are needed to prepare nurses for leadership roles in preventing and managing CVD. Building on the World Health Organization core competencies for 21st-century health care workers, the specific competencies of cardiovascular nurses working in prevention are outlined. These can be further strengthened by investing in the development of cultural, system change and leadership competencies. Mentorship is proposed as a powerful strategy for promoting the cardiovascular nursing role and equipping individual nurses to contribute meaningfully to health system reform and community engagement in CVD risk reduction. Copyright © 2011 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Costs of cardiovascular disease prevention care and scenarios for cost saving: a micro-costing study from rural Nigeria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hendriks, Marleen E.; Bolarinwa, Oladimeji A.; Nelissen, Heleen E.; Boers, Alexander C.; Gomez, Gabriela B.; Tan, Siok Swan; Redekop, William; Adenusi, Peju; Lange, Joep M. A.; Agbede, Kayode; Akande, Tanimola M.; Schultsz, Constance

2015-01-01

To assess the costs of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention care according to international guidelines, in a primary healthcare clinic in rural Nigeria, participating in a health insurance programme. A micro-costing study was conducted from a healthcare provider perspective. Activities per

Integrated Clinical Decision Support Systems Promote Absolute Cardiovascular Risk Assessment: An Important Primary Prevention Measure in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Veronica Matthews

2017-09-01

Full Text Available BackgroundAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience a greater burden of disease compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Around one-fifth of the health disparity is caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD. Despite the importance of absolute cardiovascular risk assessment (CVRA as a screening and early intervention tool, few studies have reported its use within the Australian Indigenous primary health care (PHC sector. This study utilizes data from a large-scale quality improvement program to examine variation in documented CVRA as a primary prevention strategy for individuals without prior CVD across four Australian jurisdictions. We also examine the proportion with elevated risk and follow-up actions recorded.MethodsWe undertook cross-sectional analysis of 2,052 client records from 97 PHC centers to assess CVRA in Indigenous adults aged ≥20 years with no recorded chronic disease diagnosis (2012–2014. Multilevel regression was used to quantify the variation in CVRA attributable to health center and client level factors. The main outcome measure was the proportion of eligible adults who had CVRA recorded. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of clients with elevated risk that had follow-up actions recorded.ResultsApproximately 23% (n = 478 of eligible clients had documented CVRA. Almost all assessments (99% were conducted in the Northern Territory. Within this jurisdiction, there was wide variation between centers in the proportion of clients with documented CVRA (median 38%; range 0–86%. Regression analysis showed health center factors accounted for 48% of the variation. Centers with integrated clinical decision support systems were more likely to document CVRA (OR 21.1; 95% CI 5.4–82.4; p < 0.001. Eleven percent (n = 53 of clients were found with moderate/high CVD risk, of whom almost one-third were under 35 years (n = 16. Documentation of follow-up varied with respect to the targeted risk factor

Group motivational intervention in overweight/obese patients in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in the primary healthcare area.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez Cristóbal, Juan José; Panisello Royo, Josefa Ma; Alonso-Villaverde Grote, Carlos; Pérez Santos, José Ma; Muñoz Lloret, Anna; Rodríguez Cortés, Francisca; Travé Mercadé, Pere; Benavides Márquez, Francisca; Martí de la Morena, Pilar; González Burgillos, Ma José; Delclós Baulies, Marta; Bleda Fernández, Domingo; Quillama Torres, Elida

2010-03-18

The global mortality caused by cardiovascular disease increases with weight. The Framingham study showed that obesity is a cardiovascular risk factor independent of other risks such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and smoking. Moreover, the main problem in the management of weight-loss is its maintenance, if it is achieved. We have designed a study to determine whether a group motivational intervention, together with current clinical practice, is more efficient than the latter alone in the treatment of overweight and obesity, for initial weight loss and essentially to achieve maintenance of the weight achieved; and, secondly, to know if this intervention is more effective for reducing cardiovascular risk factors associated with overweight and obesity. This 26-month follow up multi-centre trial, will include 1200 overweight/obese patients. Random assignment of the intervention by Basic Health Areas (BHA): two geographically separate groups have been created, one of which receives group motivational intervention (group intervention), delivered by a nurse trained by an expert phsychologist, in 32 group sessions, 1 to 12 fortnightly, and 13 to 32, monthly, on top of their standard program of diet, exercise, and the other (control group), receiving the usual follow up, with regular visits every 3 months. By addressing currently unanswered questions regarding the maintenance in weight loss in obesity/overweight, upon the expected completion of participant follow-up in 2012, the IMOAP trial should document, for the first time, the benefits of a motivational intervention as a treatment tool of weight loss in a primary care setting. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01006213.

Cost-effectiveness of cardiovascular risk management by practice nurses in primary care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tiessen, Ans H.; Vermeulen, Karin M.; Broer, Jan; Smit, Andries J.; van der Meer, Klaas

2013-01-01

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely preventable and prevention expenditures are relatively low. The randomised controlled SPRING-trial (SPRING-RCT) shows that cardiovascular risk management by practice nurses in general practice with and without self-monitoring both decreases

A point-to-point simple telehealth application for cardiovascular prevention: the ESINO LARIO experience. Cardiovascular prevention at point of care.

Science.gov (United States)

Malacarne, Mara; Gobbi, Giorgio; Pizzinelli, Paolo; Lesma, Alessandro; Castelli, Alberto; Lucini, Daniela; Pagani, Massimo

2009-01-01

Recent epidemiological evidence indicates that chronic degenerative diseases, notably cardiovascular, represent the major toll in terms of death and of impaired quality of life. Recent estimates indicate that a small increase in financial resources in a number of clinical cases may be sufficient to minimize the consequences of elevated cardiovascular risk per individual. The observation that lifestyle choices, and in particular increased physical exercise, might strongly impact cardiovascular risk, suggests a redesign of preventive strategies, based on the combination of pharmacological and behavioral interventions. Following our recent experience with the INteractive teleConsultation network for worldwide healthcAre Services (INCAS) system, we designed a simpler point-to-point telehealth infrastructure, to be employed in cardiovascular risk reduction programs, predicting a high level of acceptance from the population, at the cost of very limited investment. This model was tested on 181 subjects (ages 18-80 years) in the Italian mountain village of Esino Lario. These subjects underwent a screening test to evaluate arrhythmia and cardiometabolic risks (arrhythmias were found in 14% of subjects, systolic arterial pressure was observed in 43% of subjects above 140 mm Hg, diastolic arterial pressure in 31% above 90 mm Hg). This study demonstrates the feasibility of a scaled-down telehealth application particularly suited to cardiovascular prevention in remote areas, such as in mountain villages.

What imaging techniques should be used in primary versus secondary prevention for further risk stratification?

Science.gov (United States)

Schiele, François; Navarese, Eliano Pio; Visoná, Adriana; Ray, Kausik

2017-04-01

An accurate assessment of the cardiovascular (CV) risk of an individual is key for guiding the appropriate treatment strategy for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although conventional risk factors for CVD are well established, there can be substantial variation in the extent of atherosclerosis between patients. The use of a variety of imaging modalities can be beneficial in the primary prevention stage and in the classification of an individual's CV risk. Therefore, appropriate implementation of these imaging techniques for risk assessment purposes, in line with clinical guidelines, can influence the outcomes of CVD prevention. The expert working group collaborated to review current invasive and non-invasive imaging techniques available to healthcare practitioners and how they can be used in the measurement of preclinical vascular damage and CV risk assessment. After evaluation of the current guideline recommendations and clinical data available, the expert working group collaborated to produce recommendations regarding the use of imaging in the risk stratification in primary prevention, CV risk in peri-acute coronary syndrome and CV risk assessment in secondary prevention. Overall, a variety of both invasive and non-invasive imaging modalities were highlighted by the expert working group as having the potential to assist in the risk assessments of patients at risk of CVD. These imaging techniques can be utilised in both primary and secondary prevention strategies and have the potential to be important risk modifiers, improving the outcome of CV risk assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of nutraceuticals in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Sosnowska, Bozena; Penson, Peter; Banach, Maciej

2017-04-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) ranks among the most common health-related and economic issues worldwide. Dietary factors are important contributors to cardiovascular risk, either directly, or through their effects on other cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. Nutraceuticals are natural nutritional compounds, which have been shown to be efficacious in preventative medicine or in the treatment of disease. Several foods and dietary supplements have been shown to protect against the development of CVD. The aim of this review is to present an update on the most recent evidence relating to the use of nutraceuticals in the context of the prevention and treatment of CVD.

Lifestyle and risk factor management in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease. A report from the European Society of Cardiology European Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (EUROASPIRE) IV cross-sectional survey in 14 European regions

OpenAIRE

Kotseva, Kornelia; De Bacquer, Dirk; De Backer, Guy; Ryden, Lars; Jennings, Catriona; Gyberg, Viveca; Abreu, Ana; Aguiar, Carlos; Conde, Almudena C.; Davletov, Kairat; Dilic, Mirza; Dolzhenko, Maryna; Gaita, Dan; Georgiev, Borislav; Gotcheva, Nina

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: European Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (EUROASPIRE) IV in primary care was a cross-sectional survey carried out by the European Society of Cardiology, EURObservational Research Programme in 2014-2015 in 71 centres from 14 European countries. The main objective was to determine whether the 2012 Joint European Societies' guidelines on cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in people at high CVD risk have been followed in clinical practi...

Cost-effectiveness of a cardiovascular disease primary prevention programme in a primary health care setting. Results of the Polish part of the EUROACTION project.

Science.gov (United States)

Sović, Nevena; Pająk, Andrzej; Jankowski, Piotr; Duenas, Alejandra; Kawecka-Jaszcz, Kalina; Wolfshaut-Wolak, Renata; Stepaniak, Urszula; Kawalec, Paweł

2013-01-01

Well designed cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programmes appear to be generally applicable and effective in reducing exposure to risk factors and the incidence of disease. However, introducing them broadly into clinical practice would have a significant impact on the healthcare budget, and requires careful consideration. The purpose of this health economic analysis was to assess the potential cost-effectiveness of the model nurse-led, comprehensive CVD primary prevention programme which was prepared and introduced in the EUROACTION project, in high-risk patients in Poland. A Markov model was developed to assess the long-term costs of preventive intervention. The health states modelled were: event-free (all patients at the beginning of observation), stable angina first year, acute myocardial infarction, stable angina subsequent year, myocardial infarction subsequent year, CVD death, and other causes of death. Health benefits from the reduction in risk factors were estimated based on Framingham risk function assuming the probability of defined health states according to British registers. The time horizon of the analysis was ten years, and one Markov cycle length was one year. The analysis was prepared from the healthcare payer's perspective. A willingness to pay threshold of three gross domestic product (GDP) per capita / quality-adjusted life years (QALY) was used. Univariate sensitivity analysis was conducted. Results were presented as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) expressed as an incremental cost per QALY. In Poland, EUROACTION intervention resulted mainly in reductions in the prevalence of smoking (by 14%) and high blood pressure (by 7%). Intervention on other risk factors, including blood lipids, was found to be less effective. Estimated ICERs were 19,524 PLN for men and 82,262 PLN for women. The programme was even more cost-effective in smokers i.e. estimated ICERs were 12,377 PLN in men and 53,471 PLN in women. The results were most

Spanish adaptation of the 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Royo-Bordonada, M Á; Armario, P; Lobos Bejarano, J M; Pedro-Botet, J; Villar Alvarez, F; Elosua, R; Brotons Cuixart, C; Cortés, O; Serrano, B; Camafort Babkowski, M; Gil Núñez, A; Pérez, A; Maiques, A; de Santiago Nocito, A; Castro, A; Alegría, E; Baeza, C; Herranz, M; Sans, S; Campos, P

The VI European Guidelines for Cardiovascular Prevention recommend combining population and high-risk strategies with lifestyle changes as a cornerstone of prevention, and propose the SCORE function to quantify cardiovascular risk. The guidelines highlight disease specific interventions, and conditions as women, young people and ethnic minorities. Screening for subclinical atherosclerosis with noninvasive imaging techniques is not recommended. The guidelines distinguish four risk levels (very high, high, moderate and low) with therapeutic objectives for lipid control according to risk. Diabetes mellitus confers a high risk, except for subjects with type 2 diabetes with less than <10 years of evolution, without other risk factors or complications, or type 1 diabetes of short evolution without complications. The decision to start pharmacological treatment of arterial hypertension will depend on the blood pressure level and the cardiovascular risk, taking into account the lesion of target organs. The guidelines don't recommend antiplatelet drugs in primary prevention because of the increased bleeding risk. The low adherence to the medication requires simplified therapeutic regimes and to identify and combat its causes. The guidelines highlight the responsibility of health professionals to take an active role in advocating evidence-based interventions at the population level, and propose effective interventions, at individual and population level, to promote a healthy diet, the practice of physical activity, the cessation of smoking and the protection against alcohol abuse. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

[Spanish adaptation of the 2016 European Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; Armario, Pedro; Lobos Bejarano, José María; Pedro-Botet, Juan; Villar Álvarez, Fernando; Elosua, Roberto; Brotons Cuixart, Carlos; Cortés, Olga; Serrano, Benilde; Camafort Babkowski, Miguel; Gil Núñez, Antonio; Pérez, Antonio; Maiques, Antonio; de Santiago Nocito, Ana; de Castro, Almudena; Alegría, Eduardo; Baeza, Ciro; Herranz, María; Sans, Susana; Campos, Pilar

The VI European Guidelines for Cardiovascular Prevention recommend combining population and high-risk strategies with lifestyle changes as a cornerstone of prevention, and propose the SCORE function to quantify cardiovascular risk. The guidelines highlight disease specific interventions, and conditions as women, young people and ethnic minorities. Screening for subclinical atherosclerosis with noninvasive imaging techniques is not recommended. The guidelines distinguish four risk levels (very high, high, moderate and low) with therapeutic objectives for lipid control according to risk. Diabetes mellitus confers a high risk, except for subjects with type 2 diabetes with less than <10 years of evolution, without other risk factors or complications, or type 1 diabetes of short evolution without complications. The decision to start pharmacological treatment of arterial hypertension will depend on the blood pressure level and the cardiovascular risk, taking into account the lesion of target organs. The guidelines don't recommend antiplatelet drugs in primary prevention because of the increased bleeding risk. The low adherence to the medication requires simplified therapeutic regimes and to identify and combat its causes. The guidelines highlight the responsibility of health professionals to take an active role in advocating evidence-based interventions at the population level, and propose effective interventions, at individual and population level, to promote a healthy diet, the practice of physical activity, the cessation of smoking and the protection against alcohol abuse. Copyright © 2017. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Risk communication concerning welding fumes for the primary preventive care of welding apprentices in southern Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Cezar-Vaz, Marta Regina; Bonow, Clarice Alves; Vaz, Joana Cezar

2015-01-19

This study's aim was to assess the perceptions of welding apprentices concerning welding fumes being associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disorders and assess the implementation of risk communication as a primary prevention tool in the welding training process. This quasi-experimental, non-randomized study with before-and-after design was conducted with 84 welding apprentices in Southern Brazil. Poisson Regression analysis was used. Relative Risk was the measure used with a 95% confidence interval and 5% (p ≤ 0.05) significance level. Significant association was found between perceptions of worsened symptoms of respiratory disorders caused by welding fumes and educational level (p = 0.049), the use of goggles to protect against ultraviolet rays (p = 0.023), and access to services in private health facilities without insurance coverage (p = 0.001). Apprentices younger than 25 years old were 4.9 times more likely to perceive worsened cardiovascular symptoms caused by welding fumes after risk communication (RR = 4.91; CI 95%: 1.09 to 22.2). The conclusion is that risk communication as a primary preventive measure in continuing education processes implemented among apprentices, who are future welders, was efficacious. Thus, this study confirms that risk communication can be implemented as a primary prevention tool in welding apprenticeships.

[Physical activity in basic and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease].

Science.gov (United States)

Sobieszczańska, Małgorzata; Kałka, Dariusz; Pilecki, Witold; Adamus, Jerzy

2009-06-01

On account of the frequency of appearing and character of atherosclerosis cardiac vascular disease, one of the most crucial elements of effective fight against it is preparation of complex preventive programs including as vast number of population as possible. Consequently, Benjamin and Smitch suggested attaching the notion of basic prevention to the standard division into primary and secondary one. The basic prevention, carrying out in the general population, should concern genetic predisposition, psychosocial factors, keeping up proper body weight, healthy eating and physical activity. Especially high hopes are connected with high efficiency, simplicity and low money-consumption of preventive activities associated with physical activity modification, which has a crucial influence on reducing negative impact of atherosclerosis hazard. The results of numerous scientific research, carried out in many countries and on various, large groups, proved undoubtedly that at the healthy adult people of both sex the systematic physical activity of moderate intensification plays an essential part in preventing CVD and decreasing the death risk because of that reason as well. Moreover, systematic physical exercises show many other health-oriented actions, thanks to which they have an influence on decreasing premature and total death rate. The risk of incidence of civilization-related diseases such as diabetes type II, hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis, tumors (of large intestine, breast, prostatic gland) and depression has decreased significantly. Unequivocally positive influence has been proved at many observations dedicated to health recreational physical activity and physical activity connected with professional work based on aerobe effort. The positive effects have been also observed at children population and senior population which is more and more numerous and the most at risk. The beneficial action of physical activity is connected with direct effect on organism

Improving cardiovascular disease prevention and management in Africa: issues to consider for the 21st century.

Science.gov (United States)

Madu, Ernest C; Richardson, Kelly D; Ozigbo, Obinna H; Baugh, Dainia S

2003-01-01

There is substantial evidence that cardiovascular diseases, and their associated risk factors, are becoming an increasing threat to the health of a large portion of the populace in many areas of Africa, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. If not adequately addressed, this epidemic will place an even greater burden on the poor economies and weak public health infrastructures of this continent. Important strategies for curtailing this epidemic will include primordial, primary, and secondary prevention, population-based prevention programs, improved research and surveillance, and increased governmental accountability for the adequate appropriation of public health.

Is the high-risk strategy to prevent cardiovascular disease equitable?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wallach Kildemoes, Helle; Diderichsen, Finn; Krasnik, Allan

2012-01-01

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Statins are increasingly prescribed to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in asymptomatic individuals. Yet, it is unknown whether those at higher CVD risk - i.e. individuals in lower socio-economic position (SEP) - are adequately reached by this high-risk strategy. Aim......: To examine whether the Danish implementation of the strategy to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) by initiating statin (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) therapy in high-risk individuals is equitable across socioeconomic groups. METHODS: Design: Cohort study. Setting and participants: Applying individual...

Prevention of cardiovascular disease guided by total risk estimations - challenges and opportunities for practical implementation: highlights of a CardioVascular Clinical Trialists (CVCT) Workshop of the ESC Working Group on CardioVascular Pharmacology and Drug Therapy.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Zannad, Faiez

2011-11-03

This paper presents a summary of the potential practical and economic barriers to implementation of primary prevention of cardiovascular disease guided by total cardiovascular risk estimations in the general population. It also reviews various possible solutions to overcome these barriers. The report is based on discussion among experts in the area at a special CardioVascular Clinical Trialists workshop organized by the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Drug Therapy that took place in September 2009. It includes a review of the evidence in favour of the \\'treat-to-target\\' paradigm, as well as potential difficulties with this approach, including the multiple pathological processes present in high-risk patients that may not be adequately addressed by this strategy. The risk-guided therapy approach requires careful definitions of cardiovascular risk and consideration of clinical endpoints as well as the differences between trial and \\'real-world\\' populations. Cost-effectiveness presents another issue in scenarios of finite healthcare resources, as does the difficulty of documenting guideline uptake and effectiveness in the primary care setting, where early modification of risk factors may be more beneficial than later attempts to manage established disease. The key to guideline implementation is to improve the quality of risk assessment and demonstrate the association between risk factors, intervention, and reduced event rates. In the future, this may be made possible by means of automated data entry and various other measures. In conclusion, opportunities exist to increase guideline implementation in the primary care setting, with potential benefits for both the general population and healthcare resources.

Cardiovascular risk factor assessment after pre-eclampsia in primary care

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Numans Mattijs E

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pre-eclampsia is associated with an increased risk of development of cardiovascular disease later in life. It is not known how general practitioners in the Netherlands care for these women after delivery with respect to cardiovascular risk factor management. Methods Review of medical records of 1196 women in four primary health care centres, who were registered from January 2000 until July 2007 with an International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC code indicating pregnancy. Records were searched for indicators of pre-eclampsia. Of those who experienced pre-eclampsia and of a random sample of 150 women who did not, the following information on cardiovascular risk factor management after pregnancy was extracted from the records: frequency and timing of blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose measurements - and vascular diagnoses. Additionally the sensitivity and specificity of ICPC coding for pre-eclampsia were determined. Results 35 women experienced pre-eclampsia. Blood pressure was more often checked after pregnancy in these women than in controls (57.1% vs. 12.0%, p Conclusion Despite the evidence of increased risk of future cardiovascular disease in women with a history of pre-eclampsia, follow-up of these women is insufficient and undeveloped in primary care in the Netherlands.

Feasibility and quality of cardiovascular disease prevention within a community-based health insurance program in rural Nigeria: an operational cohort study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hendriks, Marleen E.; Bolarinwa, Oladimeji A.; Wit, Ferdinand W. N. W.; Brewster, Lizzy M.; Odusola, Aina O.; Rosendaal, Nicole T. A.; Bindraban, Navin R.; Adenusi, Peju; Agbede, Kayode; Lange, Joep M. A.; Akande, Tanimola M.; Schultsz, Constance

2015-01-01

To assess the feasibility of providing guideline-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention care within the context of a community-based health insurance program (CBHI) in rural Nigeria. A prospective operational cohort study was conducted in a primary healthcare clinic in rural Nigeria,

Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: International Insights From the TECOS Trial (Trial Evaluating Cardiovascular Outcomes With Sitagliptin).

Science.gov (United States)

Pagidipati, Neha J; Navar, Ann Marie; Pieper, Karen S; Green, Jennifer B; Bethel, M Angelyn; Armstrong, Paul W; Josse, Robert G; McGuire, Darren K; Lokhnygina, Yuliya; Cornel, Jan H; Halvorsen, Sigrun; Strandberg, Timo E; Delibasi, Tuncay; Holman, Rury R; Peterson, Eric D

2017-09-26

Intensive risk factor modification significantly improves outcomes for patients with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. However, the degree to which secondary prevention treatment goals are achieved in international clinical practice is unknown. Attainment of 5 secondary prevention parameters-aspirin use, lipid control (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol diabetes mellitus and known cardiovascular disease at entry into TECOS (Trial Evaluating Cardiovascular Outcomes With Sitagliptin). Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between individual and regional factors and secondary prevention achievement at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to determine the association between baseline secondary prevention achievement and cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Overall, 29.9% of patients with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease achieved all 5 secondary prevention parameters at baseline, although 71.8% achieved at least 4 parameters. North America had the highest proportion (41.2%), whereas Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Latin America had proportions of ≈25%. Individually, blood pressure control (57.9%) had the lowest overall attainment, whereas nonsmoking status had the highest (89%). Over a median 3.0 years of follow-up, a higher baseline secondary prevention score was associated with improved outcomes in a step-wise graded relationship (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.77 for those patients achieving all 5 measures versus those achieving ≤2). In an international trial population, significant opportunities exist to improve the quality of cardiovascular secondary prevention care among patients with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, which in turn could lead to reduced risk of downstream cardiovascular events. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00790205. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases

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Eman M. Alissa

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease (CVD is now the leading cause of death globally and is a growing health concern. Dietary factors are important in the pathogenesis of CVD and may to a large degree determine CVD risk, but have been less extensively investigated. Functional foods are those that are thought to have physiological benefits and/or reduce the risk of chronic disease beyond their basic nutritional functions. The food industry has started to market products labelled as “functional foods.” Although many review articles have focused on individual dietary variables as determinants of CVD that can be modified to reduce the risk of CVD, the aim of this current paper was to examine the impact of functional foods in relation to the development and progression of CVD. Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated the association between certain dietary patterns and cardiovascular health. Research into the cardio-protective potential of their dietary components might support the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals. This paper will also compare the effect of individual bioactive dietary compounds with the effect of some dietary patterns in terms of their cardiovascular protection.

Raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol for better prevention of cardiovascular disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Birjmohun, Rakesh S.; Stroes, Erik S. G.; Kastelein, John J. P.

2007-01-01

A substantial body of evidence supports the benefits of lipid lowering on cardiovascular outcome. As a consequence, statin therapy has emerged as the foundation for management of dyslipidemia in high-risk patients. Despite these achievements, two-thirds of cardiovascular events cannot be prevented

Process evaluation of a lifestyle intervention to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in primary care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lakerveld, J.; Bot, S.D.M.; Chin A Paw, M.J.M.; van Tulder, M.W.; Kingo, L.; Nijpels, G.

2012-01-01

Effective, cost-effective, safe, and feasible interventions to improve lifestyle behavior in at-risk populations are needed in primary care. In the Hoorn Prevention Study, the authors implemented a theory-based lifestyle intervention in which trained practice nurses used an innovative combination of

Early identification and preventive care for elevated cardiovascular disease risk within a remote Australian Aboriginal primary health care service

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O'Dea Kerin

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD is the single greatest contributor to the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Our objective is to determine if holistic CVD risk assessment, introduced as part of the new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adult Health Check (AHC, results in better identification of elevated CVD risk, improved delivery of preventive care for CVD and improvements in the CVD risk profile for Aboriginal adults in a remote community. Methods Interrupted time series study over six years in a remote primary health care (PHC service involving Aboriginal adults identified with elevated CVD risk (N = 64. Several process and outcome measures were audited at 6 monthly intervals for three years prior to the AHC (the intervention and three years following: (i the proportion of guideline scheduled CVD preventive care services delivered, (ii mean CVD medications prescribed and dispensed, (iii mean PHC consultations, (iv changes in participants' CVD risk factors and estimated absolute CVD risk and (v mean number of CVD events and iatrogenic events. Results Twenty-five percent of AHC participants were identified as having elevated CVD risk. Of these, 84% had not been previously identified during routine care. Following the intervention, there were significant improvements in the recorded delivery of preventive care services for CVD (30% to 53%, and prescription of CVD related medications (28% to 89% (P P = 0.004 following the intervention. However, there were no significant changes in the mean number of PHC consultations or mean number of CVD events or iatrogenic events. Conclusions Holistic CVD risk assessment during an AHC can lead to better and earlier identification of elevated CVD risk, improvement in the recorded delivery of preventive care services for CVD, intensification of treatment for CVD, and improvements in participants' CVD risk profile. Further research is required on

Barriers to lifestyle changes for prevention of cardiovascular disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jesper Bo; Leppin, Anja; Gyrd-Hansen, Dorte

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Elimination of modifiable risk factors including unhealthy lifestyle has the potential for prevention of 80% of cardiovascular disease cases. The present study focuses on disclosing barriers for maintaining specific lifestyle changes by exploring associations between perceiving...... inequality even in populations with equal and cost-free access to health care. Our study suggests supplementing traditional public campaigns to counter cardiovascular disease by using individualized and targeted initiatives....... these barriers and various sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. METHODS: Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire survey and included 962 respondents who initially accepted treatment for a hypothetical cardiovascular risk, and who subsequently stated that they preferred lifestyle...

Primary Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease Among Middle Aged Men in Prague: Twenty-year Follow-up Results

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Boudík, F.; Reissigová, Jindra; Hrach, Karel; Tomečková, Marie; Bultas, J.; Anger, Z.; Aschermann, M.; Zvárová, Jana

2006-01-01

Roč. 184, č. 1 (2006), s. 86-93 ISSN 0021-9150 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LN00B107 Keywords : primary prevention study * atherosclerosis * cardiovascular diseases * coronary artery disease * Framingham risk function * mortality * risk factors Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 3.811, year: 2006

[Prevention of cardiovascular complications associated with diabetes mellitus: hospital emergency department involvement].

Science.gov (United States)

Agudo Villa, Teresa; Álvarez-Rodríguez, Esther; Caurel Sastre, Zaida; Martín Martínez, Alfonso; Merinero Palomares, Raúl; Alvarez Rodríguez, Virginia; Portero Sánchez, Isabel

2015-06-01

To analyze the risk profile of patients with diabetes who seek care from hospital emergency departments and emergency department involvement in preventing cardiovascular complications in these patients. Cross-sectional analysis of case series from 2 Spanish hospital emergency departments. We included all patients with a history or final diagnosis of diabetes mellitus who were treated in the emergency department between November 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011. Each patient's cardiovascular risk profile was analyzed. The main outcome was the appropriate of prescribed treatment to prevent cardiovascular complications according to the 2012 guidelines of the American Diabetes Association on the patient's discharge from emergency care. A total of 298 patients were included; 275 (92%) had type II diabetes. Ninety percent of the series (269 patients) had at least 1 cardiovascular risk factor and 147 (49%) had prior target organ damage; target organ damage was newly diagnosed in 41 (14%). Fifty-eight percent (172 patients) were discharged home from the emergency department. Although 215 patients (72%) were not adhering to at least 1 previously prescribed preventive treatment and 30 (10%) were not adhering to any prescribed treatment, drug prescriptions were modified only in 1.1% to 3.3% of patients and no follow-up was recommended in 42 cases (24%). Although diabetic patients treated in emergency departments are at high risk for cardiovascular complications, their visit is not used to optimize preventive treatment for these complications or ensure appropriate follow-up.

European Practice Assessment of Cardiovascular risk management (EPA Cardio: protocol of an international observational study in primary care

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van Lieshout Jan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite important improvements in available prevention and treatment, cardiovascular diseases (CVD remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Not all high-risk patients and patients with CVD have healthy lifestyles and receive the best possible healthcare. Internationally comparative data are needed to compare cardiovascular risk management in different countries, and to examine the impact of improvement programs and others factors. Objectives This study aims to provide internationally comparative data on cardiovascular risk management provided in primary care and on health-related lifestyles of patients in Europe. The study will also explore the views of doctors and patients on innovative preventive services for CVDs. Design and methods An observational cross-sectional study is planned. In 10 European countries, stratified samples of 36 practices per country will be recruited. In each practice, three samples of 15 patients each will be sampled: patients with coronary heart disease, patients at high risk for CVD, and healthy adult patients. The quality of cardiovascular risk management has been specified in terms of 44 performance indicators that resulted from an international Delphi-procedure with general practitioners. Most indicators are based on medical records, and some on a structured interview with a contact person of the practice. Lifestyle (smoking, physical exercise, diet will be measured with previously validated questionnaires that are completed by patients. Additional measures include practice characteristics and exposure to programs to improve cardiovascular care.

Rosuvastatin for Primary Prevention in Older Persons With Elevated C-Reactive Protein and Low to Average Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels: Exploratory Analysis of a Randomized Trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glynn, R.J.; Koenig, W.; Nordestgaard, B.G.

2010-01-01

or older. Design: Secondary analysis of JUPITER ( Justification for the Use of statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin), a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Setting: 1315 sites in 26 countries randomly assigned participants in JUPITER. Participants: Among......Background: Randomized data on statins for primary prevention in older persons are limited, and the relative hazard of cardiovascular disease associated with an elevated cholesterol level weakens with advancing age. Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of rosuvastatin in persons 70 years...... assigned in a 1: 1 ratio to receive 20 mg of rosuvastatin daily or placebo. Measurements: The primary end point was the occurrence of a first cardiovascular event ( myocardial infarction, stroke, arterial revascularization, hospitalization for unstable angina, or death from cardiovascular causes). Results...

Patient factors influencing the prescribing of lipid lowering drugs for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in UK general practice: a national retrospective cohort study.

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Jianhua Wu

Full Text Available Guidelines indicate eligibility for lipid lowering drugs, but it is not known to what extent GPs' follow guidelines in routine clinical practice or whether additional clinical factors systematically influence their prescribing decisions.A retrospective cohort analysis was undertaken using electronic primary care records from 421 UK general practices. At baseline (May 2008 patients were aged 30 to 74 years, free from cardiovascular disease and not taking lipid lowering drugs. The outcome was prescription of a lipid lowering drug within the next two years. The proportions of eligible and ineligible patients prescribed lipid lowering drugs were reported and multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate associations between age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors and prescribing.Of 365,718 patients with complete data, 13.8% (50,558 were prescribed lipid lowering drugs: 28.5% (21,101/74,137 of those eligible and 10.1% (29,457/291,581 of those ineligible. Only 41.7% (21,101/50,558 of those prescribed lipid lowering drugs were eligible. In multivariable analysis prescribing was most strongly associated with increasing age (OR for age ≥ 65 years 4.21; 95% CI 4.05-4.39; diabetes (OR 4.49; 95% CI 4.35-4.64; total cholesterol level ≥ 7 mmol/L (OR 2.20; 95% CI 2.12-2.29; and ≥ 4 blood pressure measurements in the past year (OR 4.24; 95% CI 4.06-4.42. The predictors were similar in eligible and ineligible patients.Most lipid lowering drugs for primary prevention are prescribed to ineligible patients. There is underuse of lipid lowering drugs in eligible patients.

Diagnostic inertia in obesity and the impact on cardiovascular risk in primary care: a cross-sectional study

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-St John, Damian RJ; Palazón-Bru, Antonio; Gil-Guillén, Vicente F; Sepehri, Armina; Navarro-Cremades, Felipe; Ramírez-Prado, Dolores; Orozco-Beltrán, Domingo; Carratalá-Munuera, Concepción; Cortés, Ernesto; Rizo-Baeza, María M

2015-01-01

Background Prevalence of diagnostic inertia (DI), defined as a failure to diagnose disease, has not been analysed in patients with obesity. Aim To quantify DI for cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in patients with obesity, and determine its association with the cardiovascular risk score. Design and setting Cross-sectional study of people ≥40 years attending a preventive programme in primary healthcare centres in Spain in 2003–2004. Method All patients with obesity attending during the first 6 months of the preventive programme were analysed. Participants had to be free of CVD (myocardial ischaemia or stroke) and aged 40–65 years; the criteria used to measure SCORE (Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation). Three subgroups of patients with obesity with no personal history of CVRF but with poor control of risk factors were established. Outcome variable was DI, defined as poor control of risk factors and no action taken by the physician. Secondary variables were diabetes, fasting blood glucose (FBG), body mass index (BMI), and SCORE. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) was determined using multivariate logistic regression models. Results Of 8687 patients with obesity in the programme, 6230 fulfilled SCORE criteria. Prevalence of DI in the three subgroups was: hypertension, 1275/1816 (70.2%) patients affected (95% CI = 68.1 to 72.3%); diabetes, 335/359 (93.3%) patients affected (95% CI = 90.7 to 95.9%); dyslipidaemia subgroup, 1796/3341 (53.8%) patients affected (95% CI = 52.1 to 55.4%. Factors associated with DI for each subgroup were: for hypertension, absence of diabetes, higher BMI, and greater cardiovascular risk; for dyslipidaemia, diabetes, higher BMI, and greater cardiovascular risk (SCORE); and for diabetes, lower FBG levels, lower BMI, and greater cardiovascular risk. Conclusion This study quantified DI in patients with obesity and determined that it was associated with a greater cardiovascular risk. PMID:26120135

Treatment of cardiovascular risk factors to prevent cognitive decline and dementia: a systematic review

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Suzanne A Ligthart

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Suzanne A Ligthart1, Eric P Moll van Charante1, Willem A Van Gool2, Edo Richard21Department of General Practice, 2Department of Neurology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsBackground: Over the last decade, evidence has accumulated that vascular risk factors increase the risk of Alzheimer disease (AD. So far, few randomized controlled trials have focused on lowering the vascular risk profile to prevent or postpone cognitive decline or dementia.Objective: To systematically perform a review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs evaluating drug treatment effects for cardiovascular risk factors on the incidence of dementia or cognitive decline.Selection criteria: RCTs studying the effect of treating hypertension, dyslipidemia, ­hyperhomocysteinemia, obesity, or diabetes mellitus (DM on cognitive decline or dementia, with a minimum follow-up of 1 year in elderly populations.Outcome measure: Cognitive decline or incident dementia.Main results: In the identified studies, dementia was never the primary outcome. Statins (2 studies and intensified control of type II DM (1 study appear to have no effect on prevention of cognitive decline. Studies on treatment of obesity are lacking, and the results of lowering homocysteine (6 studies are inconclusive. There is some evidence of a preventive effect of antihypertensive medication (6 studies, but results are inconsistent.Conclusion: The evidence of a preventive treatment effect aimed at vascular risk factors on cognitive decline and dementia in later life is scarce and mostly based on secondary outcome parameters. Several important sources of bias such as differential dropout may importantly affect interpretation of trial results.Keywords: cardiovascular risk factors, cognitive decline, dementia, prevention

Primary prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary care.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Molen, Thys; Schokker, Siebrig

2009-12-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent disease, with cigarette smoking being the main risk factor. Prevention is crucial in the fight against COPD. Whereas primary prevention is targeted on whole populations, patient populations are the focus of primary care; therefore, prevention in this setting is mainly aimed at preventing further deterioration of the disease in patients who present with the first signs of disease (secondary prevention). Prevention of COPD in primary care requires detection of COPD at an early stage. An accurate definition of COPD is crucial in this identification process. The benefits of detecting new patients with COPD should be determined before recommending screening and case-finding programs in primary care. No evidence is available that screening by spirometry results in significant health gains. Effective treatment options in patients with mild disease are lacking. Smoking cessation is the cornerstone of COPD prevention. Because cigarette smoking is not only a major cause of COPD but is also a major cause of many other diseases, a decline in tobacco smoking would result in substantial health benefits.

A national evaluation of a dissemination and implementation initiative to enhance primary care practice capacity and improve cardiovascular disease care: the ESCALATES study protocol

OpenAIRE

Cohen, Deborah J.; Balasubramanian, Bijal A.; Gordon, Leah; Marino, Miguel; Ono, Sarah; Solberg, Leif I.; Crabtree, Benjamin F.; Stange, Kurt C.; Davis, Melinda; Miller, William L.; Damschroder, Laura J.; McConnell, K. John; Creswell, John

2016-01-01

Background The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) launched the EvidenceNOW Initiative to rapidly disseminate and implement evidence-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) preventive care in smaller primary care practices. AHRQ funded eight grantees (seven regional Cooperatives and one independent national evaluation) to participate in EvidenceNOW. The national evaluation examines quality improvement efforts and outcomes for more than 1500 small primary care practices (restricted to...

Electronic health record-based patient identification and individualized mailed outreach for primary cardiovascular disease prevention: a cluster randomized trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Persell, Stephen D; Lloyd-Jones, Donald M; Friesema, Elisha M; Cooper, Andrew J; Baker, David W

2013-04-01

Many individuals at higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) do not receive recommended treatments. Prior interventions using personalized risk information to promote prevention did not test clinic-wide effectiveness. To perform a 9-month cluster-randomized trial, comparing a strategy of electronic health record-based identification of patients with increased CVD risk and individualized mailed outreach to usual care. Patients of participating physicians with a Framingham Risk Score of at least 5 %, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol level above guideline threshold for drug treatment, and not prescribed a lipid-lowering medication were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Patients of physicians randomized to the intervention group were mailed individualized CVD risk messages that described benefits of using a statin (and controlling hypertension or quitting smoking when relevant). The primary outcome was occurrence of a LDL-cholesterol level, repeated in routine practice, that was at least 30 mg/dl lower than prior. A secondary outcome was lipid-lowering drug prescribing. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01286311. Fourteen physicians with 218 patients were randomized to intervention, and 15 physicians with 217 patients to control. The mean patient age was 60.7 years and 77% were male. There was no difference in the primary outcome (11.0 % vs. 11.1 %, OR 0.99, 95 % CI 0.56-1.74, P = 0.96), but intervention group patients were twice as likely to receive a prescription for lipid-lowering medication (11.9 %, vs. 6.0 %, OR 2.13, 95 % CI 1.05-4.32, p = 0.038). In post hoc analysis with extended follow-up to 18 months, the primary outcome occurred more often in the intervention group (22.5 % vs. 16.1 %, OR 1.59, 95 % CI 1.05-2.41, P = 0.029). In this effectiveness trial, individualized mailed CVD risk messages increased the frequency of new lipid-lowering drug prescriptions, but we observed no difference in proportions lowering LDL

Prevention and management of work-related cardiovascular disorders

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Akizumi Tsutsumi

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular disorders (CVDs constitute a major burden for health of working populations throughout the world with as much as 50% of all causes of death and at least 25% of work disability. There are some changes in CVD risk factors among occupational classes. This is mainly due to the new types of work-related causes of morbidity associated with the recent developments in global work life, particularly in the industrialized countries. Meanwhile, in the developing countries or those in transition (e.g., in Eastern Europe, CVD mortality is increasing due to major socioeconomic changes, the demographic transition and rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, all leading to growing challenges to cardiovascular health. Better control of known risk factors (i.e., smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood glucose is effective to prevent CVD incidence. But the expected improvement has not been achieved. The obstacles of achieving such impact are due to lack of awareness, lack of policies and their implementation into practice and shortage of infrastructures and human resources. These are needed for wide-scale and long-term programme implementation. Considering the WHO Global Strategy on Occupational Health for All, the WHO Global Action Plan on Workers’ Health, the WHO Programme on Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases and the ILO Decent Work agenda, the 6th ICOH International Conference on Work Environment and Cardiovascular Diseases adopted the Tokyo Declaration.

Spanish Interdisciplinary Committee for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Spanish Society of Cardiology Position Statement on Dyslipidemia Management: differences between the European and American Guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Lobos Bejarano, José María; Galve, Enrique; Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; Alegría Ezquerra, Eduardo; Armario, Pedro; Brotons Cuixart, Carlos; Camafort Babkowski, Miguel; Cordero Fort, Alberto; Maiques Galán, Antonio; Mantilla Morató, Teresa; Pérez Pérez, Antonio; Pedro-Botet, Juan; Villar Álvarez, Fernando; González-Juanatey, José Ramón

2015-01-01

The publication of the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines on the treatment of high blood cholesterol has had a strong impact due to the paradigm shift in its recommendations. The Spanish Interdisciplinary Committee for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Spanish Society of Cardiology reviewed this guideline and compared it with current European guidelines on cardiovascular prevention and dyslipidemia management. The most striking aspect of the American guideline is the elimination of the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol treat-to-target strategy and the adoption of a risk reduction strategy in 4 major statin benefit groups. In patients with established cardiovascular disease, both guidelines recommend a similar therapeutic strategy (high-dose potent statins). However, in primary prevention, the application of the American guidelines would substantially increase the number of persons, particularly older people, receiving statin therapy. The elimination of the cholesterol treat-to-target strategy, so strongly rooted in the scientific community, could have a negative impact on clinical practice, create a certain amount of confusion and uncertainty among professionals, and decrease follow-up and patient adherence. Thus, this article reaffirms the recommendations of the European guidelines. Although both guidelines have positive aspects, doubt remains regarding the concerns outlined above. In addition to using risk charts based on the native population, the messages of the European guideline are more appropriate to the Spanish setting and avoid the possible risk of overtreatment with statins in primary prevention.

Bleeding Risks With Aspirin Use for Primary Prevention in Adults: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitlock, Evelyn P; Burda, Brittany U; Williams, Selvi B; Guirguis-Blake, Janelle M; Evans, Corinne V

2016-06-21

The balance between potential aspirin-related risks and benefits is critical in primary prevention. To evaluate the risk for serious bleeding with regular aspirin use in cardiovascular disease (CVD) primary prevention. PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2010 through 6 January 2015), and relevant references from other reviews. Randomized, controlled trials; cohort studies; and meta-analyses comparing aspirin with placebo or no treatment to prevent CVD or cancer in adults. One investigator abstracted data, another checked for accuracy, and 2 assessed study quality. In CVD primary prevention studies, very-low-dose aspirin use (≤100 mg daily or every other day) increased major gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding risk by 58% (odds ratio [OR], 1.58 [95% CI, 1.29 to 1.95]) and hemorrhagic stroke risk by 27% (OR, 1.27 [CI, 0.96 to 1.68]). Projected excess bleeding events with aspirin depend on baseline assumptions. Estimated excess major bleeding events were 1.39 (CI, 0.70 to 2.28) for GI bleeding and 0.32 (CI, -0.05 to 0.82) for hemorrhagic stroke per 1000 person-years of aspirin exposure using baseline bleeding rates from a community-based observational sample. Such events could be greater among older persons, men, and those with CVD risk factors that also increase bleeding risk. Power to detect effects on hemorrhagic stroke was limited. Harms other than serious bleeding were not examined. Consideration of the safety of primary prevention with aspirin requires an individualized assessment of aspirin's effects on bleeding risks and expected benefits because absolute bleeding risk may vary considerably by patient. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

European Consensus on Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease.

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Assmann, G

1988-07-01

The European Consensus on Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease has recommended that providing care for individuals at particular risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) requires case finding through medical examinations in primary care, hospital and employment health examination settings. Decisions concerning management of elevated lipid levels should be based on overall cardiovascular risk. The goal of reducing cholesterol levels through risk reduction can ultimately be accomplished only with the implementation of health education efforts directed toward all age groups and actions by government and supranational agencies, including adequate food labelling to identify fat content, selective taxation to encourage healthful habits and wider availability of exercise facilities. Only measures directed at the overall population can eventually reach the large proportion of individuals at mildly to moderately increased risk for CAD. The European Policy Statement on the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease recognizes that the question of lipid elevation as a risk factor for CAD involves assessment, not only of cholesterol level alone, but also of triglycerides and the HDL cholesterol lipid fraction. Five specific categories of dyslipidemia have been identified, with individualized screening and treatment strategies advised for each. It is the consensus of the study group panel members that these procedures are both practical and feasible. They begin the necessary long term process to reduce the unacceptably high levels of morbidity and mortality due to CAD throughout the European community.

Role of Garlic Usage in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: An Evidence-Based Approach

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Ashfaq, Tabinda

2013-01-01

Introduction. Rapidly growing prevalence of cardiovascular disease is a major threat for the developed as well as developing world warranting urgent need of intervention. Complementary and alternative medicines are gaining popularity among general population because of their safety profile and easy administration. Garlic, in particular, is considered to be one of the best disease-preventive foods because of its potent and widespread effects. This study was done to find out the role of garlic usage in cardiovascular disease prevention. Methodology. Major databases including Google, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane library view were used for the literature search. Clinical trials conducted on humans assessing role of garlic usage in cardiovascular disease prevention and the possible mechanisms responsible for such therapeutic actions were assessed. Results. Various clinical trials and meta-analyses conducted have shown positive impact of garlic in cardiovascular-disease prevention especially its effects on lipid levels; however, some contradictory results are also reported. Similarly, its effects on hypertension control, and platelet are also mild with limited data availability. The possible reason for these inconsistent results is the difference in preparations with diverse composition, variations in sulphur content present in different garlic preparations used, and methodological variations in subject recruitment, duration of study, dietary control and so forth. Conclusion. Garlic can be used as an adjuvant with lipid-lowering drugs for control of lipids, however, its role as a main therapeutic agent cannot be recommended and it is suggested that more meta-analyses using standardized preparations with a close watch on methodological shortfalls should be conducted to prove its role. PMID:23690831

Prevention and management of work-related cardiovascular disorders.

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Tsutsumi, Akizumi

2015-01-01

Cardiovascular disorders (CVDs) constitute a major burden for health of working populations throughout the world with as much as 50% of all causes of death and at least 25% of work disability. There are some changes in CVD risk factors among occupational classes. This is mainly due to the new types of work-related causes of morbidity associated with the recent developments in global work life, particularly in the industrialized countries. Meanwhile, in the developing countries or those in transition (e.g., in Eastern Europe), CVD mortality is increasing due to major socioeconomic changes, the demographic transition and rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, all leading to growing challenges to cardiovascular health. Better control of known risk factors (i.e., smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood glucose) is effective to prevent CVD incidence. But the expected improvement has not been achieved. The obstacles of achieving such impact are due to lack of awareness, lack of policies and their implementation into practice and shortage of infrastructures and human resources. These are needed for wide-scale and long-term programme implementation. Considering the WHO Global Strategy on Occupational Health for All, the WHO Global Action Plan on Workers' Health, the WHO Programme on Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases and the ILO Decent Work agenda, the 6th ICOH International Conference on Work Environment and Cardiovascular Diseases adopted the Tokyo Declaration. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Implementing the European guidelines for cardiovascular disease prevention in the primary care setting in Cyprus: Lessons learned from a health care services study

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Philalithis Anastasios

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent guidelines recommend assessment and treatment of the overall risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD through management of multiple risk factors in patients at high absolute risk. The aim of our study was to assess the level of cardiovascular risk in patients with known risk factors for CVD by applying the SCORE risk function and to study the implications of European guidelines on the use of treatment and goal attainment for blood pressure (BP and lipids in the primary care of Cyprus. Methods Retrospective chart review of 1101 randomly selected patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2, or hypertension or hyperlipidemia in four primary care health centres. The SCORE risk function for high-risk regions was used to calculate 10-year risk of cardiovascular fatal event. Most recent values of BP and lipids were used to assess goal attainment to international standards. Most updated medications lists were used to compare proportions of current with recommended antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drug (LLD users according to European guidelines. Results Implementation of the SCORE risk model labelled overall 39.7% (53.6% of men, 31.3% of women of the study population as high risk individuals (CVD, DM2 or SCORE ≥5%. The SCORE risk chart was not applicable in 563 patients (51.1% due to missing data in the patient records, mostly on smoking habits. The LDL-C goal was achieved in 28.6%, 19.5% and 20.9% of patients with established CVD, DM2 (no CVD and SCORE ≥5%, respectively. BP targets were achieved in 55.4%, 5.6% and 41.9% respectively for the above groups. There was under prescription of antihypertensive drugs, LLD and aspirin for all three high risk groups. Conclusion This study demonstrated suboptimal control and under-treatment of patients with cardiovascular risk factors in the primary care in Cyprus. Improvement of documentation of clinical information in the medical records as well as GPs training for implementation

Spanish Interdisciplinary Committee for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Spanish Society of Cardiology position statement on dyslipidemia management. Differences between the European and American guidelines.

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Lobos Bejarano, José María; Galve, Enrique; Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; Alegría Ezquerra, Eduardo; Armario, Pedro; Brotons Cuixart, Carlos; Camafort Babkowski, Miguel; Cordero Fort, Alberto; Maiques Galán, Antonio; Mantilla Morató, Teresa; Pérez Pérez, Antonio; Pedro-Botet, Juan; Villar Álvarez, Fernando; González-Juanatey, José Ramón

2014-11-01

The publication of the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines on the treatment of high blood cholesterol has had a strong impact due to the paradigm shift in its recommendations. The Spanish Interdisciplinary Committee for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Spanish Society of Cardiology reviewed this guideline and compared it with current European guidelines on cardiovascular prevention and dyslipidemia management. The most striking aspect of the American guideline is the elimination of the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol treat-to-target strategy and the adoption of a risk reduction strategy in 4 major statin benefit groups. In patients with established cardiovascular disease, both guidelines recommend a similar therapeutic strategy (high-dose potent statins). However, in primary prevention, the application of the American guidelines would substantially increase the number of persons, particularly older people, receiving statin therapy. The elimination of the cholesterol treat-to-target strategy, so strongly rooted in the scientific community, could have a negative impact on clinical practice, create a certain amount of confusion and uncertainty among professionals, and decrease follow-up and patient adherence. Thus, this article reaffirms the recommendations of the European guidelines. Although both guidelines have positive aspects, doubt remains regarding the concerns outlined above. In addition to using risk charts based on the native population, the messages of the European guideline are more appropriate to the Spanish setting and avoid the possible risk of overtreatment with statins in primary prevention. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

[Spanish Interdisciplinary Committee for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Spanish Society of Cardiology position statement on dyslipidemia management. Differences between the European and American guidelines].

Science.gov (United States)

Lobos Bejarano, José María; Galve, Enrique; Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; Alegría Ezquerra, Eduardo; Armario, Pedro; Brotons Cuixart, Carlos; Camafort Babkowski, Miguel; Cordero Fort, Alberto; Maiques Galán, Antonio; Mantilla Morató, Teresa; Pérez Pérez, Antonio; Pedro-Botet, Juan; Villar Álvarez, Fernando; González-Juanatey, José Ramón

2015-01-01

The publication of the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines on the treatment of high blood cholesterol has had a strong impact due to the paradigm shift in its recommendations. The Spanish Interdisciplinary Committee for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Spanish Society of Cardiology reviewed this guideline and compared it with current European guidelines on cardiovascular prevention and dyslipidemia management. The most striking aspect of the American guideline is the elimination of the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol treat-to-target strategy and the adoption of a risk reduction strategy in 4 major statin benefit groups. In patients with established cardiovascular disease, both guidelines recommend a similar therapeutic strategy (high-dose potent statins). However, in primary prevention, the application of the American guidelines would substantially increase the number of persons, particularly older people, receiving statin therapy. The elimination of the cholesterol treat-to-target strategy, so strongly rooted in the scientific community, could have a negative impact on clinical practice, create a certain amount of confusion and uncertainty among professionals, and decrease follow-up and patient adherence. Thus, this article reaffirms the recommendations of the European guidelines. Although both guidelines have positive aspects, doubt remains regarding the concerns outlined above. In addition to using risk charts based on the native population, the messages of the European guideline are more appropriate to the Spanish setting and avoid the possible risk of overtreatment with statins in primary prevention. Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org/en. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier España.

Optimizing the Primary Prevention of Type-2 Diabetes in Primary Health Care

Science.gov (United States)

2017-08-18

Interprofessional Relations; Primary Health Care/Organization & Administration; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/Prevention & Control; Primary Prevention/Methods; Risk Reduction Behavior; Randomized Controlled Trial; Life Style

Cardiovascular disease treatment among patients with severe mental illness: a data linkage study between primary and secondary care.

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Woodhead, Charlotte; Ashworth, Mark; Broadbent, Matthew; Callard, Felicity; Hotopf, Matthew; Schofield, Peter; Soncul, Murat; Stewart, Robert J; Henderson, Max J

2016-06-01

Suboptimal treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among patients with severe mental illness (SMI) may contribute to physical health disparities. To identify SMI characteristics associated with meeting CVD treatment and prevention guidelines. Population-based electronic health record database linkage between primary care and the sole provider of secondary mental health care services in south east London, UK. Cardiovascular disease prevalence, risk factor recording, and Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) clinical target achievement were compared among 4056 primary care patients with SMI whose records were linked to secondary healthcare records and 270 669 patients without SMI who were not known to secondary care psychiatric services, using multivariate logistic regression modelling. Data available from secondary care records were then used to identify SMI characteristics associated with QOF clinical target achievement. Patients with SMI and with coronary heart disease and heart failure experienced reduced prescribing of beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEI/ARB). A diagnosis of schizophrenia, being identified with any indicator of risk or illness severity, and being prescribed with depot injectable antipsychotic medication was associated with the lowest likelihood of prescribing. Linking primary and secondary care data allows the identification of patients with SMI most at risk of undertreatment for physical health problems. © British Journal of General Practice 2016.

The impact of cardiovascular disease prevalence on women's enrollment in landmark randomized cardiovascular trials: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsang, Wendy; Alter, David A; Wijeysundera, Harindra C; Zhang, Tony; Ko, Dennis T

2012-01-01

Many studies have demonstrated that women are substantially underrepresented in cardiovascular trials, but few have considered that women develop cardiovascular disease at older ages than men. The extent to which observed gender enrollment inequalities persist after accounting for age-gender differences in disease prevalence is unknown. The purpose of the study was to compare observed rates of women participating in cardiovascular clinical trials with expected rates of female participation based on age- and gender-specific population disease prevalence. Publications between 1997 and 2009 in the three leading medical journals were included to calculate observed women's enrollment rates. Population-based data in Canada were used to determine the expected enrollment rates of women. Multicenter, randomized cardiovascular clinical trials that enrolled both men and women were analyzed. Two reviewers independently extracted data on women's enrollment and important clinical trial characteristics. The female enrollment rate was 30% in the included 325 trials, which ranged from 27% in trials of coronary artery disease, 27% in heart failure, 31% in arrhythmia, to 45% in primary prevention. Increased female enrollment correlated strongly with increasing age at recruitment in cardiovascular clinical trials (P disease prevalence, gaps in female enrollment were much lower than the expected enrollment rates estimated by 5% in coronary artery disease, 13% in heart failure, 9% in arrhythmia, and 3% in primary prevention. Only cardiovascular trials were evaluated in our study. Female underrepresentation in cardiovascular clinical trials is smaller than conventionally believed after accounting for age- and gender-specific population disease prevalence. Our findings suggest that greater representation of women in cardiovascular clinical trials can be achieved through the recruitment of older populations.

Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence in Aotearoa New Zealand.

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Dickson, Sandra; Willis, Gwenda M

2017-03-01

The extensive and sometimes profoundly damaging effects of sexual violence and large numbers of victims necessitate dedicated attention to primary prevention efforts. Few studies have examined the scope of current prevention activities or their fit with empirical research into effective prevention strategies. The current article presents findings from a survey of primary prevention activities in non-Māori and bicultural communities within Aotearoa New Zealand. Forty-four respondents representing 42 agencies responded to a comprehensive survey that canvased types of sexual violence primary prevention activities undertaken, sexual violence primary prevention programs, and barriers and supports to sexual violence prevention work. Consistent with findings from previous international surveys, the focus of primary prevention work in New Zealand was on sexual violence education and increasing awareness. Findings are discussed in the context of the sexual violence prevention literature and what works in prevention more broadly to help identify promising initiatives as well as gaps in current practices. Recommendations for advancing sexual violence primary prevention research are also provided.

A new Web-based medical tool for assessment and prevention of comprehensive cardiovascular risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Franchi

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Daniele Franchi1,2, Davide Cini1, Giorgio Iervasi11Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica, CNR, Pisa, Italy; 2Dipartimento di Oncologia, dei Trapianti e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina, Università di Pisa, Pisa, ItalyBackground: Multifactor cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death; besides well-known cardiovascular risk factors, several emerging factors such as mental stress, diet type, and physical inactivity, have been associated to cardiovascular disease. To date, preventive strategies are based on the concept of absolute risk calculated by different algorithms and scoring systems. However, in general practice the patient's data collection represents a critical issue.Design: A new multipurpose computer-based program has been developed in order to:1 easily calculate and compare the absolute cardiovascular risk by the Framingham, Procam, and Progetto Cuore algorithms; 2 to design a web-based computerized tool for prospective collection of structured data; 3 to support the doctor in the decision-making process for patients at risk according to recent international guidelines.Methods: During a medical consultation the doctor utilizes a common computer connected by Internet to a medical server where all the patient's data and software reside. The program evaluates absolute and relative cardiovascular risk factors, personalized patient's goals, and multiparametric trends, monitors critical parameter values, and generates an automated medical report.Results: In a pilot study on 294 patients (47% males; mean age 60 ± 12 years [± SD] the global time to collect data at first consultation was 13 ± 11 minutes which declined to 8 ± 7 minutes at the subsequent consultation. In 48.2% of cases the program revealed 2 or more primary risk factor parameters outside guideline indications and gave specific clinical suggestions to return altered parameters to target values.Conclusion: The web-based system proposed here may represent a feasible and

Design and Rationale of the Intima-Medial Thickness Sub-Study of the PreventIon of CArdiovascular Events in iSchemic Stroke Patients with High Risk of Cerebral hemOrrhage (PICASSO-IMT) Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Woo-Keun; Kim, Yong Jae; Lee, Juneyoung; Kwon, Sun U

2017-09-01

Atherosclerosis is one of the main mechanisms of stroke and cardiovascular diseases and is associated with increased risk of recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events. Intima-medial thickness (IMT) is a well-known surrogate marker of atherosclerosis and has been used to predict stroke and cardiovascular events. However, the clinical significance of IMT and IMT change in stroke has not been investigated in well-designed studies. The PreventIon of CArdiovascular events in iSchemic Stroke patients with high risk of cerebral hemOrrhage-Intima-Media Thickness (PICASSO-IMT) sub-study is designed to investigate the effects of cilostazol, probucol, or both on IMT in patients with stroke. PICASSO-IMT is a prospective sub-study of the PICASSO study designed to measure IMT and plaque score at 1, 13, 25, 37, and 49 months after randomization. The primary outcome is the change in mean carotid IMT, which is defined as the mean of the far-wall IMTs of the right and left common carotid arteries, between baseline and 13 months after randomization. PICASSO-IMT will provide the largest IMT data set in a stroke population and will provide valuable information about the clinical significance of IMT in patients with ischemic stroke. Copyright © 2017 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Primary prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

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Schinke, S P; Blythe, B J; Gilchrist, L D; Burt, G A

1981-01-01

Teenage pregnancy is associated with many health, emotional and socioeconomic problems including higher rates of anemia, labor complications, mortality, legal and social struggles and hhigher divorce rates. Professional social workers need strategies to help teenagers avoid early, unwanted pregnancy. This paper offers promising experential and research backing for a primary prevention group work strategy for all adolescents. Social and health programs overlook educational, cognitive anc interpersonal factors biasing youths' ability to comprehend and regulate contraception. Primary prevention to assist adolescents in thinking analytically about their sexual behavior must stress problem solving and decision-making as well as facts about human reproduction and birth control. To implement decisions, youths also need interpersonal communication skills. Small groups are ideal for delivering cognitive-behavioral primary prevention. This approach is based on the premise that youths become pregnant not because of a lack of relevant information, but because they lack cognitive and behavioral skills necessary to use information. Group work involving role-playing helps develop communication skills. Results from 2 field studies describe short-term and longitudinal benefits of the prevention strategy. Professionals can reach significant numbers of youth in this way. By treating sexual issues and the risk of pregnancy as normal in adolescence, social workers can introduce information and pertinent skills to all teenagers. No one is singled out as deviant and the group format enables young people to discuss taboo topics, discovering what the norms are and gradually learning how to deal with peers, family members, techers and others. Adolescents in primary prevention groups gained knowledge, cognitive skills and communication acumen. Improved attitudes toward family planning, increased regular contraception and less unsafe sex resulted from this cognitive-behavioral approach

Prevention of cardiovascular disease in a rural general practice

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Elżbieta Tomiak

2016-09-01

The higher number of preventive consultations had an impact on a statistically significant decrease in mean blood pressure and mean SCORE value. The year-long cardiovascular disease prophylaxis programme proved less effective than expected, and neither a decrease in body weight nor an improvement in lipid metabolism was achieved in any of the groups.

74. Cardiovascular risk assessment for Saudi university employees and their families: Developing a framework for provision of an evidence-based cardiovascular disease preventative programme

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R. Alzeidan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs are the primary cause of death among adults, representing 46% of total mortality in 2014. This study’s objectives were to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs, and calculate the cardiovascular risk (CVR among King Saud University employees and their families. Moreover, it aimed at assessing the possible effects of living in KSA on the heart health of expatriate employees and their families. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 4500 university employees and their families aged ⩾18 years old, using the World Health Organization STEPwise approach to surveillance of CVRFs. CVR was then calculated for participants using the Framingham Coronary Heart Risk Score calculator. The mean age of participants was 39.3 ± 13.4 years. The prevalence of CVRFs was as follows: low fruit/vegetable consumption of 10% risk to develop CVD within the following 10-years. Furthermore, this study showed that expatriates had significant negative effects on behavioural risk factors after residing in KSA, namely: high rate of physical inactivity, high consumption of fast food, low consumption of fruit and vegetable. However, there was no effect on the pattern of tobacco use. The prevalence of CVRFs is substantially high among the study population. To combat the future expected burden of CVDs, a proposed prevention programme for employees’ cardiovascular wellness is designed and recommended to be implemented and institutionalized within the university.

26. Cardiovascular risk assessment for Saudi university employees and their families: developing a framework for provision of an evidence-based cardiovascular disease preventative programme.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Alzeidan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs are the primary cause of death among adults, representing 46% of total mortality in 2014. This study’s objectives were to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs, and calculate the cardiovascular risk (CVR among King Saud University employees and their families. Moreover, it aimed at assessing the possible effects of living in KSA on the heart health of expatriate employees and their families.A cross-sectional study was conducted on 4500 university employees and their families aged ⩾18 years old, using the World Health Organization STEPwise approach to surveillance of CVRFs. CVR was then calculated for participants using the Framingham Coronary Heart Risk Score calculator. The mean age of participants was 39.3±13.4 years. The prevalence of CVRFs was as follows: low fruit/vegetable consumption of 10% risk to develop CVD within the following 10-years. Furthermore, this study showed that expatriates had significant negative effects on behavioural risk factors after residing in KSA, namely: high rate of physical inactivity, high consumption of fast food, low consumption of fruit and vegetable. However, there was no effect on the pattern of tobacco use. The prevalence of CVRFs is substantially high among the study population. To combat the future expected burden of CVDs, a proposed prevention programme for employees’ cardiovascular wellness is designed and recommended to be implemented and institutionalized within the university.

Finding the High-Risk Patient in Primary Prevention Is Not as Easy as a Conventional Risk Score!

Science.gov (United States)

Ambrose, John A; Acharya, Tushar; Roberts, Micah J

2016-12-01

Patients with coronary artery disease or its equivalent are an appropriate target for guideline-directed therapy. However, finding and treating the individuals at risk for myocardial infarction or sudden death in primary prevention has been problematic. Most initial cardiovascular events are acute syndromes, and only a minority of these occurs in those deemed high risk by contemporary algorithms. Even newer noninvasive modalities cannot detect a majority of those at risk. Furthermore, accurate and early detection of high risk/vulnerability does not guarantee event prevention. Until new tools can be identified, one should consider a few simplistic solutions. In addition to a greater emphasis on lifestyle, earlier use of statins than currently recommended and a direct assault on tobacco could go a long way in reducing acute syndromes and cardiovascular mortality. To achieve the tobacco goal, the medical community would have to be directly and communally engaged. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Cacoa and dark chocolate in cardiovascular prevention?].

Science.gov (United States)

Belz, G G; Mohr-Kahaly, S

2011-12-01

It has been shown that the consumption of cocoa has a positive influence on a number of cardiovascular surrogate parameters such as arterial vasodilatation and a moderate decrease in blood pressure in humans. In the blood, a decrease in platelet aggregation and an increase in angiogenetic progenitor cells was noted. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory effects, an amelioration of the lipid profile and glucose metabolism was described. An increase of endothelial NO production following the ingestion of the antioxidant cocoa flavanols catechin and epicatechin seems to be the leading mechanism causing these effects. In animal studies of myocardial reperfusion, a decrease in infarct size was noted. In several prospective cohort studies from Europe and the United States, a 50 % reduction of mortality mostly due to a reduction of myocardial infarction was published. Consumption up to about 25 g daily of a flavanol rich dark chocolate (ca. 85 % cocoa content) can be recommended for cardiovascular prevention. In this moderate dosage, the potentially harmful effects due to weight gain and cadmium intake will be minimal. However, controlled randomized trials with well defined clinical endpoints are needed to prove the positive effects described so far. At this point, in time based on the information described in this article, a moderate consumption of flavanol rich cocoa products seems to be effective in the prevention of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Lowering Cardiovascular Disease Risk for People with Severe Mental Illnesses in Primary Care: A Focus Group Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, Alexandra; Osborn, David; Atkins, Lou; Michie, Susan; Gray, Ben; Stevenson, Fiona; Gilbert, Hazel; Walters, Kate

2015-01-01

People with severe mental illnesses die early from cardiovascular disease. Evidence is lacking regarding effective primary care based interventions to tackle this problem. To identify current procedures for, barriers to, and facilitators of the delivery of primary care based interventions for lowering cardiovascular risk for people with severe mental illnesses. 75 GPs, practice nurses, service users, community mental health staff and carers in UK GP practice or community mental health settings were interviewed in 14 focus groups which were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using Framework Analysis. Five barriers to delivering primary care based interventions for lowering cardiovascular risk in people with severe mental illnesses were identified by the groups: negative perceptions of people with severe mental illnesses amongst some health professionals, difficulties accessing GP and community-based services, difficulties in managing a healthy lifestyle, not attending appointments, and a lack of awareness of increased cardiovascular risk in people with severe mental illnesses by some health professionals. Identified facilitators included involving supportive others, improving patient engagement with services, continuity of care, providing positive feedback in consultations and goal setting. We identified a range of factors which can be incorporated in to the design, delivery and evaluation of services to reduce cardiovascular risk for people with severe mental illnesses in primary care. The next step is determining the clinical and cost effectiveness of primary care based interventions for lowering cardiovascular risk in people with severe mental illnesses, and evaluating the most important components of such interventions.

Impact of nutrition since early life on cardiovascular prevention

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Guardamagna Ornella

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract The cardiovascular disease represents the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Western countries and it is related to the atherosclerotic process. Cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, obesity, accelerate the atherosclerotic process which begins in childhood and progresses throughout the life span. The cardiovascular disease risk factor detection and management through prevention delays the atherosclerotic progression towards clinical cardiovascular disease. Dietary habits, from prenatal nutrition, breastfeeding, complementary feeding to childhood and adolescence nutrition play a basic role for this topic. The metabolic and neuroendocrine environment of the fetus is fundamental in the body’s “metabolic programming”. Further several studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of breastfeeding on cardiovascular risk factors reduction. Moreover the introduction of complementary foods represents another important step, with particular regard to protein intake. An adequate distribution between macronutrients (lipids, proteins and carbohydrates is required for correct growth development from infancy throughout adolescence and for prevention of several cardiovascular disease risk determinants in adulthood. The purpose of this review is to examine the impact of nutrition since early life on disease. La malattia cardiovascolare rappresenta la principale causa di morbilità e mortalità dei paesi occidentali ed è correlata a degenerazione vascolare aterosclerotica. I fattori di rischio cardiovascolari quali dislipidemia, ipertensione, insulino resistenza e obesità accelerano tale processo il cui esordio è noto sin dell’età pediatrica ed evolve nel corso della vita. L’individuazione e la cura dei fattori di rischio cardiovascolari mediante la prevenzione dei fattori causali ritardano la progressione dell’aterosclerosi e l’insorgenza dei sintomi cardiovascolari. La

Primary Prevention of Eating Disorders.

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Shisslak, Catherine M.; And Others

1987-01-01

Summarizes current understanding of anorexia nervosa and bulimia (clinical symptoms and outcome, prevalence and risk factors), offering suggestions for the primary prevention of these disorders at the individual, family, and community levels, and emphasizing prevention in the schools. (Author/KS)

Antiplatelet therapy in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: protocol of a randomised controlled proof-of-concept trial (APPLE COPD-ICON 2).

Science.gov (United States)

Kunadian, Vijay; Chan, Danny; Ali, Hani; Wilkinson, Nina; Howe, Nicola; McColl, Elaine; Thornton, Jared; von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Alexander; Holstein, Eva-Maria; Burns, Graham; Fisher, Andrew; Stocken, Deborah; De Soyza, Anthony

2018-05-26

The antiplatelet therapy in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (APPLE COPD-ICON2) trial is a prospective 2×2 factorial, double-blinded proof-of-concept randomised controlled trial targeting patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at high risk of cardiovascular disease. The primary goal of this trial is to investigate if treatment with antiplatelet therapy will produce the required response in platelet function measured using the Multiplate test in patients with COPD. Patients with COPD are screened for eligibility using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Eligible patients are randomised and allocated into one of four groups to receive aspirin plus placebo, ticagrelor plus placebo, aspirin plus ticagrelor or placebo only. Markers of systemic inflammation, platelet reactivity, arterial stiffness, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), lung function and quality of life questionnaires are assessed. The primary outcome consists of inhibition (binary response) of aspirin and ADP-induced platelet function at 6 months. Secondary outcomes include changes in inflammatory markers, CIMT, non-invasive measures of vascular stiffness, quality of life using questionnaires (EuroQol-five dimensions-five levels of perceived problems (EQ5D-5L), St. George's COPD questionnaire) and to record occurrence of repeat hospitalisation, angina, myocardial infarction or death from baseline to 6 months. Safety outcomes will be rates of major and minor bleeding, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, forced vital capacity and Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale. The study was approved by the North East-Tyne and Wear South Research Ethics Committee (15/NE/0155). Findings of the study will be presented in scientific sessions and published in peer-reviewed journals. ISRCTN43245574; Pre-results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights

Comparison of Cardiovascular Risk Screening Methods and Mortality Data among Hungarian Primary Care Population: Preliminary Results of the First Government-Financed Managed Care Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Móczár, Csaba; Rurik, Imre

2015-09-01

Besides participation in the primary prevention, screening as secondary prevention is an important requirement for primary care services. The effect of this work is influenced by the characteristics of individual primary care practices and doctors' screening habits, as well as by the regulation of screening processes and available financial resources. Between 1999 and 2009, a managed care program was introduced and carried out in Hungary, financed by the government. This financial support and motivation gave the opportunity to increase the number of screenings. 4,462 patients of 40 primary care practices were screened on the basis of SCORE risk assessment. The results of the screening were compared on the basis of two groups of patients, namely: those who had been pre-screened (pre-screening method) for known risk factors in their medical history (smoking, BMI, age, family cardiovascular history), and those randomly screened. The authors also compared the mortality data of participating primary care practices with the regional and national data. The average score was significantly higher in the pre-screened group of patients, regardless of whether the risk factors were considered one by one or in combination. Mortality was significantly lower in the participating primary practices than had been expected on the basis of the national mortality data. This government-financed program was a big step forward to establish a proper screening method within Hungarian primary care. Performing cardiovascular screening of a selected target group is presumably more appropriate than screening within a randomly selected population. Both methods resulted in a visible improvement in regional mortality data, though it is very likely that with pre-screening a more cost-effective selection for screening may be obtained.

Meditation and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Glenn N; Lange, Richard A; Bairey-Merz, C Noel; Davidson, Richard J; Jamerson, Kenneth; Mehta, Puja K; Michos, Erin D; Norris, Keith; Ray, Indranill Basu; Saban, Karen L; Shah, Tina; Stein, Richard; Smith, Sidney C

2017-09-28

Despite numerous advances in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Novel and inexpensive interventions that can contribute to the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease are of interest. Numerous studies have reported on the benefits of meditation. Meditation instruction and practice is widely accessible and inexpensive and may thus be a potential attractive cost-effective adjunct to more traditional medical therapies. Accordingly, this American Heart Association scientific statement systematically reviewed the data on the potential benefits of meditation on cardiovascular risk. Neurophysiological and neuroanatomical studies demonstrate that meditation can have long-standing effects on the brain, which provide some biological plausibility for beneficial consequences on the physiological basal state and on cardiovascular risk. Studies of the effects of meditation on cardiovascular risk have included those investigating physiological response to stress, smoking cessation, blood pressure reduction, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, endothelial function, inducible myocardial ischemia, and primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Overall, studies of meditation suggest a possible benefit on cardiovascular risk, although the overall quality and, in some cases, quantity of study data are modest. Given the low costs and low risks of this intervention, meditation may be considered as an adjunct to guideline-directed cardiovascular risk reduction by those interested in this lifestyle modification, with the understanding that the benefits of such intervention remain to be better established. Further research on meditation and cardiovascular risk is warranted. Such studies, to the degree possible, should utilize randomized study design, be adequately powered to meet the primary study outcome, strive to achieve low drop-out rates, include long

Lowering Cardiovascular Disease Risk for People with Severe Mental Illnesses in Primary Care: A Focus Group Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra Burton

Full Text Available People with severe mental illnesses die early from cardiovascular disease. Evidence is lacking regarding effective primary care based interventions to tackle this problem.To identify current procedures for, barriers to, and facilitators of the delivery of primary care based interventions for lowering cardiovascular risk for people with severe mental illnesses.75 GPs, practice nurses, service users, community mental health staff and carers in UK GP practice or community mental health settings were interviewed in 14 focus groups which were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using Framework Analysis.Five barriers to delivering primary care based interventions for lowering cardiovascular risk in people with severe mental illnesses were identified by the groups: negative perceptions of people with severe mental illnesses amongst some health professionals, difficulties accessing GP and community-based services, difficulties in managing a healthy lifestyle, not attending appointments, and a lack of awareness of increased cardiovascular risk in people with severe mental illnesses by some health professionals. Identified facilitators included involving supportive others, improving patient engagement with services, continuity of care, providing positive feedback in consultations and goal setting.We identified a range of factors which can be incorporated in to the design, delivery and evaluation of services to reduce cardiovascular risk for people with severe mental illnesses in primary care. The next step is determining the clinical and cost effectiveness of primary care based interventions for lowering cardiovascular risk in people with severe mental illnesses, and evaluating the most important components of such interventions.

Effect of surgery on cardiovascular risk factors in mild primary hyperparathyroidism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bollerslev, Jens; Rosen, Thord; Mollerup, Charlotte

2009-01-01

CONTEXT: Mild primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) seems to have a good prognosis, and indications for active treatment (surgery) are widely discussed. The extraskeletal effects of PTH, such as insulin resistance, arterial hypertension, and cardiovascular (CV) risk, may however be reversible...

Cardiovascular risk in minority and underserved women in Appalachian Tennessee: a descriptive study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Tamera Lea

2010-04-01

The purposes of this study were to translate current knowledge regarding cardiovascular risk factors, screening, and prevention to a disparate population of women and to ascertain the cardiovascular health status and risk factors in a sample of minority and underserved Appalachian women. Demographic data were collected from a voluntary sample of women from a disparate population living in Appalachian Tennessee. A coronary risk profile recorded family health history, personal health history, and lifestyle habits affecting risk for cardiovascular disease. Physiologic measurements included body mass index, blood pressure, fasting glucose, cholesterol levels, ankle brachial index, and carotid artery stenosis. Women in Appalachia Tennessee from a disparate population have high risks for heart disease and stroke. This is a critical time to address any modifiable risk factors and aggressively treat underlying cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia. Nurse practitioners (NPs) often provide primary care to women who may not be aware of their cardiovascular risks or actual disease. NPs can ensure that their practice incorporates primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention through screening, individual health education, and aggressive evidence-based treatment plans for women.

[Compliance with recommendations in secondary prevention of stroke in primary care].

Science.gov (United States)

Tamayo-Ojeda, Carmen; Parellada-Esquius, Neus; Salvador-González, Betlem; Oriol-Torón, Pilar Ángeles; Rodríguez-Garrido, M Dolores; Muñoz-Segura, Dolores

Knowing compliance with secondary prevention recommendations of stroke in primary care and to identify factors associated with compliance. Multi-centre cross-sectional. Health primary care centres in a metropolitan area (944,280 inhabitants). Patients aged 18years and over with ischemic brain disease diagnosis prior to 6months before the study. Clinical history records of demographic variables, risk factors and cardiovascular comorbidity, drugs, blood pressure values (BP), LDL-cholesterol and medical visits by doctor and nurses after the event. Good adherence was considered when BP <140/90 mmHg, LDL-cholesterol <100 mg/dL, smoking abstention and preventive drugs prescription (anti-platelet/anticoagulants, statins and angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin-receptor-antagonists or diuretics) during the last 18months. A total of 21,976 patients, mean age 73.12 years (SD: 12.13), 48% women, 72.7% with stroke. Co-morbidity: hypertension 70.8%, dyslipidemia 55.1%, DM 30.9%, atrial fibrillation 14.1%, ischemic heart disease 13.5%, chronic renal failure 12.5%, heart failure 8.8%, peripheral arterial disease 6.2%, dementia 7.8%. No record was found for smoking in 3.7%, for BP in 3.5% and for LDL in 6.5%. Optimal control: abstention smoking in 3.7%, BP <140/90 in 65.7% and LDL <100 mg/dL in 41.0%. 86.2% anti-platelet/anticoagulants, 61.3% statins and 61.8% angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor-antagonists or diuretic. Registration and risk factors control was higher in 66-79years aged and lower in 18-40years aged. The implementation of clinical guidelines recommendations for stroke prevention in primary care must be improved, especially among younger population. Organizational changes and more active involvement by professionals and strategies against therapeutic inertia must be taken. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Estimating Longitudinal Risks and Benefits From Cardiovascular Preventive Therapies Among Medicare Patients: The Million Hearts Longitudinal ASCVD Risk Assessment Tool: A Special Report From the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd-Jones, Donald M; Huffman, Mark D; Karmali, Kunal N; Sanghavi, Darshak M; Wright, Janet S; Pelser, Colleen; Gulati, Martha; Masoudi, Frederick A; Goff, David C

2017-03-28

The Million Hearts Initiative has a goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes-the leading causes of mortality-through several public health and healthcare strategies by 2017. The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology support the program. The Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Model was developed by Million Hearts and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services as a strategy to assess a value-based payment approach toward reduction in 10-year predicted risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) by implementing cardiovascular preventive strategies to manage the "ABCS" (aspirin therapy in appropriate patients, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation). The purpose of this special report is to describe the development and intended use of the Million Hearts Longitudinal ASCVD Risk Assessment Tool. The Million Hearts Tool reinforces and builds on the "2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk" by allowing clinicians to estimate baseline and updated 10-year ASCVD risk estimates for primary prevention patients adhering to the appropriate ABCS over time, alone or in combination. The tool provides updated risk estimates based on evidence from high-quality systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the ABCS therapies. This novel approach to personalized estimation of benefits from risk-reducing therapies in primary prevention may help target therapies to those in whom they will provide the greatest benefit, and serves as the basis for a Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services program designed to evaluate the Million Hearts Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Model. Copyright © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc., and the American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

B-type natriuretic peptide measurement in primary care; magnitude of associations with cardiovascular risk factors and their therapies. Observations from the STOP-HF (St. Vincent's Screening TO Prevent Heart Failure) study.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Conlon, Carmel M

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND: An effective prevention strategy for heart failure in primary care requires a reliable screening tool for asymptomatic ventricular dysfunction. Preliminary data indicate that B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) may be suitable for this task. However, for the most effective use of this peptide, the interrelationships between associated risk factors and their therapies on BNP, and in particular their magnitude of effect, needs to be established in a large primary care population. Therefore, the objective of the study was to establish the extent of the association between BNP, cardiovascular risk factors and their therapies. METHODS: BNP measurement and clinical review was preformed on 1122 primary care patients with cardiovascular risk factors. Multivariate analyses identified significant associates of BNP concentrations which were further explored to establish the magnitude of their association. RESULTS: Associates of BNP were age (1.36-fold increase in BNP\\/decade), female (1.28), beta-blockers (1.90), myocardial infarction (1.36), arrhythmia (1.98), diastolic blood pressure; all p<0.01. A novel method was devised that plotted median BNP per sliding decade of age for the various combinations of these principal associates. CONCLUSIONS: The data presented underline the importance of considering several clinical and therapeutic factors when interpreting BNP concentrations. Most of these variables were associated with increased concentrations, which may in part explain the observed false-positive rates for detecting ventricular dysfunction using this peptide. Furthermore, the design of studies or protocols using BNP as an endpoint or a clinical tool should take particular account of these associations. This analysis provides the foundation for age, risk factor and therapy adjusted reference ranges for BNP in this setting.

An integrated approach to preventing cardiovascular disease: community-based approaches, health system initiatives, and public health policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Karwalajtys, Tina; Kaczorowski, Janusz

2010-01-01

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely the product of interactions among modifiable risk factors that are common in developed nations and increasingly of concern in developing countries. Hypertension is an important precursor to the development of CVD, and although detection and treatment rates have improved in recent years in some jurisdictions, effective strategies and policies supporting a shift in distribution of risk factors at the population level remain paramount. Challenges in managing cardiovascular health more effectively include factors at the patient, provider, and system level. Strategies to reduce hypertension and CVD should be population based, incorporate multilevel, multicomponent, and socioenvironmental approaches, and integrate community resources with public health and clinical care. There is an urgent need to improve monitoring and management of risk factors through community-wide, primary care-linked initiatives, increase the evidence base for community-based prevention strategies, further develop and evaluate promising program components, and develop new approaches to support healthy lifestyle behaviors in diverse age, socioeconomic, and ethnocultural groups. Policy and system changes are critical to reduce risk in populations, including legislation and public education to reduce dietary sodium and trans-fatty acids, food pricing policies, and changes to health care delivery systems to explicitly support prevention and management of CVD.

Physical activity in the prevention and rehabilitation of cardiovascular risk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jovović Veselin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular diseases (CVD are more widespread today, whereby they take dimensions of global epidemic. They are the leading cause of diseases in the world, of inability to work, of absenteeism and premature mortality up to 65 years of age. Modern lifestyle in which there is not enough physical activity is recognized as one of the major risk factors for health and emergence of CVD. Physical inactivity is responsible for poor health quality, unnecessary illnesses and premature death. The aim of this work is to point out the basic risk factors and importance and the role of physical exercise in the prevention and rehabilitation of CVD. In the analysis of the data, the methods of speculation and introspection are used. Numerous studies have shown that properly practiced physical activity is a powerful and beneficial effect in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases (Scrutino et al. 2005; Secco et al. 2000; Jovović, 2008; Šuščević et al. 2011. Physical activity belongs to the concept of numerous factors, which along with the reduction of risk factors, lifestyle changes and medical therapy leads to the reduction of risk for cardiovascular diseases. To achieve the desired effect, a combination of aerobic, interval and isotonic muscle activity of moderate intensity at least four times a week for 45 minutes is recommended. During the secondary prevention and rehabilitation, physical activity adapts to health status, level of individual risk and the estimated functional abilities of patients. Transformational processes can only be achieved through regular exercise. The risk of emergence of complications during physical exercise is negligible, especially if the walking is practiced as a form of physical exercise.

Lessons from france: the cardiovascular prevention clinic in the la pitie-salpetriere hospital in paris.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmerman, M.K.; Rensing, K.L.; Giral, P.; Cramer, M.J.; Bruckert, E.; Twickler, T.B.

2007-01-01

Cardiovascular disease is the principal cause of morbidity and mortality in the Netherlands. In this background, various initiatives have been launched to reduce the frequency of cardiovascular disease. One of those is the creation of clinical units with a special focus on prevention of

Health promotion and cardiovascular disease prevention in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Sampson, Uchechukwu K A; Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, Mary; Mensah, George A

2013-01-01

Recent population studies demonstrate an increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The mitigation or reversal of this trend calls for effective health promotion and preventive interventions. In this article, we review the core principles, challenges, and progress in promoting cardiovascular health with special emphasis on interventions to address physical inactivity, poor diet, tobacco use, and adverse cardiometabolic risk factor trends in SSA. We focus on the five essential strategies of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Successes highlighted include community-based interventions in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, and Mauritius and school-based programs in Kenya, Namibia, and Swaziland. We address the major challenge of developing integrated interventions, and showcase partnerships opportunities. We conclude by calling for intersectoral partnerships for effective and sustainable intervention strategies to advance cardiovascular health promotion and close the implementation gap in accordance with the 2009 Nairobi Call to Action on Health Promotion. © 2013.

Fruits and vegetables in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veer, van 't P.; Jansen, M.C.F.; Klerk, M.; Kok, F.J.

2000-01-01

Objective: We quantified the public health benefit of fruits and vegetables on the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD), using currently available human data. Design: We reviewed over 250 observational studies on cancer and CVD. Relative risks (RRs) for high versus low intake of

Secondary prevention through cardiac rehabilitation: from knowledge to implementation. A position paper from the Cardiac Rehabilitation Section of the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Piepoli, Massimo Francesco; Corrà, Ugo; Benzer, Werner

2010-01-01

Increasing awareness of the importance of cardiovascular prevention is not yet matched by the resources and actions within health care systems. Recent publication of the European Commission's European Heart Health Charter in 2008 prompts a review of the role of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) to card......Increasing awareness of the importance of cardiovascular prevention is not yet matched by the resources and actions within health care systems. Recent publication of the European Commission's European Heart Health Charter in 2008 prompts a review of the role of cardiac rehabilitation (CR......) to cardiovascular health outcomes. Secondary prevention through exercise-based CR is the intervention with the best scientific evidence to contribute to decrease morbidity and mortality in coronary artery disease, in particular after myocardial infarction but also incorporating cardiac interventions and chronic...... makers and consumers in the recognition of the comprehensive nature of CR. Those charged with responsibility for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, whether at European, national or individual centre level, need to consider where and how structured programmes of CR can be delivered to all...

An integrated approach to preventing cardiovascular disease: community-based approaches, health system initiatives, and public health policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tina Karwalajtys

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Tina Karwalajtys1, Janusz Kaczorowski2,31Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; 2Primary Care & Community Research, Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 3Department of Family Practice, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, CanadaAbstract: Cardiovascular disease (CVD is largely the product of interactions among modifiable risk factors that are common in developed nations and increasingly of concern in developing countries. Hypertension is an important precursor to the development of CVD, and although detection and treatment rates have improved in recent years in some jurisdictions, effective strategies and policies supporting a shift in distribution of risk factors at the population level remain paramount. Challenges in managing cardiovascular health more effectively include factors at the patient, provider, and system level. Strategies to reduce hypertension and CVD should be population based, incorporate multilevel, multicomponent, and socioenvironmental approaches, and integrate community resources with public health and clinical care. There is an urgent need to improve monitoring and management of risk factors through community-wide, primary care-linked initiatives, increase the evidence base for community-based prevention strategies, further develop and evaluate promising program components, and develop new approaches to support healthy lifestyle behaviors in diverse age, socioeconomic, and ethnocultural groups. Policy and system changes are critical to reduce risk in populations, including legislation and public education to reduce dietary sodium and trans-fatty acids, food pricing policies, and changes to health care delivery systems to explicitly support prevention and management of CVD.Keywords: risk factors, blood pressure determination, community health services, community health planning, public health practice

Risk of misclassification with a non-fasting lipid profile in secondary cardiovascular prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Klop, Boudewijn; Hartong, Simone C C; Vermeer, Henricus J; Schoofs, Mariette W C J; Kofflard, Marcel J M

2017-09-01

Routinely fasting is not necessary for measuring the lipid profile according to the latest European consensus. However, LDL-C tends to be lower in the non-fasting state with risk of misclassification. The extent of misclassification in secondary cardiovascular prevention with a non-fasting lipid profile was investigated. 329 patients on lipid lowering therapy for secondary cardiovascular prevention measured a fasting and non-fasting lipid profile. Cut-off values for LDL-C, non-HDL-C and apolipoprotein B were set at fasting LDL-C (calculated using the Friedewald formula), direct LDL-C, non-HDL-C and apolipoprotein B. Net misclassification fasting measurements resulted in lower LDL-C (-0.2±0.4mmol/l, Pfasting LDL-C target of fasting state. In the non-fasting state net misclassification with direct LDL-C was 5.7% (95% CI 2.1-9.2%), 4.0% (95% CI 1.0-7.4%) with non-HDL-C and 4.1% (95% CI 1.1-9.1%) with apolipoprotein B. Use of non-fasting LDL-C as treatment target in secondary cardiovascular prevention resulted in significant misclassification with subsequent risk of undertreatment, whereas non-fasting direct LDL-C, non-HDL-C and apolipoprotein B are reliable parameters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-Efficacy and Perceived Control in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carpi Ballester, Amparo; Gonzalez Navarro, Pilar; Zurriaga Llorens, Rosario; Marzo Campos, Juan Carlos; Buunk, Abraham P.

2010-01-01

From the Theory of Planed Behaviour (TPB), the aim of this study is to analyse the effect of self-efficacy and perceived control on intention and preventive behaviors of cardiovascular disease. To this end, 359 participants were evaluated in an empirical study. Data were analysed using the

Primary prevention of psychiatric illness in special populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sajatovic, Martha; Sanders, Renata; Alexeenko, Lada; Madhusoodanan, Subramoniam

2010-11-01

Some populations appear to be particularly vulnerable to the development of psychiatric symptomatology related to life events and biologic or social/cultural factors. Such groups include individuals who have experienced traumatic events, military personnel, individuals with serious medical conditions, postpartum women, and immigrants. This study reviews the literature regarding primary prevention of psychiatric disorders in special populations and identifies a variety of universal, selective, and indicated prevention measures aimed at minimizing the psychiatric sequelae in these groups. The authors reviewed the literature regarding the prevention of psychiatric symptoms in trauma/abuse victims, individuals in the military, oncology patients, patients with diabetes, pregnant/postpartum women, and immigrants. The literature on primary prevention of psychiatric illness in the special populations identified is rather limited. Universal prevention may be beneficial in some instances through public awareness campaigns and disaster planning. In other instances, more specific and intensive interventions for individuals at high risk of psychiatric illness may improve outcomes, for example, crisis counseling for those who have experienced severe trauma. Primary prevention of psychiatric illness may be an attainable goal via implementation of specific universal, selected, and indicated primary prevention measures in special populations.

Advances in Integrating Traditional and Omic Biomarkers When Analyzing the Effects of the Mediterranean Diet Intervention in Cardiovascular Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Fitó, Montserrat; Melander, Olle; Martínez, José Alfredo; Toledo, Estefanía; Carpéné, Christian; Corella, Dolores

2016-01-01

Intervention with Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has provided a high level of evidence in primary prevention of cardiovascular events. Besides enhancing protection from classical risk factors, an improvement has also been described in a number of non-classical ones. Benefits have been reported on biomarkers of oxidation, inflammation, cellular adhesion, adipokine production, and pro-thrombotic state. Although the benefits of the MedDiet have been attributed to its richness in antioxidants, the mechanisms by which it exercises its beneficial effects are not well known. It is thought that the integration of omics including genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and metabolomics, into studies analyzing nutrition and cardiovascular diseases will provide new clues regarding these mechanisms. However, omics integration is still in its infancy. Currently, some single-omics analyses have provided valuable data, mostly in the field of genomics. Thus, several gene-diet interactions in determining both intermediate (plasma lipids, etc.) and final cardiovascular phenotypes (stroke, myocardial infarction, etc.) have been reported. However, few studies have analyzed changes in gene expression and, moreover very few have focused on epigenomic or metabolomic biomarkers related to the MedDiet. Nevertheless, these preliminary results can help to better understand the inter-individual differences in cardiovascular risk and dietary response for further applications in personalized nutrition. PMID:27598147

Brazilian guidelines on prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes: a position statement from the Brazilian Diabetes Society (SBD), the Brazilian Cardiology Society (SBC) and the Brazilian Endocrinology and Metabolism Society (SBEM).

Science.gov (United States)

Bertoluci, Marcello Casaccia; Moreira, Rodrigo Oliveira; Faludi, André; Izar, Maria Cristina; Schaan, Beatriz D; Valerio, Cynthia Melissa; Bertolami, Marcelo Chiara; Chacra, Ana Paula; Malachias, Marcus Vinicius Bolivar; Vencio, Sérgio; Saraiva, José Francisco Kerr; Betti, Roberto; Turatti, Luiz; Fonseca, Francisco Antonio Helfenstein; Bianco, Henrique Tria; Sulzbach, Marta; Bertolami, Adriana; Salles, João Eduardo Nunes; Hohl, Alexandre; Trujilho, Fábio; Lima, Eduardo Gomes; Miname, Marcio Hiroshi; Zanella, Maria Teresa; Lamounier, Rodrigo; Sá, João Roberto; Amodeo, Celso; Pires, Antonio Carlos; Santos, Raul D

2017-01-01

Since the first position statement on diabetes and cardiovascular prevention published in 2014 by the Brazilian Diabetes Society, the current view on primary and secondary prevention in diabetes has evolved as a result of new approaches on cardiovascular risk stratification, new cholesterol lowering drugs, and new anti-hyperglycemic drugs. Importantly, a pattern of risk heterogeneity has emerged, showing that not all diabetic patients are at high or very high risk. In fact, most younger patients who have no overt cardiovascular risk factors may be more adequately classified as being at intermediate or even low cardiovascular risk. Thus, there is a need for cardiovascular risk stratification in patients with diabetes. The present panel reviews the best current evidence and proposes a practical risk-based approach on treatment for patients with diabetes. The Brazilian Diabetes Society, the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, and the Brazilian Endocrinology and Metabolism Society gathered to form an expert panel including 28 cardiologists and endocrinologists to review the best available evidence and to draft up-to-date an evidence-based guideline with practical recommendations for risk stratification and prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetes. The guideline includes 59 recommendations covering: (1) the impact of new anti-hyperglycemic drugs and new lipid lowering drugs on cardiovascular risk; (2) a guide to statin use, including new definitions of LDL-cholesterol and in non-HDL-cholesterol targets; (3) evaluation of silent myocardial ischemia and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes; (4) hypertension treatment; and (5) the use of antiplatelet therapy. Diabetes is a heterogeneous disease. Although cardiovascular risk is increased in most patients, those without risk factors or evidence of sub-clinical atherosclerosis are at a lower risk. Optimal management must rely on an approach that will cover both cardiovascular disease prevention in

Should We Use PPAR Agonists to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer G. Robinson

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Trials of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR agonists have shown mixed results for cardiovascular prevention. Fibrates are PPAR- agonists that act primarily to improve dyslipidemia. Based on low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL and HDL effects, gemfibrozil may be of greater cardiovascular benefit than expected, fenofibrate performed about as expected, and bezafibrate performed worse than expected. Increases in both cardiovascular and noncardiovascular serious adverse events have been observed with some fibrates. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs are PPAR- agonists used to improve impaired glucose metabolism but also influence lipids. Pioglitazone reduces atherosclerotic events in diabetic subjects, but has no net cardiovascular benefit due to increased congestive heart failure risk. Rosiglitazone may increase the risk of atherosclerotic events, and has a net harmful effect on the cardiovascular system when congestive heart failure is included. The primary benefit of TZDs appears to be the prevention of diabetic microvascular complications. Dual PPAR-/ agonists have had unacceptable adverse effects but more selective agents are in development. PPAR- and pan-agonists are also in development. It will be imperative to prove that future PPAR agonists not only prevent atherosclerotic events but also result in a net reduction on total cardiovascular events without significant noncardiovascular adverse effects with long-term use.

Monacolin and atorvastatin in cardiovascular prevention – an attempt at positioning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Barylski

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of premature death worldwide. Dyslipidemia, in turn, is the most common modifiable cardiovascular risk factor. According to NATPOL 2011, hypercholesterolaemia defined as total cholesterol of at least 190 mg/dL is diagnosed in 61% of adult Poles. Non-pharmacological management, i.e. lifestyle modification, including, in the first place, physical activity and a proper diet, is the basis of intervention aimed to normalise cholesterol levels. Statins are the most important and the most common class of agents in the treatment of lipid disorders and there is strong and clear evidence supporting their effects on lipid reduction and prognosis improvement. These agents are well tolerated and safe, and their efficacy in primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention was well-documented in clinical trials. The use of a dietary supplement in the form of monacolin K contained in the red yeast rice, whose efficacy in reducing cholesterol levels has been demonstrated in a number of randomised clinical trials, may be an intermediate stage between non-pharmacological treatment and statin therapy. In everyday practice, patients who do not qualify for aggressive lipidlowering therapy, but show no desired effects when on behavioural therapy, are often encountered. It seems that monacolin K therapy may be used in such cases. However, it should be strongly emphasised that monacolin K may be only an adjuvant, and not a substitute for behavioural therapy. This paper presents the potential place of monacolin K and atorvastatin in modern cardiovascular pharmacotherapy, attempting to define target patient populations for both these substances.

Cardiovascular risk rate in hypertensive patients attended in primary health care units: the influence of pharmaceutical care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo Yuri Milen Firmino

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular complications are relevant due to their frequency and severity on the hypertension scenario. Studies refer Pharmaceutical Care (PC as capable of decreasing cardiovascular risk rate (%CVR on hypertensive patients. This study aimed to investigate, through a randomized clinical assay, the influence of PC service on the %CVR of hypertensive patients assisted in a health primary care unit from Fortaleza-Ceará. Two study groups were formed: i. Intervention Group (IG, which received orientation about taking medicines, actions aiming to prevent/solve medicine interactions and adverse effects and non-pharmacological interventions for 9 months and, ii. Control Group (CG, which received traditional assistance of the unit and was monitored during the same period. It was observed a statistically significant reduction on %CVR (10.76 to 7.86; p=0.04 and systolic blood pressure levels (SBP (137.69 to 131.54; p<0.01 in the IG, while, in the CG, there was no significant alteration. 151 Drug Related Problem (DRP were identified and it was realized 124 pharmaceutical interventions, with 89.2% of them resulting on solution/prevention of the problem. Our findings indicated that the inclusion of the PC service in the hypertensive health assistance was more effective at the %CVR and the SBP reduction in comparison to the traditional assistance offered.

Cardiovascular disease prevention in low resource settings: lessons from the Heartfile experience in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishtar, Sania

2003-01-01

This paper outlines activities of the Heartfile Program in Pakistan (http://heartfile.org). The program focuses on cardiovascular disease prevention and health promotion, and includes several initiatives that encompass building policy, reorienting health services, and developing community interventions that utilize the print and electronic media and outreach at the grass-root level to incorporate social marketing approaches. Initiated by the nonprofit private sector, the program now links with major public sector primary healthcare programs, and is currently spearheading formulation of the National Action Plan on Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control in Pakistan. In addition, the program is being refined, validated, and packaged as a replicable model for other developing countries and in low resource settings, utilizing appropriate principles of franchising with inbuilt components sensitive to cultural and social adaptations. A review of the planning process, implementation strategy, and fund-raising experience is presented. Strategies unique to low resource settings, such as the development of cost- and time-efficient strategic alliances and partnerships, have also been highlighted. In addition, specific caveats are identified as being helpful to private sector development of chronic disease prevention programs in resource-constrained settings, and a road map to a sustainable public-private sector partnership is provided.

Primary Prevention of Violence: Stopping Campus Violence before It Starts. Prevention Update

Science.gov (United States)

Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence Prevention, 2010

2010-01-01

Violence is a serious problem on college campuses. The literature on primary prevention of violence does not call for the adoption of specific programs or policies but rather suggests a paradigm shift in the way practitioners approach violence. Primary prevention means asking the question, "Why is violence happening in the first place?" in order…

Fibrates for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Deren; Liu, Bian; Tao, Wendan; Hao, Zilong; Liu, Ming

2015-10-25

Fibrates are a class of drugs characterised by mainly lowering high triglyceride, raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and lowering the small dense fraction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Their efficacy for secondary prevention of serious vascular events is unclear, and to date no systematic review focusing on secondary prevention has been undertaken. To assess the efficacy and safety of fibrates for the prevention of serious vascular events in people with previous cardiovascular disease (CVD), including coronary heart disease and stroke. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; Issue 9, 2014) on the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE (OVID, 1946 to October week 1 2014), EMBASE (OVID, 1980 to 2014 week 41), the China Biological Medicine Database (CBM) (1978 to 2014), the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (1979 to 2014), Chinese Science and Technique Journals Database (VIP) (1989 to 2014). We also searched other resources, such as ongoing trials registers and databases of conference abstracts, to identify further published, unpublished, and ongoing studies. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which a fibrate (for example gemfibrozil, fenofibrate) was compared with placebo or no treatment. We excluded RCTs with only laboratory outcomes. We also excluded trials comparing two different fibrates without a placebo or no-treatment control. Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed risk of bias, and extracted the data. We contacted authors of trials for missing data. We included 13 trials involving a total of 16,112 participants. Eleven trials recruited participants with history of coronary heart disease, two trials recruited participants with history of stroke, and one trial recruited participants with a mix of people with CVD. We judged overall risk of bias to be moderate. The meta-analysis (including all fibrate trials) showed evidence for a protective

Comparing primary prevention with secondary prevention to explain decreasing coronary heart disease death rates in Ireland, 1985-2000.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kabir, Zubair

2007-01-01

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether primary prevention might be more favourable than secondary prevention (risk factor reduction in patients with coronary heart disease(CHD)). METHODS: The cell-based IMPACT CHD mortality model was used to integrate data for Ireland describing CHD patient numbers, uptake of specific treatments, trends in major cardiovascular risk factors, and the mortality benefits of these specific risk factor changes in CHD patients and in healthy people without recognised CHD. RESULTS: Between 1985 and 2000, approximately 2,530 fewer deaths were attributable to reductions in the three major risk factors in Ireland. Overall smoking prevalence declined by 14% between 1985 and 2000, resulting in about 685 fewer deaths (minimum estimate 330, maximum estimate 1,285) attributable to smoking cessation: about 275 in healthy people and 410 in known CHD patients. Population total cholesterol concentrations fell by 4.6%, resulting in approximately 1,300 (minimum estimate 1,115, maximum estimate 1,660) fewer deaths attributable to dietary changes(1,185 in healthy people and 115 in CHD patients) plus 305 fewer deaths attributable to statin treatment (45 in people without CHD and 260 in CHD patients). Mean population diastolic blood pressure fell by 7.2%, resulting in approximately 170 (minimum estimate 105, maximum estimate 300) fewer deaths attributable to secular falls in blood pressure (140 in healthy people and 30 in CHD patients), plus approximately 70 fewer deaths attributable to antihypertensive treatments in people without CHD. Of all the deaths attributable to risk factor falls, some 1,715 (68%) occurred in people without recognized CHD and 815(32%) in CHD patients. CONCLUSION: Compared with secondary prevention, primary prevention achieved a two-fold larger reduction in CHD deaths. Future national CHD policies should therefore prioritize nationwide interventions to promote healthy diets and reduce smoking.

The polypill in cardiovascular prevention: evidence, limitations and perspective - position paper of the European Society of Hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Coca, Antonio; Agabiti-Rosei, Enrico; Cifkova, Renata; Manolis, Athanasios J; Redón, Josep; Mancia, Giuseppe

2017-08-01

: Antihypertensive, lipid lowering, antidiabetic and antiplatelet treatments all substantially reduce the risk of cardiovascular morbid and fatal events. In real life, however, effective implementation of these treatments is rare, and thus their contribution to cardiovascular prevention is much less than it could be, based on research data. This article reviews the pros and cons of cardiovascular prevention by the polypill approach. It is argued that the high prevalence of individuals with a multifactorial risk profile provides a strong rationale for a therapeutic strategy based on the combination in a single tablet of drugs against different risk factors. It is further argued that other important favourable arguments exist. First, in real-life adherence to all above treatments is very low, leading to a major increase in the incidence and risk of cardiovascular outcomes. Second, although a large number of factors are involved, adherence is adversely affected by the complexity of the prescribed treatment regimen and can be considerably improved by treatment simplification. Third, recent studies in patients with a history of manifest cardiovascular disease have documented that different cardiovascular drugs can be combined in a single tablet with no loss of their individual efficacy or unexpected inconveniences and this does favour adherence to treatment and multiple risk factor control, supporting use of the polypill in secondary cardiovascular prevention. It is finally also mentioned, however, that the polypill may have some drawbacks and that at present no evidence is available that this approach reduces cardiovascular outcome to a greater degree than standard treatment strategies. Trials are under way to provide an answer to this question and thus allow the therapeutic value of this approach to be known.

Management of cardiovascular risk in systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic review.

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Andrades, C; Fuego, C; Manrique-Arija, S; Fernández-Nebro, A

2017-11-01

Systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis and increased risk of cardiovascular complications. The aim of this study was to review the effectiveness of interventions for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events and mortality and to review the effectiveness of interventions for cardiovascular risk factor reduction in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. A systematic review was conducted. Electronic databases Medline and Embase (1961-2015) were searched. Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected. Low-calorie and/or low glycaemic index calories may be a useful option for secondary prevention in obese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and exercise would be useful in improving the endothelial function measured by flow-mediated dilation in this group of patients. The use of lipid-lowering drugs may improve the lipid profile in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and hyperlipidaemia, but the effect of this treatment on overall cardiovascular mortality remains unknown. Antiplatelets, anticoagulants, antimalarials and lipid-lowering drugs may be effective in the primary and secondary prevention of major cardiovascular events, such as acute myocardial infarction or stroke. Similarly, lipid-lowering drugs and antimalarial drugs appear to reduce the serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, glucose, diastolic blood pressure and calcium deposition at the coronary arteries. They may also improve insulin resistance and the level of high-density lipoproteins. It appears that treatment with antihypertensive drugs reduces blood pressure in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, but the available studies are of low quality.

Gout and rheumatoid arthritis, both to keep in mind in cardiovascular risk management: A primary care retrospective cohort study.

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Janssens, Hein J E M; Arts, Paul G J; Schalk, Bianca W M; Biermans, Marion C J

2017-01-01

To assess in one time window cardiovascular risks for both patients with gout and patients with rheumatoid arthritis in a Dutch primary care population. Retrospective matched cohort study with data from the electronic health records of 51 Dutch general practices. Participants were patients aged 30 years or older with an incident diagnosis of gout (n=2655) or rheumatoid arthritis (n=513), and matched non-disease controls (n=7891 and n=1850 respectively). At disease incidence date, patients and controls were compared for prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and prior cardiovascular diseases. Patients without prior cardiovascular disease were followed for a first cardiovascular disease, and compared to controls using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazard analyses. Compared to controls, gout patients suffered more from hypertension (44.8%), diabetes (20.1%), hypercholesterolemia (13.7%), and prior cardiovascular disease (30%) (P0.05). After adjustment, both gout and rheumatoid arthritis patients without prior cardiovascular disease were more likely to get a cardiovascular disease: hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 1.44 (1.18 to 1.76), and 2.06 (1.34 to 3.16) respectively. This primary care study indicates that gout and rheumatoid arthritis are both independent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis to some greater extent, whereas gout patients at first diagnosis had already an increased cardiovascular risk profile. It gives strong arguments for implementation of both rheumatic diseases in primary care guidelines on cardiovascular risk management. Copyright © 2016 Société française de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of stroke/cardiovascular risk factors in Hungary

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Bodo, M.; Sipos, K.; Thuroczy, G.; Panczel, G.; Ilias, L.; Szonyi, P.; Bodo, M., Jr.; Nebella, T.; Banyasz, A.; Nagy, Z.

2010-04-01

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hungary using the Cerberus system which includes: 1) a questionnaire addressing the risk factors for stroke/cardiovascular disease; 2) amplifiers to record the pulse waves of cerebral arteries (rheoencephalography) and peripheral arteries, electrocardiogram and electroencephalogram. Additionally, subjects were measured for carotid stenosis by Doppler ultrasound and 12-lead electrocardiogram; subjects were also screened for blood cholesterol, glucose, and triglyceride levels. Prevalence of the following stroke risk factors was identified: overweight, 63.25%; sclerotic brain arteries (by rheoencephalogram), 54.29%; heart disease, 37.92%; pathologic carotid flow, 34.24%; smoking, 30.55%; high blood cholesterol, 28.70%; hypertension, 27.83%; high triglyceride, 24.35%; abnormality in electrocardiogram, 20%; high glucose, 15.95%; symptoms of transient ischemic attack, 16.07%; alcohol abuse, 6.74%; and diabetes, 4.53%. The study demonstrates a possible model for primary cardiovascular disease/stroke prevention. This method offers a standardizable, cost effective, practical technique for mass screenings by identifying the population at high risk for cardiovascular disturbances, especially cerebrovascular disease (primary prevention). In this model, the rheoencephalogram can detect cerebrovascular arteriosclerosis in the susceptibility/presymptomatic phase, earlier than the Doppler ultrasound technique. The method also provides a model for storing analog physiological signals in a computer-based medical record and is a first step in applying an expert system to stroke prevention.

Polycystic ovary syndrome and early-onset preeclampsia : reproductive manifestations of increased cardiovascular risk

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veltman-Verhulst, Susanne M.; van Rijn, Bas B.; Westerveld, H. Egbertine; Franx, Arie; Bruinse, Hein W.; Fauser, Bart C. J. M.; Goverde, Angelique J.

2010-01-01

Objective: Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women is a major healthcare issue. Detection of premenopausal women with increased risk of CVD could enhance prevention strategies and reduce first event-related morbidity and mortality. In this study, we argue that an unfavorable

YKL-40: a new biomarker in cardiovascular disease?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mathiasen, Anders Bruun; Henningsen, Kristoffer Mads Aaris; Harutyunyan, Marina Jurjevna

2010-01-01

Cardiovascular disease in the form of coronary artery disease is the most common cause of death in western countries. Early treatment with stabilizing drugs and mechanical revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary bypass surgery has reduced the mortality significantly....... But in spite of improved treatments, many patients are still plagued by a high frequency of angina symptoms, hospitalizations and a poor prognosis. There is a need for new independent or supplementary biomarkers that can help to predict cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events earlier and more...... precisely, and thus accompany existing biomarkers in both primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention. One such potential new biomarker is the protein YKL-40. As an independent biomarker in both cardiovascular diseases and noncardiovascular diseases, current evidence suggests YKL-40 to be most useful...

Primary selection into shift work and change of cardiovascular risk profile.

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Yong, Mei; Germann, Christina; Lang, Stefan; Oberlinner, Christoph

2015-05-01

A potential "healthy shift worker effect" may bias the studied effect of shift work on health. The observed differences among shift and day workers in health behavior and health outcomes can be caused by: (i) primary selection, (ii) the influence from the shift work-related environment, and (iii) the impact of shift work. We aimed to study these potential sources. A cohort of 4754 male trainees who had finished their professional training and started their career in production in a chemical company between 1995 and 2012 was identified. Among them, 1348 (28%) were involved in rotating shift work and 3406 (72%) in day work. Information on health behavior and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases was retrieved from the medical examinations. This information was then compared (i) at the beginning of training, (ii) at the end of training, and (iii) 3 years after the employment, in relation to the working time. At the beginning of the training, the prevalence of smokers was higher among future shift workers (26% versus 21%), from 1995 to 2012. During the training and the first three years of employment, a marginal decline of systolic blood pressure and an elevation of triglyceride were related with shift work. No difference was found with respect to other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Our findings do not support a primary selection in favor of shift workers. An impact of shift work on the risk profile of cardiovascular diseases was not indicated in the observation period.

Pokémon Go: digital health interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Krittanawong, Chayakrit; Aydar, Mehmet; Kitai, Takeshi

2017-10-01

Physical activity is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease/cardiovascular disease mortality, and current guidelines recommend physical activity for primary prevention in healthy individuals and secondary prevention in patients with coronary heart disease/cardiovascular disease. Over the last decade, playing classic video games has become one of the most popular leisure activities in the world, but is associated with a sedentary lifestyle. In the new era of rapidly evolving augmented reality technology, Pokémon Go, a well-known augmented reality game, may promote physical activity and prevent cardiovascular disease risks - that is, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Pokémon Go makes players willing to be physically active for regular and long periods of time. We report on an assessment of regular walking and playing Pokémon Go by performing data mining in Twitter.

Pressure ulcer prevention in high-risk postoperative cardiovascular patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Melissa; McKenney, Teresa; Drumm, Jennifer; Merrick, Brian; LeMaster, Tamara; VanGilder, Catherine

2011-08-01

Little has been published about how to prevent pressure ulcers in severely debilitated, immobile patients in intensive care units. To present a possible prevention strategy for postoperative cardiovascular surgery patients at high risk for development of pressure ulcers. Staff chose to implement air fluidized therapy beds, which provide maximal immersion and envelopment as a measure for preventing pressure ulcers in patients who (1) required vasopressors for at least 24 hours and (2) required mechanical ventilation for at least 24 hours postoperatively. Only 1 of 27 patients had a pressure ulcer develop while on the air fluidized therapy bed (February 2008 through August 2008), and that ulcer was only a stage I ulcer, compared with 40 ulcers in 25 patients before the intervention. Patients spent a mean of 7.9 days on the mattress, and the cost of bed rental was approximately $18000, which was similar to the cost of treatment of 1 pressure ulcer in stage III or IV (about $40000) and was considered cost-effective.

Cardiovascular prevention guidelines in daily practice: a comparison of EUROASPIRE I, II, and III surveys in eight European countries.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kotseva, Kornelia

2009-03-14

The first and second EUROASPIRE surveys showed high rates of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease. The third EUROASPIRE survey was done in 2006-07 in 22 countries to see whether preventive cardiology had improved and if the Joint European Societies\\' recommendations on cardiovascular disease prevention are being followed in clinical practice.

Childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease: links and prevention strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Nadeau, Kristen J.; Maahs, David M.; Daniels, Stephen R.; Eckel, Robert H.

2015-01-01

The prevalence and severity of pediatric obesity have dramatically increased since the late 1980s, raising concerns about a subsequent increase in cardiovascular outcomes. Strong evidence, particularly from autopsy studies, supports the concept that precursors of adult cardiovascular disease (CVD) begin in childhood, and that pediatric obesity has an important influence on overall CVD risk. Lifestyle patterns also begin early and impact CVD risk. In addition, obesity and other CVD risk factors tend to persist over time. However, whether childhood obesity causes adult CVD directly, or does so by persisting as adult obesity, or both, is less clear. Regardless, sufficient data exist to warrant early implementation of both obesity prevention and treatment in youth and adults. In this Review, we examine the evidence supporting the impact of childhood obesity on adult obesity, surrogate markers of CVD, components of the metabolic syndrome, and the development of CVD. We also evaluate how obesity treatment strategies can improve risk factors and, ultimately, adverse clinical outcomes. PMID:21670745

Primary prevention in psychiatry in general hospitals in South Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Sood, Mamta; Chadda, Rakesh Kumar; Kallivayalil, Roy Abraham

2017-01-01

The focus of primary prevention is on reducing the disease incidence. Primary prevention in mental health has been given minimal priority in low-resource settings with no significant investments. General hospitals are one of the main providers of mental health services in South Asia. This paper focuses on primary prevention activities, which can be undertaken in a general hospital in South Asia with abysmally low-mental health resources. For implementing primary prevention in psychiatry, a general hospital may be conceptualized as a population unit, located in a well-populated area with easy accessibility where different kinds of communities, for example, students and resident doctors, consultants, patients and their caregivers, and paramedical, nursing, administrative and other supportive staff, coexist and have varied functions. All the functional components of the general hospital psychiatric units (GHPUs) offer scope for introducing primary preventive psychiatry services. Psychiatrists in GHPUs can lead efforts for primary prevention in mental health in the hospital by employing strategies in the framework of universal, selective, and indicated prevention. The preventive strategies could be targeted at the patients visiting the hospital for various health services and their caregivers, employees, and the trainees. Similar principles can be employed in teaching and training. PMID:29497199

Impact of socioeconomic deprivation on screening for cardiovascular disease risk in a primary prevention population: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lang, Sarah-Jane; Abel, Gary A; Mant, Jonathan; Mullis, Ricky

2016-03-21

Investigate the association between socioeconomic deprivation and completeness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor recording in primary care, uptake of screening in people with incomplete risk factor recording and with actual CVD risk within the screened subgroup. Cross-sectional study. Nine UK general practices. 7987 people aged 50-74 years with no CVD diagnosis. CVD risk was estimated using the Framingham equation from data extracted from primary care electronic health records. Where there was insufficient information to calculate risk, patients were invited to attend a screening assessment. Proportion of patients for whom clinical data were sufficiently complete to enable CVD risk to be calculated; proportion of patients invited to screening who attended; proportion of patients who attended screening whose 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event was high (>20%). For each outcome, a set of logistic regression models were run. Crude and adjusted ORs were estimated for person-level deprivation, age, gender and smoking status. We included practice-level deprivation as a continuous variable and practice as a random effect to account for clustering. People who had lower Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) scores (less deprived) had significantly worse routine CVD risk factor recording (adjusted OR 0.97 (0.95 to 1.00) per IMD decile; p=0.042). Screening attendance was poorer in those with more deprivation (adjusted OR 0.89 (0.86 to 0.91) per IMD decile; p20% (OR 1.09 (1.03 to 1.15) per IMD decile; p=0.004). Our data suggest that those who had the most to gain from screening were least likely to attend, potentially exacerbating existing health inequalities. Future research should focus on tailoring the delivery of CVD screening to ensure engagement of socioeconomically deprived groups. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Use of electronic clinical reminders to increase preventive screenings in a primary care setting: blueprint from a successful process in Kodiak, Alaska.

Science.gov (United States)

Onders, Robert; Spillane, James; Reilley, Brigg; Leston, Jessica

2014-01-01

The Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) provides primary health care in Kodiak, Alaska and 6 outlying villages. KANA sought to actively improve key preventive screening rates for its patients. KANA adopted an electronic health record in 2008 and deployed national clinical reminders from the Indian Health Service for 5 key preventive screenings: tobacco use, alcohol use, depression, intimate partner violence, and a comprehensive cardiovascular exam. Clinical reminders were deployed in a 5-step process: (a) establish clinical demand, (b) pilot test reminder, (c) expand reminder to all providers, (d) measure outcomes and share results, and (e) delegate clinical reminder follow-up (primarily to nurses). Data from 2007-2011 show screening rates for all 5 measures improved considerably, to levels significantly above the national average for Indian Health Service facilities. Clinical reminders have been a key part of a multistep process to improve screening for depression, tobacco cessation, intimate partner violence, alcohol use, and cardiovascular disease. If deployed correctly, reminders are valuable tools in identifying patients who are overdue for preventive health screenings.

Effects of primary care team social networks on quality of care and costs for patients with cardiovascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Mundt, Marlon P; Gilchrist, Valerie J; Fleming, Michael F; Zakletskaia, Larissa I; Tuan, Wen-Jan; Beasley, John W

2015-03-01

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. Primary care teams can be best suited to improve quality of care and lower costs for patients with cardiovascular disease. This study evaluates the associations between primary care team communication, interaction, and coordination (ie, social networks); quality of care; and costs for patients with cardiovascular disease. Using a sociometric survey, 155 health professionals from 31 teams at 6 primary care clinics identified with whom they interact daily about patient care. Social network analysis calculated variables of density and centralization representing team interaction structures. Three-level hierarchical modeling evaluated the link between team network density, centralization, and number of patients with a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease for controlled blood pressure and cholesterol, counts of urgent care visits, emergency department visits, hospital days, and medical care costs in the previous 12 months. Teams with dense interactions among all team members were associated with fewer hospital days (rate ratio [RR] = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.50-0.77) and lower medical care costs (-$556; 95% CI, -$781 to -$331) for patients with cardiovascular disease. Conversely, teams with interactions revolving around a few central individuals were associated with increased hospital days (RR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.09-1.94) and greater costs ($506; 95% CI, $202-$810). Team-shared vision about goals and expectations mediated the relationship between social network structures and patient quality of care outcomes. Primary care teams that are more interconnected and less centralized and that have a shared team vision are better positioned to deliver high-quality cardiovascular disease care at a lower cost. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Cost-benefit analysis of the polypill in the primary prevention of myocardial infarction and stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Wald, Nicholas J; Luteijn, Johannes Michiel; Morris, Joan K; Taylor, David; Oppenheimer, Peter

2016-04-01

The primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is a public health priority. To assess the costs and benefits of a Polypill Prevention Programme using a daily 4-component polypill from age 50 in the UK, we determined the life years gained without a first myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke, together with the total service cost (or saving) and the net cost (or saving) per year of life gained without a first MI or stroke. This was estimated on the basis of a 50 % uptake and a previously published 83 % treatment adherence. The total years of life gained without a first MI or stroke in a mature programme is 990,000 each year in the UK. If the cost of the Polypill Prevention Programme were £1 per person per day, the total cost would be £4.76 bn and, given the savings (at 2014 prices) of £2.65 bn arising from the disease prevented, there would be a net cost of £2.11 bn representing a net cost per year of life gained without a first MI or stroke of £2120. The results are robust to sensitivity analyses. A national Polypill Prevention Programme would have a substantial effect in preventing MIs and strokes and be cost-effective.

Preeclampsia, prematurity and cardiovascular health in adult life.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewandowski, Adam J; Leeson, Paul

2014-11-01

Investigations into how perinatal growth and intrauterine environment may 'programme' risk of later cardiovascular disease have been ongoing for over two decades. One of the more recent outcomes of these studies is the observation that certain pregnancy-related conditions, such as preterm birth, have an unusually large impact on the long-term cardiovascular health of the offspring. In the present paper, we review the current literature of how preterm birth affects the long-term cardiovascular structure and function of the offspring, considering three major areas of investigation: firstly, outlining the long-term cardiovascular phenotypic changes in preterm-born individuals; secondly, investigating factors related to preterm birth that may be modifying cardiovascular phenotype, such as preeclampsia, perinatal interventions, and physiological disturbances; and thirdly, the expected clinical relevance of these cardiovascular changes. This review discusses the importance of continued research focused on the mechanistic understanding of these cardiovascular alterations in order to develop specific primary prevention strategies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Site-Specific Antioxidative Therapy for Prevention of Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hajime Otani

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Oxidative stress has been implicated in pathophysiology of aging and age-associated disease. Antioxidative medicine has become a practice for prevention of atherosclerosis. However, limited success in preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD in individuals with atherosclerosis using general antioxidants has prompted us to develop a novel antioxidative strategy to prevent atherosclerosis. Reducing visceral adipose tissue by calorie restriction (CR and regular endurance exercise represents a causative therapy for ameliorating oxidative stress. Some of the recently emerging drugs used for the treatment of CVD may be assigned as site-specific antioxidants. CR and exercise mimetic agents are the choice for individuals who are difficult to continue CR and exercise. Better understanding of molecular and cellular biology of redox signaling will pave the way for more effective antioxidative medicine for prevention of CVD and prolongation of healthy life span.

Antioxidative vitamines for prevention of cardiovascular disease for patients after renal transplantation and patients with chronic renal failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wasem, Jürgen

2006-07-01

oxidative stress markers is basically limited to show single intermediate steps of the postulated biological effect mechanisms by which a potentially preventive effect could possibly be mediated. The mainly unsatisfactory planning and reporting quality of the 17 identified studies and a possible "publication bias" are further limitations. Conclusion: The available evidence is not sufficient to support or to reject an effect of antioxidative vitamins on secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease for patients with chronic renal insufficiency or renal replacement therapy. There is a lack of randomized, placebo-controlled studies with a sufficient number of cases and clinical endpoints of cardiovascular disease, on the effect of antioxidative vitamins either orally applied or given by vitamin E-modified dialysers.No data are available about supplementation with antioxidative vitamins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Therefore the current evidence does not allow to draw conclusions concerning this subject either. As opposed to patients with a history of cardiovascular disease without kidney diseases where there is enough evidence to exclude a beneficial effect on secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease for patients with chronic renal insufficiency and renal replacement therapy this question remains unanswered. Conclusions about costs and cost-effectiveness also cannot be drawn.

Effect of Supplemental Vitamin E for the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Shekelle, Paul G; Morton, Sally C; Jungvig, Lara K; Udani, Jay; Spar, Myles; Tu, Wenli; Suttorp, Marika J; Coulter, Ian; Newberry, Sydne J; Hardy, Mary

2004-01-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate and synthesize the evidence on the effect of supplements of vitamin E on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. DESIGN Systematic review of placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials; meta-analysis where justified. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Eighty-four eligible trials were identified. For the outcomes of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction, and blood lipids, neither supplements of vitamin E alone nor vitamin E given with other agents yielded a statistically significant beneficial or adverse pooled relative risk (for example, pooled relative risk of vitamin E alone = 0.96 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.84 to 1.10]; 0.97 [95% CI, 0.80 to 1.90]; and 0.72 [95% CI, 0.51 to 1.02] for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and nonfatal myocardial infarction, respectively. CONCLUSIONS There is good evidence that vitamin E supplementation does not beneficially or adversely affect cardiovascular outcomes. PMID:15061748

Cardiovascular Health in African Americans: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Science.gov (United States)

Carnethon, Mercedes R; Pu, Jia; Howard, George; Albert, Michelle A; Anderson, Cheryl A M; Bertoni, Alain G; Mujahid, Mahasin S; Palaniappan, Latha; Taylor, Herman A; Willis, Monte; Yancy, Clyde W

2017-11-21

Population-wide reductions in cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality have not been shared equally by African Americans. The burden of cardiovascular disease in the African American community remains high and is a primary cause of disparities in life expectancy between African Americans and whites. The objectives of the present scientific statement are to describe cardiovascular health in African Americans and to highlight unique considerations for disease prevention and management. The primary sources of information were identified with PubMed/Medline and online sources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The higher prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors (eg, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk) underlies the relatively earlier age of onset of cardiovascular diseases among African Americans. Hypertension in particular is highly prevalent among African Americans and contributes directly to the notable disparities in stroke, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease among African Americans. Despite the availability of effective pharmacotherapies and indications for some tailored pharmacotherapies for African Americans (eg, heart failure medications), disease management is less effective among African Americans, yielding higher mortality. Explanations for these persistent disparities in cardiovascular disease are multifactorial and span from the individual level to the social environment. The strategies needed to promote equity in the cardiovascular health of African Americans require input from a broad set of stakeholders, including clinicians and researchers from across multiple disciplines. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

The Mediterranean diet, its components, and cardiovascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Widmer, R Jay; Flammer, Andreas J; Lerman, Lilach O; Lerman, Amir

2015-03-01

One of the best-studied diets for cardiovascular health is the Mediterranean diet. This consists of fish, monounsaturated fats from olive oil, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes/nuts, and moderate alcohol consumption. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce the burden, or even prevent the development, of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, depression, colorectal cancer, diabetes, obesity, asthma, erectile dysfunction, and cognitive decline. This diet is also known to improve surrogates of cardiovascular disease, such as waist-to-hip ratio, lipids, and markers of inflammation, as well as primary cardiovascular disease outcomes such as death and events in both observational and randomized controlled trial data. These enhancements easily rival those seen with more established tools used to fight cardiovascular disease such as aspirin, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and exercise. However, it is unclear if the Mediterranean diet offers cardiovascular disease benefit from its individual constituents or in aggregate. Furthermore, the potential benefit of the Mediterranean diet or its components is not yet validated by concrete cardiovascular disease endpoints in randomized trials or observational studies. This review will focus on the effects of the whole and parts of the Mediterranean diet with regard to both population-based and experimental data highlighting cardiovascular disease morbidity or mortality and cardiovascular disease surrogates when hard outcomes are not available. Our synthesis will highlight the potential for the Mediterranean diet to act as a key player in cardiovascular disease prevention, and attempt to identify certain aspects of the diet that are particularly beneficial for cardioprotection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Formalized Interconnected Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Those for Management of Diabetes, Dyslipidemia and Hypertension

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Peleška, Jan; Anger, Z.; Buchtela, David; Tomečková, Marie; Veselý, Arnošt; Zvárová, Jana

24 Suppl. 4, - (2006), s. 172-172 ISSN 0263-6352. [European Meeting on Hypertension /16./. 12.06.2006-15.06.2006, Madrid] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET200300413 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : computer presentation * interconnected medical guidelines * cardiovascular prevention Subject RIV: FA - Cardiovascular Disease s incl. Cardiotharic Surgery

Identification of major cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes using primary care data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pouwels, Koen Bernardus; Voorham, Jaco; Hak, Eelko; Denig, Petra

2016-01-01

Background: Routine primary care data are increasingly being used for evaluation and research purposes but there are concerns about the completeness and accuracy of diagnoses and events captured in such databases. We evaluated how well patients with major cardiovascular disease (CVD) can be

Cardiovascular deaths in children: general overview from the National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths.

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Vetter, Victoria L; Covington, Theresa M; Dugan, Noreen P; Haley, Danielle Main; Dykstra, Heather; Overpeck, Mary; Iyer, V Ramesh; Shults, Justine

2015-03-01

Cardiovascular conditions rank sixth in causes of death in 1- to 19-year-olds. Our study is the first analysis of the cardiovascular death data set from the National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths, which provides the only systematic collection of cardiovascular deaths in children. We developed an analytical data set from the National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths database for cardiovascular deaths in children 0 to 21 years old, reviewing 1,098 cases from 2005 to 2009 in 16 states who agreed to participate. Cardiovascular cases were aged 4.8 ± 6.6 years; 55.3%, ≤1 year; 24.6%, ≥10 years; male, 58%; white, 70.5%; black, 22.3%; Hispanic, 19.5%. Prior conditions were present in 48.5%: congenital heart disease, 23%; cardiomyopathies, 4.6%; arrhythmia, 1.7%; and congestive heart failure, 1.6%. Deaths occurred most frequently in urban settings, 49.2%; and in the hospital, 40.4%; home, 26.1%; or at school/work/sports, 4.8%. Emergency medical services were not evenly distributed with differences by age, race, ethnicity, and area. Autopsies (40.4%) occurred more often in those >10 years old (odds ratio [OR] 2.9), blacks (OR 1.6), or in those who died at school/work/sports (OR 3.9). The most common cardiovascular causes of death included congenital heart disease, 40.8%; arrhythmias, 27.1%; cardiomyopathy, 11.8%; myocarditis, 4.6%; congestive heart failure, 3.6%; and coronary artery anomalies, 2.2%. Our study identified differences in causes and frequencies of cardiovascular deaths by age, race, and ethnicity. Prevention of death may be impacted by knowledge of prior conditions, emergency plans, automated external defibrillator programs, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation education, and by a registry for all cardiovascular deaths in children. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lorenzo Tomatis and primary prevention of environmental cancer

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Huff James

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract The leading 20th century proponent for primary prevention of environmental cancer was Dr. Lorenzo Tomatis, the former Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer and founder of the IARC Monographs program. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Tomatis – eminent scientist, scholar, teacher, humanitarian, and public health champion - and includes many perspectives that he promoted throughout his career, with original quotations from some of his scientific writings on primary prevention of environmental cancer. Any attempt by us to simply summarize his views would only detract from the power and logic of his language. “Cancer still remains a mainly lethal disease. Primary prevention remains the most relevant approach to reduce mortality through a reduction in incidence”1.

Update on Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Light of Recent Evidence: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association

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Golden, Sherita Hill; Anderson, Cheryl; Bray, George A.; Burke, Lora E.; de Boer, Ian H.; Deedwania, Prakash; Eckel, Robert H.; Ershow, Abby G.; Fradkin, Judith; Inzucchi, Silvio E.; Kosiborod, Mikhail; Nelson, Robert G.; Patel, Mahesh J.; Pignone, Michael; Quinn, Laurie; Schauer, Philip R.; Selvin, Elizabeth; Vafiadis, Dorothea K.

2015-01-01

Cardiovascular disease risk factor control as primary prevention in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus has changed substantially in the past few years. The purpose of this scientific statement is to review the current literature and key clinical trials pertaining to blood pressure and blood glucose control, cholesterol management, aspirin therapy, and lifestyle modification. We present a synthesis of the recent literature, new guidelines, and clinical targets, including screening for kidney and subclinical cardiovascular disease for the contemporary management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. PMID:26246459

Update on Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Light of Recent Evidence: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Caroline S; Golden, Sherita Hill; Anderson, Cheryl; Bray, George A; Burke, Lora E; de Boer, Ian H; Deedwania, Prakash; Eckel, Robert H; Ershow, Abby G; Fradkin, Judith; Inzucchi, Silvio E; Kosiborod, Mikhail; Nelson, Robert G; Patel, Mahesh J; Pignone, Michael; Quinn, Laurie; Schauer, Philip R; Selvin, Elizabeth; Vafiadis, Dorothea K

2015-08-25

Cardiovascular disease risk factor control as primary prevention in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus has changed substantially in the past few years. The purpose of this scientific statement is to review the current literature and key clinical trials pertaining to blood pressure and blood glucose control, cholesterol management, aspirin therapy, and lifestyle modification. We present a synthesis of the recent literature, new guidelines, and clinical targets, including screening for kidney and subclinical cardiovascular disease for the contemporary management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Improving compliance with hormonal replacement therapy in primary osteoporosis prevention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestergaard, P; Hermann, A P; Gram, J

1997-01-01

To evaluate whether introduction of treatment alternatives would improve compliance with hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) as primary osteoporosis prevention in women not tolerating the first line osteoporosis prevention schedule.......To evaluate whether introduction of treatment alternatives would improve compliance with hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) as primary osteoporosis prevention in women not tolerating the first line osteoporosis prevention schedule....

Marine microalgae used as food supplements and their implication in preventing cardiovascular diseases

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Mimouni Virginie

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Marine microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms producing numerous bioactive molecules of interest for health and disease care such as lipids rich in omega-3 fatty acids -as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3 and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3- and carotenoids (e.g., β-carotene, fucoxanthin, astaxanthin. It has already been shown that these molecules, individually used, are benefic in the prevention of diseases such as those associated with the cardiovascular risks, but also in some carcinomas. When these molecules are combined, synergistic effects may be observed. Microalgae, as a dietary supplement, can be used to study these synergistic effects in animal models in which dyslipidemia can be induced by a nutrition treatment. Different marine microalgae of interest are studied in this context to determine their potential effect as an alternative source to marine omega-3 rich fish oils, actually widely used for human health. Actually, the pharmaceutical and nutrition industries are developing health research programs involving microalgae, trying to limit the dramatic reduction of fish stocks and the associated pollution in the marine environment. The aim of this review is threefold: (1 to present research on lipids, particularly long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, as components of marine microalgae used as food supplements; (2 to present the health benefits of some microalgae or their extracts, in particular in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and (3 to highlight the role of Odontella aurita, a marine microalga rich in EPA used as food supplement with the aim of preventing cardiovascular diseases.

Prevention and Control of Cardiovascular Disease in the Rapidly Changing Economy of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yangfeng; Benjamin, Emelia J; MacMahon, Stephen

2016-06-14

With one-fifth of the world's total population, China's prevention and control of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may affect the success of worldwide efforts to achieve sustainable CVD reduction. Understanding China's current cardiovascular epidemic requires awareness of the economic development in the past decades. The rapid economic transformations (industrialization, marketization, urbanization, globalization, and informationalization) contributed to the aging demography, unhealthy lifestyles, and environmental changes. The latter have predisposed to increasing cardiovascular risk factors and the CVD pandemic. Rising CVD rates have had a major economic impact, which has challenged the healthcare system and the whole society. With recognition of the importance of health, initial political steps and national actions have been taken to address the CVD epidemic. Looking to the future, we recommend that 4 priorities should be taken: pursue multisectorial government and nongovernment strategies targeting the underlying causes of CVD (the whole-of-government and whole-of-society policy); give priority to prevention; reform the healthcare system to fit the nature of noncommunicable diseases; and conduct research for evidence-based, low-cost, simple, sustainable, and scalable interventions. By pursuing the 4 priorities, the pandemic of CVD and other major noncommunicable diseases in China will be reversed and the global sustainable development goal achieved. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Explaining the de-prioritization of primary prevention: Physicians' perceptions of their role in the delivery of primary care

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Kuo Christina L

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background While physicians are key to primary preventive care, their delivery rate is sub-optimal. Assessment of physician beliefs is integral to understanding current behavior and the conceptualization of strategies to increase delivery. Methods A focus group with regional primary care physician (PCP Opinion Leaders was conducted as a formative step towards regional assessment of attitudes and barriers regarding preventive care delivery in primary care. Following the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, the focus group aim was to identify conceptual themes that characterize PCP beliefs and practices regarding preventive care. Seven male and five female PCPs (family medicine, internal medicine participated in the audiotaped discussion of their perceptions and behaviors in delivery of primary preventive care. The transcribed audiotape was qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Results The PCPs' own perceived role in daily practice was a significant barrier to primary preventive care. The prevailing PCP model was the "one-stop-shop" physician who could provide anything from primary to tertiary care, but whose provision was dominated by the delivery of immediate diagnoses and treatments, namely secondary care. Conclusions The secondary-tertiary prevention PCP model sustained the expectation of immediacy of corrective action, cure, and satisfaction sought by patients and physicians alike, and, thereby, de-prioritized primary prevention in practice. Multiple barriers beyond the immediate control of PCP must be surmounted for the full integration of primary prevention in primary care practice. However, independent of other barriers, physician cognitive value of primary prevention in practice, a base mediator of physician behavior, will need to be increased to frame the likelihood of such integration.

Aspirin and omeprazole for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients at risk for aspirin-associated gastric ulcers.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Rayado, Guillermo; Sostres, Carlos; Lanas, Angel

2017-08-01

Cardiovascular disease is the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in the world and low-dose aspirin is considered the cornerstone of the cardiovascular disease prevention. However, low-dose aspirin use is associated with gastrointestinal adverse effects in the whole gastrointestinal tract. In this setting, co-therapy with a proton pump inhibitor is the most accepted strategy to reduce aspirin related upper gastrointestinal damage. In addition, some adverse effects have been described with proton pump inhibitors long term use. Areas covered: Low-dose aspirin related beneficial and adverse effects in cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract are reviewed. In addition, this manuscript summarizes current data on upper gastrointestinal damage prevention and adverse events with proton pump inhibition. Finally, we discuss the benefit/risk ratio of proton pump inhibitor use in patients at risk of gastrointestinal damage taking low-dose aspirin. Expert commentary: Nowadays, with the current available evidence, the combination of low-dose aspirin with proton pump inhibitor is the most effective therapy for cardiovascular prevention in patients at high gastrointestinal risk. However, further studies are needed to discover new effective strategies with less related adverse events.

Preventive and Community Medicine in Primary Care. Teaching of Preventive Medicine Vol. 5.

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, William H., Ed.

This monograph is the result of a conference on the role of preventive and community medicine in primary medical care and education. The following six papers were presented at the conference: (1) Roles of Departments of Preventive Medicine; (2) Competency-Based Objectives in Preventive Medicine for the Family Physician; (3) Preventive Medicine…

Evaluating the Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Statin Use Guidelines for Primary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Heller, David J; Coxson, Pamela G; Penko, Joanne; Pletcher, Mark J; Goldman, Lee; Odden, Michelle C; Kazi, Dhruv S; Bibbins-Domingo, Kirsten

2017-09-19

Statins are effective in the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guideline expands recommended statin use, but its cost-effectiveness has not been compared with other guidelines. We used the Cardiovascular Disease Policy Model to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the ACC/AHA guideline relative to current use, Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines, and universal statin use in all men 45 to 74 years of age and women 55 to 74 years of age over a 10-year horizon from 2016 to 2025. Sensitivity analyses varied costs, risks, and benefits. Main outcomes were incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and numbers needed to treat for 10 years per quality-adjusted life-year gained. Each approach produces substantial benefits and net cost savings relative to the status quo. Full adherence to the Adult Treatment Panel III guideline would result in 8.8 million more statin users than the status quo, at a number needed to treat for 10 years per quality-adjusted life-year gained of 35. The ACC/AHA guideline would potentially result in up to 12.3 million more statin users than the Adult Treatment Panel III guideline, with a marginal number needed to treat for 10 years per quality-adjusted life-year gained of 68. Moderate-intensity statin use in all men 45 to 74 years of age and women 55 to 74 years of age would result in 28.9 million more statin users than the ACC/AHA guideline, with a marginal number needed to treat for 10 years per quality-adjusted life-year gained of 108. In all cases, benefits would be greater in men than women. Results vary moderately with different risk thresholds for instituting statins and statin toxicity estimates but depend greatly on the disutility caused by daily medication use (pill burden). At a population level, the ACC/AHA guideline for expanded statin use for primary prevention is projected to treat more people, to save more lives, and to cost less

Medication effectiveness may not be the major reason for accepting cardiovascular preventive medication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harmsen, Charlotte Gry; Støvring, Henrik; Jarbøl, Dorte Ejg

2012-01-01

Shared decision-making and patients' choice of interventions are areas of increasing importance, not least seen in the light of the fact that chronic conditions are increasing, interventions considered important for public health, and still non-acceptance of especially risk-reducing treatments...... of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is prevalent. A better understanding of patients' medication-taking behavior is needed and may be reached by studying the reasons why people accept or decline medication recommendations. The aim of this paper was to identify factors that may influence people's decisions...... and reasoning for accepting or declining a cardiovascular preventive medication offer....

Implementation of a Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Program among School-Aged Children: A Pilot Study

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Lavon Young

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to test students’ knowledge of cardiovascular disease information and to determine if a carefully structured training program administered to high school students would increase their knowledge about cardiovascular disease and risk factors that are preventable. A pilot study was conducted during which fifty high school students from nine counties in the State of Mississippi were measured for their knowledge of hypertension both at baseline and after the completion of an intervention training activity. There were significant gains in knowledge between the pre-test and the post-test that the students completed. The gains in knowledge indicate that elimination of risk factors is possible if all health care and school-based prevention programs are implemented to positively impact changes in eating and physical activity behaviors. Students’ involvement in such activities could translate into significant changes in risk factors at these ages and throughout their lifetime. It is widely accepted that these behavioral changes, if sustained into adulthood, could have the potential to influence cardiovascular risk reduction.

Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in primary ovarian insufficiency: clinical and experimental evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Goldmeier, Silvia; De Angelis, Kátia; Rabello Casali, Karina; Vilodre, César; Consolim-Colombo, Fernanda; Belló Klein, Adriane; Plentz, Rodrigo; Spritzer, PoliMara; Irigoyen, Maria-Cláudia

2014-01-01

Objective: Women with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) present an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. In this study we tested the hypothesis that POI in women under hormone therapy (HT) are associated with vascular vasodilatation attenuation and cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction and these impairments are related to changes in systemic antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, the possibility that ovarian hormone deprivation can induce such changes and that HT cannot reverse all of those impairments was examined in an experimental model of POI. Methods: Fifteen control and 17 patients with primary ovarian insufficiency receiving HT were included in the study. To test the systemic and cardiac consequences of ovarian hormone deprivation, ovariectomy was induced in young female rats that were submitted or not to HT. Spectral analysis of RR interval and blood pressure signals were performed and oxidative stress parameters were determined. Results: POI women under HT have increased mean arterial pressure (94±10 vs. 86±5 mmHg) despite normal endothelial and autonomic modulation of vasculature. Additionally, they presented impaired baroreflex sensitivity (3.9±1.38 vs. 7.15±3.62 ms/mmHg) and reduced heart rate variability (2310±1173 vs. 3754±1921 ms2). Similar results obtained in ovariectomized female rats were accompanied by an increased lipoperoxidation (7433±1010 vs. 6180±289 cps/mg protein) and decreased antioxidant enzymes in cardiac tissue. As it was observed in women, the HT in animals did not restore hemodynamic and autonomic dysfunctions. Conclusion: These data provide clinical and experimental evidence that long term HT may not restore all cardiovascular risk factors associated with ovarian hormone deprivation. PMID:24349626

Targeted versus universal prevention. a resource allocation model to prioritize cardiovascular prevention

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Hoogenveen Rudolf T

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus brings an increased risk for cardiovascular complications and patients profit from prevention. This prevention also suits the general population. The question arises what is a better strategy: target the general population or diabetes patients. Methods A mathematical programming model was developed to calculate optimal allocations for the Dutch population of the following interventions: smoking cessation support, diet and exercise to reduce overweight, statins, and medication to reduce blood pressure. Outcomes were total lifetime health care costs and QALYs. Budget sizes were varied and the division of resources between the general population and diabetes patients was assessed. Results Full implementation of all interventions resulted in a gain of 560,000 QALY at a cost of €640 per capita, about €12,900 per QALY on average. The large majority of these QALY gains could be obtained at incremental costs below €20,000 per QALY. Low or high budgets (below €9 or above €100 per capita were predominantly spent in the general population. Moderate budgets were mostly spent in diabetes patients. Conclusions Major health gains can be realized efficiently by offering prevention to both the general and the diabetic population. However, a priori setting a specific distribution of resources is suboptimal. Resource allocation models allow accounting for capacity constraints and program size in addition to efficiency.

Status and costs of primary prevention for ischemic stroke in China.

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Zhao, J J; He, G Q; Gong, S Y; He, L

2013-10-01

Despite the benefits in reducing the risk of stroke, primary prevention is not well translated into practice. We sought to evaluate patient compliance with guidelines and the cost of primary stroke prevention in southwest China. We consecutively enrolled 305 patients with headaches and/or dizziness who were at high risk of stroke from our hospital. We retrospectively obtained their information, including the extent of their knowledge of stroke risk factors, adherence to guidelines, medications taken, and costs of primary prevention for stroke within the past year. Only 45.9% of patients had any knowledge of primary prevention, and only 17.0% had completely followed guidelines. Moreover, 79.0% of the patients were using medications, but only 39.3% took their medication as recommended. In patients who took medication, 89.6% were prescribed by physicians. The annual costs of primary prevention were estimated to be US$517.8 per capita, which included direct medical costs (US$435.4), direct non-medical costs (US$18.1), and indirect costs (US$64.3). Costs in the hypertension group were less than those reported by a similar international study. Although our population sample may not be representative of the population at high risk of stroke in China, it is appropriate for the evaluation of our primary prevention system. Primary prevention for stroke in southwest China is very challenging, with few medical resource investments. There is a current urgency to improve patient knowledge of primary prevention, which would bridge the gaps between guidelines and practice and increase medical resource investments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bicycling to Work and Primordial Prevention of Cardiovascular Risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grøntved, Anders; Koivula, Robert W; Johansson, Ingegerd

2016-01-01

of incident obesity, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and impaired glucose tolerance, comparing individuals who commuted to work by bicycle with those who used passive modes of transportation. We also examined the relationship of change in commuting mode with incidence of these clinical risk factors......% CI 0.74-0.91) compared with participants not cycling to work at both times points or who switched from cycling to other modes of transport during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that commuting by bicycle to work is an important strategy for primordial prevention of clinical cardiovascular...... risk factors among middle-aged men and women....

Combination pharmacotherapy to prevent cardiovascular disease: present status and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Yusuf, Salim; Attaran, Amir; Bosch, Jackie; Joseph, Philip; Lonn, Eva; McCready, Tara; Mente, Andrew; Nieuwlaat, Robby; Pais, Prem; Rodgers, Anthony; Schwalm, J-D; Smith, Richard; Teo, Koon; Xavier, Denis

2014-02-01

Combination pills containing aspirin, multiple blood pressure (BP) lowering drugs, and a statin have demonstrated safety, substantial risk factor reductions, and improved medication adherence in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The individual medications in combination pills are already recommended for use together in secondary CVD prevention. Therefore, current information on their pharmacokinetics, impact on the risk factors, and tolerability should be sufficient to persuade regulators and clinicians to use fixed-dose combination pills in high-risk individuals, such as in secondary prevention. Long-term use of these medicines, in a polypill or otherwise, is expected to reduce CVD risk by at least 50-60% in such groups. This risk reduction needs confirmation in prospective randomized trials for populations for whom concomitant use of the medications is not currently recommended (e.g. primary prevention). Given their additive benefits, the combined estimated relative risk reduction (RRR) in CVD from both lifestyle modification and a combination pill is expected to be 70-80%. The first of several barriers to the widespread use of combination therapy in CVD prevention is physician reluctance to use combination pills. This reluctance may originate from the belief that lifestyle modification should take precedence, and that medications should be introduced one drug at a time, instead of regarding combination pills and lifestyle modification as complementary and additive. Second, widespread availability of combination pills is also impeded by the reluctance of large pharmaceutical companies to invest in development of novel co-formulations of generic (or 'mature') drugs. A business model based on 'mass approaches' to drug production, packaging, marketing, and distribution could make the combination pill available at an affordable price, while at the same time providing a viable profit for the manufacturers. A third barrier is regulatory approval for novel

Carotenoids: potential allies of cardiovascular health?

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Maria Alessandra Gammone

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Carotenoids are a class of natural, fat-soluble pigments found principally in plants. They have potential antioxidant biological properties because of their chemical structure and interaction with biological membranes. Epidemiologic studies supported the hypothesis that antioxidants could be used as an inexpensive means of both primary and secondary cardiovascular disease (CVD prevention. In fact, the oxidation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL in the vessels plays a key role in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. The resistance of LDL to oxidation is increased by high dietary antioxidant intake, so that carotenoids, as part of food patterns such as the Mediterranean diet, may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health too. Further properties of carotenoids leading to a potential reduction of cardiovascular risk are represented by lowering of blood pressure, reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and markers of inflammation (such as C-reactive protein, and improvement of insulin sensitivity in muscle, liver, and adipose tissues. In addition, recent nutrigenomics studies have focused on the exceptional ability of carotenoids in modulating the expression of specific genes involved in cell metabolism. The aim of this review is to focus attention to this effect of some carotenoids to prevent CVD.

[Cardiovascular disease prevention and health promotion in the French speaking community of Belgium].

Science.gov (United States)

Coppieters, Y; Béduwé, C; Collignon, J L; Hubens, V; Levêque, A

2010-01-01

Cardiovascular diseases remain the first cause of mortality in Belgium and are a priority for the Five-year program of health promotion in the French speaking Community. It is declined in operational programs by priority thematics, including the heart health. With this framework, it appeared necessary to operationalize cardiovascular priorities. A process of systemic and participative planning was set up in order to seek operational strategies and actions, and to cover the whole population and actors concerned with these health problems. The various cardiovascular risk factors, which potentiate one another, are approached together and in a global way. Upstream to the risk factors, social health determinants play an important role in cardiovascular diseases and others diseases like cancers. Tracking cardiovascular risk factors among people 30 to 75 years is also proposed. It makes it possible to identify people at risk and to put forward individual and adapted measures. The plan integrates actions of health promotion (acting on the health determinants and factors which influence them) as well as actions aiming at improving tracking and the accompaniment of the patients in secondary and tertiary prevention. Actions on health determinants and the factors influencing them present moreover the advantage of being often common to many chronic diseases.

Preventive PCI versus culprit lesion stenting during primary PCI in acute STEMI: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Pandit, Anil; Aryal, Madan Raj; Aryal Pandit, Aashrayata; Hakim, Fayaz Ahmad; Giri, Smith; Mainali, Naba Raj; Sharma, Prashant; Lee, Howard R; Fortuin, F David; Mookadam, Farouk

2014-01-01

Aim The benefit of preventive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been shown in randomised trials. However, all the randomised trials are underpowered to detect benefit in cardiac death. We aim to systematically review evidence on the cardiac mortality benefit of preventive PCI in patients presenting with acute STEMI in randomised patient populations. Methods PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and clinicaltrials.gov databases were searched for studies published until 30 September 2013. The studies were limited to randomised clinical trials. Independent observers abstracted the data on outcomes, characteristics and qualities of studies included. Fixed effect model was employed for meta-analysis. Heterogeneity of studies included was analysed using I2 statistics. Results In three randomised clinical trials published, involving 748 patients with acute STEMI and multivessel disease, 416 patients were randomised to preventive PCI and 332 to culprit-only PCI. Patients undergoing preventive PCI had significant lower risk of cardiovascular deaths (pooled OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.83, p=0.01, I2=0%), repeat revascularisation (pooled OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.18 to 0.44, p=0.00001, I2=0%) and non-fatal myocardial infarction (pooled OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.75, p=0.005, I2=0%) compared with culprit-only revascularisation. Conclusions In patients presenting with acute STEMI and significant multivessel coronary artery disease, based on our data, preventive PCI is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with primary PCI of only the culprit artery. This finding needs to be confirmed in larger adequately powered randomised clinical trials. PMID:25332779

[Knowledge and prevention management of vitamin D deficiency in primary care].

Science.gov (United States)

Senan Sanz, M R; Gilaberte Calzada, Y; Olona Tabueña, N; Magallón Botaya, R

2014-01-01

To determine the knowledge and management of vitamin D (Vit D) in primary care (PC). Observational study. A total of 69 primary care centres, with 57 in Barcelona and 12 in Huesca. All medical and nursing graduates of these centres. A specifically designed questionnaire was used to collect knowledge on the actions of Vit D (on bone metabolism, cardiovascular and immune systems), its deficiency and prevention measures. Of the total of 2100 professionals, 785 completed the survey (37.78%), of whom 79.9% were women. Their mean age was 47 years (SD: 9.7). Only 4.8% knew the overall actions of Vitamin D, although the majority (66%) knew only its effects on bone metabolism. Almost two-thirds (62.4%) were unaware that its deficiency was a common problem, and 54.9% believed that photoprotection was contraindicated. Almost three-quarters of those surveyed (73.6%) never or almost never determined Vit D levels in their patients. A minority (23%) offered advice to maintain an adequate level of Vit D, with the most frequent being sun exposure (16.8%). Pediatricians were more knowledgeable (p<.001) and offered more advice for maintaining adequate levels of Vit D in blood (p<.001). Most of the professionals were unaware of the overall actions of Vit D, or that its deficiency was common, or the factors contributing to this. The advice that was more often offered to avoid its deficiency was not the safest. Paediatricians are more aware of how to prevent Vit D deficiency. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN). Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Polyphenols: Potential Use in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases.

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Giglio, Rosaria Vincenza; Patti, Angelo Maria; Cicero, Arrigo F G; Lippi, Giuseppe; Rizzo, Manfredi; Toth, Peter P; Banach, Maciej

2018-01-01

Polyphenols are bioactive compounds that can be found mostly in foods like fruits, cereals, vegetables, dry legumes, chocolate and beverages such as coffee, tea and wine. They are extensively used in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) providing protection against many chronic illnesses. Their effects on human health depend on the amount consumed and on their bioavailability. Many studies have demonstrated that polyphenols have also good effects on the vascular system by lowering blood pressure, improving endothelial function, increasing antioxidant defences, inhibiting platelet aggregation and low-density lipoprotein oxidation, and reducing inflammatory responses. This review is focused on some groups of polyphenols and their effects on several cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, oxidative stress, atherogenesis, endothelial dysfunction, carotid artery intima-media thickness, diabetes and lipid disorders. It is proved that these compounds have many cardio protective functions: they alter hepatic cholesterol absorption, triglyceride biosynthesis and lipoprotein secretion, the processing of lipoproteins in plasma, and inflammation. In some cases, human long-term studies did not show conclusive results because they lacked in appropriate controls and in an undefined polyphenol dosing regimen. Rigorous evidence is necessary to demonstrate whether or not polyphenols beneficially impact CVD prevention and treatment. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION FOR THE CARDIOVASCULAR PREVENTION IN ADOLESCENTS OF SECONDARY BASIC.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuri Arnold Domínguez

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Healthy lifestyles incorporated in early ages could influence the most important behaviours and risk factors for atherosclerotic vascular disease in order to reduce the incidence of this condition during adulthood. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the educational-participatory intervention on students' knowledge as to cardiovascular risk factors. Material: An educational intervention with a quasi-experimental design was conducted from April 2007 to October 2008 in eighth grade junior high school students from Old Havana (the intervention group and Center Havana (the control group. The nonparametric Chi square tests from McNemar and Mantel-Haenszel were used. Results: There were significant statistical associations with a confidence limit of 95% between initial and final state of knowledge in relation to cardiovascular risk factors in the intervention group (p = 0.0001, in the control group (p = 0.035 and between the study group versus the control group after the intervention (p = 0.0001. Conclusions: An educational-participatory program for health promotion and prevention of major risk factors of cardiovascular disease (inadequate dietary habits, smoking and physical inactivity among adolescents, contributes to increase their knowledge and encourages the adoption of healthy daily habits and lifestyles.

Exercise at the Extremes: The Amount of Exercise to Reduce Cardiovascular Events.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eijsvogels, T.M.H.; Molossi, S.; Lee, D.C.; Emery, M.S.; Thompson, P.D.

2016-01-01

Habitual physical activity and regular exercise training improve cardiovascular health and longevity. A physically active lifestyle is, therefore, a key aspect of primary and secondary prevention strategies. An appropriate volume and intensity are essential to maximally benefit from exercise

Analysis of Tutorials CEGV Cassiopeia in Terms of Primary Prevention

OpenAIRE

KURZ, Petr

2015-01-01

Analysis of teaching programs of CEGV Cassiopeia from the view of primary prevention. The paper deals with the topic of primary prevention in relation to teaching programs carried out by CEGV Cassiopeia. The Center of Ecologic and Global Education Cassiopeia (CEGV Cassiopeia) was established in 1995. At present its primary occupation is education, particularly education specialized in environmental, multicultural and personal-social topics. The center co-operates with nursery, primary, high s...

Systematic review of implementation strategies for risk tables in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steenkiste, B.C. van; Grol, R.P.T.M.; Weijden, G.D.E.M. van der

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease prevention is guided by so-called risk tables for calculating individual's risk numbers. However, they are not widely used in routine practice and it is important to understand the conditions for their use. OBJECTIVES: Systematic review of the literature on

The impact of parathyroidectomy on serum ADAMTS1, ADAMTS4 levels, insulin resistance, and subclinical cardiovascular disease in primary hyperparathyroidism.

Science.gov (United States)

Karakose, Melia; Caliskan, Mustafa; Arslan, Muyesser Sayki; Demirci, Taner; Karakose, Suleyman; Cakal, Erman

2017-01-01

Primary hyperparathyroidism has been associated with increased incidence of morbidity and mortality of the cardiovascular system. The etiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying this association are still not completely clear. Accumulating evidence suggested that a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin-like motifs (ADAMTS) has a role in the development of inflammation and atherosclerosis. In this study, we aimed to determine whether there is a change in serum levels of ADAMTS1, ADAMTS4, carotid intima-media thickness, and cardiovascular risk score after the surgery and also whether there is a relationship between ADAMTS levels and cardiovascular risk score in hypercalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism patients. The study included the 48 consecutive newly diagnosed patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. The patients were evaluated before and six months after parathyroidectomy. The Framingham score is used to calculate cardiovascular risk. Serum ADAMTS levels were determined by a human enzyme-linked immunoassay in all subjects. The fasting glucose, fasting insulin levels and HOMA values were decreased significantly in all patients after surgery compared to the pretreatment values (p hyperparathyroidism compared to the preoperative values (p  0.05). There were statistically significant relationship between cardiovascular risk score and waist/hip ratio, calcium, LDL-cholesterol, carotid intima-media thickness, ADAMTS4 values. Based on the results of the present study, fasting glucose, fasting insulin levels, ADAMTS1, ADAMTS4, and carotid intima-media thickness might be an additional parameters during the management of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, since these factors might improve after surgery.

Socioeconomic status predicts second cardiovascular event in 29,226 survivors of a first myocardial infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohm, Joel; Skoglund, Per H; Discacciati, Andrea; Sundström, Johan; Hambraeus, Kristina; Jernberg, Tomas; Svensson, Per

2018-01-01

Background Risk assessment post-myocardial infarction needs improvement, and risk factors derived from general populations apply differently in secondary prevention. The prediction of subsequent cardiovascular events post-myocardial infarction by socioeconomic status has previously been poorly studied. Design Swedish nationwide cohort study. Methods A total of 29,226 men and women (27%), 40-76 years of age, registered at the standardised one year revisit after a first myocardial infarction in the secondary prevention quality registry of SWEDEHEART 2006-2014. Personal-level data on socioeconomic status measured by disposable income and educational level, marital status, and the primary endpoint, first recurrent event of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, defined as non-fatal myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease death or fatal or non-fatal stroke were obtained from linked national registries. Results During the mean 4.1-year follow-up, 2284 (7.8%) first recurrent manifestations of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease occurred. Both socioeconomic status indicators and marital status were associated with the primary endpoint in multivariable Cox regression models. In a comprehensively adjusted model, including secondary preventive treatment, the hazard ratio for the highest versus lowest quintile of disposable income was 0.73 (95% confidence interval 0.62-0.83). The association between disposable income and first recurrent manifestation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was stronger in men as was the risk associated with being unmarried (tests for interaction P < 0.05). Conclusions Among one year survivors of a first myocardial infarction, first recurrent manifestation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was predicted by disposable income, level of education and marital status. The association between disposable income and first recurrent manifestation of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was independent of secondary preventive

Risk of incident cardiovascular events amongst individuals with anxiety and depression: A prospective cohort study in the east London primary care database.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathur, R; Pérez-Pinar, M; Foguet-Boreu, Q; Ayis, S; Ayerbe, L

2016-12-01

It is unknown how risk of myocardial infarction and stroke differ for patients with and without anxiety or depression, and whether this risk can be explained by demographics, medication use, cardiovascular risk factors. The aim of this study is to quantify differences in risk of non-fatal MI or stroke among patients with anxiety or depression. Prospective cohort study examining risk of incident MI and stroke between March 2005 and March 2015 for 524,952 patients aged 30 and over from the east London primary care database for patients with anxiety or depression. Amongst 21,811 individuals with depression at baseline, 1.2% had MI and 0.4% had stroke. Of 22,128 individuals with anxiety at baseline, 1.1% had MI and 0.3% had stroke. Depression was independently associated with both MI and stroke, whereas anxiety was associated with MI only before adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. Antidepressant use increased risk for MI but not stroke. Mean age at first MI was lower in those with anxiety, while mean age at first stroke was lower in those with depression. The study was limited to patients currently registered in the database and thus we did not have any patients that died during the course of follow-up. Patients with depression have increased risk of cardiovascular events. The finding of no increased cardiovascular risk in those with anxiety after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors is of clinical importance and highlights that the adequate control of traditional risk factors is the cornerstone of cardiovascular disease prevention. Targeting management of classical cardiovascular risk factors and evaluating the risks of antidepressant prescribing should be prioritized. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clopidogrel plus aspirin versus aspirin alone for preventing cardiovascular events.

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Squizzato, Alessandro; Bellesini, Marta; Takeda, Andrea; Middeldorp, Saskia; Donadini, Marco Paolo

2017-12-14

Aspirin is the prophylactic antiplatelet drug of choice for people with cardiovascular disease. Adding a second antiplatelet drug to aspirin may produce additional benefit for people at high risk and people with established cardiovascular disease. This is an update to a previously published review from 2011. To review the benefit and harm of adding clopidogrel to aspirin therapy for preventing cardiovascular events in people who have coronary disease, ischaemic cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, or were at high risk of atherothrombotic disease, but did not have a coronary stent. We updated the searches of CENTRAL (2017, Issue 6), MEDLINE (Ovid, 1946 to 4 July 2017) and Embase (Ovid, 1947 to 3 July 2017) on 4 July 2017. We also searched ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO ICTRP portal, and handsearched reference lists. We applied no language restrictions. We included all randomised controlled trials comparing over 30 days use of aspirin plus clopidogrel with aspirin plus placebo or aspirin alone in people with coronary disease, ischaemic cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, or at high risk of atherothrombotic disease. We excluded studies including only people with coronary drug-eluting stent (DES) or non-DES, or both. We collected data on mortality from cardiovascular causes, all-cause mortality, fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction, fatal and non-fatal ischaemic stroke, major and minor bleeding. The overall treatment effect was estimated by the pooled risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), using a fixed-effect model (Mantel-Haenszel); we used a random-effects model in cases of moderate or severe heterogeneity (I 2 ≥ 30%). We assessed the quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach. We used GRADE profiler (GRADE Pro) to import data from Review Manager to create a 'Summary of findings' table. The search identified 13 studies in addition to the two studies in the previous version of our systematic review. Overall

Lessons from france: the cardiovascular prevention clinic in the la pitié-salpêtrière hospital in paris

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Timmerman, M. K.; Rensing, K. L.; Giral, P.; Cramer, M. J. M.; Bruckert, E.; Twickler, Th B.

2007-01-01

Cardiovascular disease is the principal cause of morbidity and mortality in the Netherlands. In this background, various initiatives have been launched to reduce the frequency of cardiovascular disease. One of those is the creation of clinical units with a special focus on prevention of

Treatment in a Preventive Cardiology Clinic Utilizing Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) Effectively Closes Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) Risk Management Gaps Amongst a Primary Prevention Population Compared with a Propensity-Matched Primary Care Cohort: A Team Based Care Model and its Impact on Lipid and Blood Pressure Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Fentanes, Emilio; Vande Hei, Anthony G; Holuby, R Scott; Suarez, Norma; Slim, Yousif; Slim, Jennifer N; Slim, Ahmad M; Thomas, Dustin

2018-04-17

Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) can fill access to care gaps created by physician shortages and improve adherence/compliance with preventive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) interventions. We retrospectively reviewed data on 595 patients enrolled in a preventive cardiology clinic (PCC) utilizing APPs compared with a propensity-matched cohort (PMC) of 595 patients enrolled in primary care clinics alone. PCC patients were risk stratified using Framingham risk scoring (FRS) and coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) and treated based on published guideline-based algorithms. Baseline demographics were well balanced between the groups. CACS was more commonly obtained in PCC patients (p<0.001) resulting in reclassification of 30.6% patients to a higher risk category, including statin therapy in 26.6% of low FRS PCC patients with CACS ≥75 th MESA percentile. Aspirin initiation was higher for high and intermediate FRS patients in the PCC (p <0.001). Post-intervention mean LDL, non-HDL, and triglycerides (all p<0.05) were lower in the PCC group. Compliance with appropriate lipid treatment was higher in intermediate to high FRS patients (p=0.004) in the PCC group. Aggressive LDL and non-HDL treatment goals <70mg/dL (p=0.005) and <130mg/dL (p<0.001), respectively, were more commonly achieved in high FRS PCC patients. Median post-intervention SBP was lower amongst intermediate and low FRS patients (p=0.001 & p<0.001, respectively). Cumulatively, this resulted in a reduction in median post-intervention PCC FRS across all initial FRS risk categories (p<0.001 for all). APPs within a preventive cardiology clinic effectively risk stratify and aggressively manage ASCVD risk factors resulting in a reduction in post-intervention FRS. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

A Systematic Review of Cardiovascular Outcomes-Based Cost-Effectiveness Analyses of Lipid-Lowering Therapies.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Ching-Yun; Quek, Ruben G W; Villa, Guillermo; Gandra, Shravanthi R; Forbes, Carol A; Ryder, Steve; Armstrong, Nigel; Deshpande, Sohan; Duffy, Steven; Kleijnen, Jos; Lindgren, Peter

2017-03-01

Previous reviews have evaluated economic analyses of lipid-lowering therapies using lipid levels as surrogate markers for cardiovascular disease. However, drug approval and health technology assessment agencies have stressed that surrogates should only be used in the absence of clinical endpoints. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and summarise the methodologies, weaknesses and strengths of economic models based on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease event rates. Cost-effectiveness evaluations of lipid-lowering therapies using cardiovascular event rates in adults with hyperlipidaemia were sought in Medline, Embase, Medline In-Process, PubMed and NHS EED and conference proceedings. Search results were independently screened, extracted and quality checked by two reviewers. Searches until February 2016 retrieved 3443 records, from which 26 studies (29 publications) were selected. Twenty-two studies evaluated secondary prevention (four also assessed primary prevention), two considered only primary prevention and two included mixed primary and secondary prevention populations. Most studies (18) based treatment-effect estimates on single trials, although more recent evaluations deployed meta-analyses (5/10 over the last 10 years). Markov models (14 studies) were most commonly used and only one study employed discrete event simulation. Models varied particularly in terms of health states and treatment-effect duration. No studies used a systematic review to obtain utilities. Most studies took a healthcare perspective (21/26) and sourced resource use from key trials instead of local data. Overall, reporting quality was suboptimal. This review reveals methodological changes over time, but reporting weaknesses remain, particularly with respect to transparency of model reporting.

An office-based approach to emotional and behavioral risk factor reduction for cardiovascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Hochman, Daniel M; Feinstein, Robert E; Stauter, Erinn C

2013-01-01

There are many psychological risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and the ability to reduce mortality depends on an ability to integrate care of these risk factors with traditional Framingham cardiovascular risk and use them both in routine practice. The aim of this article is to provide an update of all the major emotional and behavioral cardiovascular risk factors along with a practical treatment model for implementation. First, we provide a review of major emotional and behavioral cardiovascular risk factors, the associated primary effect, and proposed mechanism of action. Second, we provide an office-based approach to cardiovascular risk factor reduction and methods of reducing barriers to implementation, called Prevention Oriented Primary Care-Abridged. The approach integrates several forms of detection, assessment using the 3As (ask, assess, assist), and Stages of Change approaches, and subsequent efficient and targeted treatment with either Motivational Interviewing or further office intervention. A case example is provided to help illustrate this process.

Do primary health care nurses address cardiovascular risk in diabetes patients?

Science.gov (United States)

Daly, Barbara; Kenealy, Timothy; Arroll, Bruce; Sheridan, Nicolette; Scragg, Robert

2014-11-01

To identify factors associated with assessment and nursing management of blood pressure, smoking and other major cardiovascular risk factors by primary health care nurses in Auckland, New Zealand. Primary health care nurses (n = 287) were randomly sampled from the total (n=1091) identified throughout the Auckland region and completed a self-administered questionnaire (n = 284) and telephone interview. Nurses provided details for 86% (n =265) of all diabetes patients they consulted on a randomly selected day. The response rate for nurses was 86%. Of the patients sampled, 183 (69%) patients had their blood pressure measured, particularly if consulted by specialist (83%) and practice (77%) nurses compared with district (23%, p = 0.0003). After controlling for demographic variables, multivariate analyses showed patients consulted by nurses who had identified stroke as a major diabetes-related complication were more likely to have their blood pressure measured, and those consulted by district nurses less likely. Sixteen percent of patients were current smokers. Patients consulted by district nurses were more likely to smoke while, those >66 years less likely. Of those who wished to stop, only 50% were offered nicotine replacement therapy. Patients were significantly more likely to be advised on diet and physical activity if they had their blood pressure measured (p workforce is essential to ensure cardiovascular risk management becomes integrated into diabetes management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of the Multidisciplinary Risk Assessment and Management Program for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus (RAMP-DM) on biomedical outcomes, observed cardiovascular events and cardiovascular risks in primary care: a longitudinal comparative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Fang Fang; Fung, Colman Siu Cheung; Wong, Carlos King Ho; Wan, Yuk Fai; Dai, Daisy; Kwok, Ruby; Lam, Cindy Lo Kuen

2014-08-21

To assess whether the Multidisciplinary Risk Assessment and Management Program for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus (RAMP-DM) led to improvements in biomedical outcomes, observed cardiovascular events and predicted cardiovascular risks after 12-month intervention in the primary care setting. A random sample of 1,248 people with diabetes enrolled to RAMP-DM for at least 12 months was selected and 1,248 people with diabetes under the usual primary care were matched by age, sex, and HbA1c level at baseline as the usual care group. Biomedical and cardiovascular outcomes were measured at baseline and at 12-month after the enrollment. Difference-in-differences approach was employed to measure the effect of RAMP-DM on the changes in biomedical outcomes, proportion of subjects reaching treatment targets, observed and predicted cardiovascular risks. Compared to the usual care group, RAMP-DM group had lower cardiovascular events incidence (1.21% vs 2.89%, P = 0.003), and net decrease in HbA1c (-0.20%, P risks (total CVD risk, -2.06%, P risk, -1.43%, P risk, -0.71%, P risks. The RAMP-DM resulted in greater improvements in HbA1c and reduction in observed and predicted cardiovascular risks at 12 months follow-up, which indicated a risk-stratification multidisciplinary intervention was an effective strategy for managing Chinese people with diabetes in the primary care setting. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02034695.

Opportunity Knocks: HIV Prevention in Primary Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Thrun, Mark W

2014-06-01

Expansions in health care coverage, a comprehensive framework for HIV prevention and care, electronic medical records, and novel HIV prevention modalities create a current opportunity to change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic in the United States. HIV is increasingly disproportionately found in populations historically at higher risk, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, transgender women, injection drug users, and persons of color. This underscores the need for providers to identify persons at higher risk for HIV and assure the provision of screening and prevention services. In turn, universal screening for HIV-testing every adolescent and adult at least once in their lifetime-will increasingly be necessary to find the infrequent cases of HIV in lower risk populations. In both these domains, primary care providers will play a unique role in complementing traditional providers of HIV prevention and care services by increasing the proportion of their patients who have been screened for HIV, opening dialogues around sexual health, including asking about sexual orientation and gender identity, and prescribing antivirals as pre- and postexposure prophylaxis for their non-HIV-infected patients. Primary care providers must understand and embrace their importance along the HIV prevention and care continuum.

The Risk-Benefit Paradigm vs the Causal Exposure Paradigm: LDL as a primary cause of vascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Toth, Peter P; Thanassoulis, George; Williams, Ken; Furberg, Curt D; Sniderman, Allan

2014-01-01

All current guidelines use the 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event to select subjects for statin primary preventive therapy. Benefit from therapy is stated to be determined by risk with the result that statin primary preventive therapy is initiated only when the risk of a cardiovascular event over the next decade exceeds a specified level. Thus all current guidelines are based primarily on the Risk-Benefit paradigm of primary prevention. The recent American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines differ from others in basing selection for statin therapy virtually exclusively on risk except for those few subjects with markedly elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The Causal Exposure paradigm differs from the Risk-Benefit paradigm in that the objective of therapy is to prevent the anatomic disease within arterial walls that produces cardiovascular risk. Moreover, the anatomic disease and, therefore, the cardiovascular risk, is a function of the injurious action of the causal factors of vascular disease, such as blood pressure and LDL, on the arterial wall over long periods. In this article, we explain the strengths and weaknesses of both paradigms to provide a more secure framework to compare the strengths and weaknesses in the different cholesterol guidelines with particular emphasis on the evidence that the cardiovascular risk and the benefit from statin therapy is related to the level of LDL. Copyright © 2014 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Urine albumin/creatinine ratio, high sensitivity C-reactive protein and N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide--three new cardiovascular risk markers--do they improve risk prediction and influence treatment?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Michael H; Sehestedt, Thomas; Lyngbaek, Stig

2010-01-01

-proBNP), related to hemodynamic cardiovascular risk factors, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), related to metabolic cardiovascular risk factors and urine albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR), related to hemodynamic as well as metabolic risk factors. In healthy subjects with a 10-year risk of cardiovascular...... death lower than 5% based on HeartScore and therefore not eligible for primary prevention, the actual 10-year risk of cardiovascular death exceeded 5% in a small subgroup of subjects with UACR higher than the 95-percentile of approximately 1.6 mg/mmol. Combined use of high UACR or high hsCRP identified...... a larger subgroup of 16% with high cardiovascular risk in which primary prevention may be advised despite low-moderate cardiovascular risk based on HeartScore. Furthermore, combined use of high UACR or high Nt-proBNP in subjects with known cardiovascular disease or diabetes identified a large subgroup...

Analysis of the Cochrane Review: Fibrates for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Pires da Rosa, Gilberto; Libânio, Diogo; Filipe Azevedo, Luís

2017-01-01

The influence of fibrates on cardiovascular risk has been the focus of several clinical trials. This Cochrane Collaboration Systematic Review evaluated the efficacy of fibrates for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events and stroke, analyzing 13 randomized controlled trials, in a total of 16 112 participants with a history of cardiovascular disease. Fibrates showed a protective effect for the composite outcome of non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and vascular death, mainly due to reduction in the risk of non-fatal or fatal MI. Nonetheless, these results largely relied on studies including clofibrate, a drug withdrawn from the market in 2002. No statistically significant differences regarding adverse events were found between fibrates and placebo. Although insufficient to support the routine prescription of fibrates in this setting, this evidence should be taken into account when deciding on lipid-modifying therapy in dyslipidemic patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Statins and oxidative stress in the cardiovascular system.

Science.gov (United States)

Margaritis, Marios; Sanna, Fabio; Antoniades, Charalambos

2017-09-26

Statins are widely established as an important class of medications for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. In addition to their lipid-lowering effects, mounting evidence suggests that statins exhibit non-lipid-lowering mediated effects in the cardiovascular system. These so called "pleiotropic" effects are partly due to antioxidant properties of statins. These are mediated by inhibition of the mevalonate pathway, which interferes with small GTP-ase protein prenylation. This, in turn, leads to anti-oxidant effects of statins via a plethora of mechanisms. Statins prevent the activation of the pro-oxidant enzyme NADPH-oxidase by interfering with Rac1 activation and translocation to the membrane, as well as reducing expression of crucial subunits of NADPH-oxidase. Statins also enhance the expression, enzymatic activity and coupling of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), through mevalonate-dependent effects. The net result is a restoration of the redox balance in the cardiovascular system, with subsequent anti-atherosclerotic and cardioprotective effects. While the evidence from basic science studies and animal models is strong, more clinical trials are required to establish the relevance of these pleiotropic effects to human cardiovascular disease and potentially lead to expanded indications for statin treatment or alternative therapeutic strategies. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

[Secondary prevention of ischemic non cardioembolic stroke].

Science.gov (United States)

Armario, Pedro; Pinto, Xavier; Soler, Cristina; Cardona, Pere

2015-01-01

Stroke patients are at high risk for recurrence or new occurrence of other cardiovascular events or cardiovascular mortality. It is estimated that a high percentage of non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke can be prevented by a suitable modification of lifestyle (diet and exercise), reducing blood pressure (BP) with antihypertensive medication, platelet aggregation inhibitors, statins and high intake reducing consumption of. Unfortunately the degree of control of the different risk factors in secondary prevention of stroke is low. The clinical practice guidelines show clear recommendations with corresponding levels of evidence, but only if implemented in a general way they will get a better primary and secondary stroke prevention. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Arteriosclerosis. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

The importance of reaching lipid targets: statins and the prevention of atherosclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwandt, P

2003-06-01

To help prevent the development of coronary heart disease (CHD), the European and NCEP guidelines have recommended target cholesterol levels for all individuals. Lifestyle changes are advocated for individuals not achieving these targets. Intervention with lipid-modifying agents may be required for patients at high risk of a cardiovascular event and statins are generally recognised as first-line therapy. Unfortunately, large numbers of patients at risk of cardiovascular events are not being treated to the guideline targets. Primary care physicians are in a good position to improve lipid management by assessing risk factors, implementing lipid management strategies, monitoring whether targets are being reached and amending treatment appropriately. Furthermore, by educating and motivating patients,primary care physicians may improve compliance with lifestyle changes and medication. These approaches may help more patients to achieve recommended lipid levels and prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.

Implementing and evaluating a program to facilitate chronic disease prevention and screening in primary care: a mixed methods program evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Manca, Donna Patricia; Aubrey-Bassler, Kris; Kandola, Kami; Aguilar, Carolina; Campbell-Scherer, Denise; Sopcak, Nicolette; O'Brien, Mary Ann; Meaney, Christopher; Faria, Vee; Baxter, Julia; Moineddin, Rahim; Salvalaggio, Ginetta; Green, Lee; Cave, Andrew; Grunfeld, Eva

2014-10-08

The objectives of this paper are to describe the planned implementation and evaluation of the Building on Existing Tools to Improve Chronic Disease Prevention and Screening in Primary Care (BETTER 2) program which originated from the BETTER trial. The pragmatic trial, informed by the Chronic Care Model, demonstrated the effectiveness of an approach to Chronic Disease Prevention and Screening (CDPS) involving the use of a new role, the prevention practitioner. The desired goals of the program are improved clinical outcomes, reduction in the burden of chronic disease, and improved sustainability of the health-care system through improved CDPS in primary care. The BETTER 2 program aims to expand the implementation of the intervention used in the original BETTER trial into communities across Canada (Alberta, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia). This proactive approach provides at-risk patients with an intervention from the prevention practitioner, a health-care professional. Using the BETTER toolkit, the prevention practitioner determines which CDPS actions the patient is eligible to receive, and through shared decision-making and motivational interviewing, develops a unique and individualized 'prevention prescription' with the patient. This intervention is 1) personalized; 2) addressing multiple conditions; 3) integrated through linkages to local, regional, or national resources; and 4) longitudinal by assessing patients over time. The BETTER 2 program brings together primary care providers, policy/decision makers and researchers to work towards improving CDPS in primary care. The target patient population is adults aged 40-65. The reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintain (RE-AIM) framework will inform the evaluation of the program through qualitative and quantitative methods. A composite index will be used to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of the prevention practitioner intervention. The CDPS actions

High-Intensity Interval Training Versus Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training in the Prevention/Management of Cardiovascular Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Syed R; Macaluso, Andrea; Pearson, Stephen J

Moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) has long been considered the most effective exercise treatment modality for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but more recently high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been viewed as a potential alternative to MICT in accruing such benefits. HIIT was initially found to induce significant improvements in numerous physiological and health-related indices, to a similar if not superior extent to MICT. Since then, many studies have attempted to explore the potential clinical utility of HIIT, relative to MICT, with respect to treating numerous cardiovascular conditions, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, and hypertension. Despite this, however, the efficacy of HIIT in reversing the specific symptoms and risk factors of these cardiovascular pathologies is not well understood. HIIT is often perceived as very strenuous, which could render it unsafe for those at risk of or afflicted with CVD, but these issues are also yet to be reviewed. Furthermore, the optimal HIIT protocol for each of the CVD cohorts has not been established. Thus, the purpose of this review article is to (1) evaluate the efficacy of HIIT relative to MICT in the prevention and management of cardiovascular conditions, and (2) explore any potential safety issues surrounding the suitability and/or tolerability of HIIT for patients with CVD, and the potential optimal prescriptive variables of HIIT for application in the clinical environment.

An integrated general practice and pharmacy-based intervention to promote the use of appropriate preventive medications among individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk: protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

OpenAIRE

Hayek, Adina; Joshi, Rohina; Usherwood, Tim; Webster, Ruth; Kaur, Baldeep; Saini, Bandana; Armour, Carol; Krass, Ines; Laba, Tracey-Lea; Reid, Christopher; Shiel, Louise; Hespe, Charlotte; Hersch, Fred; Jan, Stephen; Lo, Serigne

2016-01-01

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are responsible for significant morbidity, premature mortality, and economic burden. Despite established evidence that supports the use of preventive medications among patients at high CVD risk, treatment gaps remain. Building on prior evidence and a theoretical framework, a complex intervention has been designed to address these gaps among high-risk, under-treated patients in the Australian primary care setting. This intervention comprises a general p...

Children First Study: how an educational program in cardiovascular prevention at school can improve parents' cardiovascular risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Fornari, Luciana S; Giuliano, Isabela; Azevedo, Fernanda; Pastana, Adriana; Vieira, Carolina; Caramelli, Bruno

2013-04-01

To evaluate whether a multidisciplinary educational program (EP) in cardiovascular prevention (CVP) for children could improve the Framingham cardiovascular risk (FCR) of their parents after one year. This was a prospective community-based study in Brazil during 2010 that randomized students aged 6 to 10 years old to two different approaches to receiving healthy lifestyle information. The control group received written educational material (EM) for their parents about healthy lifestyle. The intervention group received the same EM for parents, and children were exposed to a weekly EP in CVP with a multidisciplinary health team. At onset and end of the study, we collected data from parents and children (weight, height, arterial blood pressure, and laboratory tests). We studied 197 children and 323 parents. Analyzing the parents' FCR we found that 9.3% of the control group and 6.8% of the intervention group had more than a 10% year risk of cardiovascular heart disease (CHD) over the next 10 years. After the children's EP for the year, the intervention group had a reduction of 91% in the intermediate/high FCR group compared with a 13% reduction in the control group, p = 0.002). In the same way, analyzing the FCR of all parents, there was a reduction of the average risk in the intervention group (3.6% to 2.8% respectively, p children can reduce the FCR risk of their parents, especially in the intermediate/high risk categories.

Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in older women | Davey ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women older than 50 years. Risk factors for CVD differ in some aspects from those in men. The prevention of CVD in women has undergone a reappraisal with the publication of studies looking at the use of menopausal hormone therapy for both primary and ...

Diet, a new target to prevent depression?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanchez-Villegas Almudena

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Research on the role of diet in the prevention of depression is scarce. Some evidence suggests that depression shares common mechanisms with cardiovascular disease. Discussion Before considering the role of diet in the prevention of depression, several points need to be considered. First, in general, evidence has been found for the effects of isolated nutrients or foods, and not for dietary patterns. Second, most previous studies have a cross-sectional design. Third, information is generally collected though questionnaires, increasing the risk of misclassification bias. Fourth, adequate control of confounding factors in observational studies is mandatory. Summary Only a few cohort studies have analyzed the relationship between overall dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, and primary prevention of depression. They have found similar results to those obtained for the role of this dietary pattern in cardiovascular disease. To confirm the findings obtained in these initial cohort studies, we need further observational longitudinal studies with improved methodology, as well as large randomized primary prevention trials, with interventions based on changes in the overall food pattern, that include participants at high risk of mental disorders.

The prevention of the primary lymphedema

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benda, K.; Lebloch, D.; Bendova, M.

1998-01-01

The endangered familiar members of the ailing with the primary lymphedema are clinically examined (anamnesis, physical examination of the extremities and biochemical examination) and by radionuclide lymphography of the extremities. For the proved latent stadium of the lymphedema the complex of preventive therapy is recommended. (authors)

Primary and secondary prevention of breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolak, Agnieszka; Kamińska, Marzena; Sygit, Katarzyna; Budny, Agnieszka; Surdyka, Dariusz; Kukiełka-Budny, Bożena; Burdan, Franciszek

2017-12-23

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and is the second cancer frequently occurring worldwide of newly-diagnosed cancers. There is much evidence showing the influence of life style and environmental factors on the development of mammary gland cancer (high-fat diet, alcohol consumption, lack of physical exercise), the elimination of which (primary prevention) may contribute to a decrease in morbidity and mortality. Secondary prevention, comprising diagnostic tests (e.g. mammography, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, breast self-examination, as well as modern and more precise imaging methods) help the early detection of tumours or lesions predisposing to tumours. The aim of this study paper is to review current knowledge and reports regarding primary and secondary prevention of breast cancer. It is estimated that nearly 70% of malign tumours are caused by environmental factors, whereas in breast cancer this percentage reaches 90-95%. There are national programmes established in many countries to fight cancer, where both types of prevention are stressed as serving to decrease morbidity and mortality due to cancers. Cancer prevention is currently playing a key role in the fight against the disease. Behaviour modification, as well as greater awareness among women regarding breast cancer, may significantly contribute towards reducing the incidence of this cancer. Another important aspect is the number of women undergoing diagnostic tests, which still remains at an unsatisfactory level.

Speeding the growth of primary mental health prevention

OpenAIRE

Wissow, Lawrence S

2015-01-01

While there is a strong case for primary prevention of mental health problems, relatively little mental health scholarship has been devoted to it in the last decade. Efforts to accelerate prevention scholarship could potentially benefit from strengthening pathways for interdisciplinary research; developing new training and working models for mental health professionals; developing a common language for public, policy, and scientific discussion of prevention; learning how to measure the common...

Cardiovascular disease risk and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease among patients with low health literacy.

Science.gov (United States)

van Schaik, T M; Jørstad, H T; Twickler, T B; Peters, R J G; Tijssen, J P G; Essink-Bot, M L; Fransen, M P

2017-07-01

To explore the association between health literacy and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and to assess the differential effects by health literacy level of a nurse-coordinated secondary prevention program (NCPP) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Data were collected in two medical centres participating in the RESPONSE trial (Randomised Evaluation of Secondary Prevention by Outpatient Nurse SpEcialists). CVD risk profiles were assessed at baseline and 12-month follow-up using the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE). Health literacy was assessed by the short Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM-D) and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS-D); self-reported health literacy was evaluated by the Set of Brief Screening Questions (SBSQ-D). Among 201 CAD patients, 18% exhibited reading difficulties, 52% had difficulty understanding and applying written information, and 5% scored low on self-reported health literacy. Patients with low NVS-D scores had a higher CVD risk [mean SCORE 5.2 (SD 4.8) versus 3.3 (SD 4.1), p literacy levels without significant differences. Inadequate health literacy is prevalent in CAD patients in the Netherlands, and is associated with less favourable CVD risk profiles. Where many other forms of CVD prevention fail, nurse-coordinated care seems to be effective among patients with inadequate health literacy.

Closing the gap-cardiovascular risk and primary prevention: results from the American College of Physicians quality improvement program.

Science.gov (United States)

Snow, Vincenza; Reynolds, Cara Egan; Bennett, Lia; Weiss, Kevin B; Snooks, Qianna; Qaseem, Amir

2010-01-01

The objective was to study the impact of a practice-based quality improvement program on practice teams' care for patients who have increased risk of cardiovascular disease. A total of 54 team members from 18 internal medicine practices participated in an educational program that used a pre-post intervention study design and focused on measures related to cardiovascular risk factors. The program involved live instruction, faculty-led conference calls, practice data collection, and progress reports detailing practices' improvement strategies. Data on 817 patients were reported. Practices showed significant improvement in counseling for diet (70% to 78%), exercise (67% to 74%), and weight loss (64% to 72%). Use of aspirin (53% to 64%) and statins (83% to 89%) also showed significant improvement. Administration of flu vaccine increased significantly from 51% to 54%. Improvements in patient counseling and medication management, if sustained, should lead to fewer cardiovascular events. However, program duration did not allow the capture of outcomes measures improvement.

Association between serum alkaline phosphatase and coronary artery calcification in a sample of primary cardiovascular prevention patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Panh, Loïc; Ruidavets, Jean Bernard; Rousseau, Hervé; Petermann, Antoine; Bongard, Vanina; Bérard, Emilie; Taraszkiewicz, Dorota; Lairez, Olivier; Galinier, Michel; Carrié, Didier; Ferrières, Jean

2017-05-01

A high level of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is associated with an increased risk of mortality and myocardial infarction. ALP hydrolyses inorganic pyrophosphate, which is a strong inhibitor of calcium phosphate deposition. The aim of this study was to determine whether ALP is associated with the coronary artery calcium score (CACS). We examined the association of CACS, assessed by computed tomography scanning, and ALP, in 500 patients consecutively recruited, free of cardiovascular disease. The CACS were categorized into two groups: no calcification (CACS = 0) (n = 187) and with calcification (CACS>0) (n = 313). ALP activity was divided into three tertile groups: low ALP level (66 IU/L). The mean age was 60.9 ± 10.8 years, 49.6% of the patients were women. ALP ranged from 22 to 164 IU/L (mean 62.6 IU/L, SD 19.3). In univariate analysis, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, statin use (p = 0.001), and ALP (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with CACS. After adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, only age (p = 0.001) and sex (p = 0.001) were independently associated with CACS. Compared to the tertile group with low levels of ALP, the intermediate tertile group [OR 2.11, 95% CI (1.12; 3.96), p = 0.02], as well as the high tertile group [OR 3.89, 95% CI (2.01; 7.54), p = 0.001)], was independently associated with CACS. In patients free of cardiovascular disease, high ALP levels are positively and independently associated with coronary artery calcification. The metabolic pathway of ALP and inorganic pyrophosphate could be a target for new therapies against vascular calcification. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Priorities for the primary prevention of breast cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Colditz, Graham A; Bohlke, Kari

2014-01-01

Despite recent calls to intensify the search for new risk factors for breast cancer, acting on information that we already have could prevent thousands of cases each year. This article reviews breast cancer primary prevention strategies that are applicable to all women, discusses the underutilization of chemoprevention in high-risk women, highlights the additional advances that could be made by including young women in prevention efforts, and comments on how the molecular heterogeneity of breast cancer affects prevention research and strategies. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

The Role of the Nrf2/ARE Antioxidant System in Preventing Cardiovascular Diseases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert E. Smith

2016-11-01

Full Text Available It is widely believed that consuming foods and beverages that have high concentrations of antioxidants can prevent cardiovascular diseases and many types of cancer. As a result, many articles have been published that give the total antioxidant capacities of foods in vitro. However, many antioxidants behave quite differently in vivo. Some of them, such as resveratrol (in red wine and epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG (in green tea can activate the nuclear erythroid-2 like factor-2 (Nrf2 transcription factor. It is a master regulator of endogenous cellular defense mechanisms. Nrf2 controls the expression of many antioxidant and detoxification genes, by binding to antioxidant response elements (AREs that are commonly found in the promoter region of antioxidant (and other genes, and that control expression of those genes. The mechanisms by which Nrf2 relieves oxidative stress and limits cardiac injury as well as the progression to heart failure are described. Also, the ability of statins to induce Nrf2 in the heart, brain, lung, and liver is mentioned. However, there is a negative side of Nrf2. When over-activated, it can cause (not prevent cardiovascular diseases and multi-drug resistance cancer.

Primary mental health prevention themes in published research and academic programs in Israel.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakash, Ora; Razon, Liat; Levav, Itzhak

2015-01-01

The World Health Organization Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan (CMHAP) 2013-2020 proposes the implementation of primary prevention strategies to reduce the mental health burden of disease. The extent to which Israeli academic programs and published research adhere to the principles spelled out by the CMHAP is unknown. To investigate the presence of mental health primary prevention themes in published research and academic programs in Israel. We searched for mental health primary prevention themes in: (1) three major journals of psychiatry and social sciences during the years 2001-2012; (2) university graduate programs in psychology, social work and medicine in leading universities for the academic year of 2011-2012; and (3) doctoral and master's theses approved in psychology and social work departments in five universities between the years 2007-2012. We used a liberal definition of primary prevention to guide the above identification of themes, including those related to theory, methods or research information of direct or indirect application in practice. Of the 934 articles published in the three journals, 7.2%, n = 67, addressed primary prevention. Of the 899 courses in the 19 graduate programs 5.2%, n = 47, elective courses addressed primary prevention. Of the 1960 approved doctoral and master's theses 6.2%, n = 123, addressed primary prevention. Only 11 (4.7%) articles, 5 (0.6%) courses, and 5 (0.3%) doctoral and master's theses addressed primary prevention directly. The psychiatric reform currently implemented in Israel and WHO CMHAP call for novel policies and course of action in all levels of prevention, including primary prevention. Yet, the latter is rarely a component of mental health education and research activities. The baseline we drew could serve to evaluate future progress in the field.

Microparticles as Potential Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

França, Carolina Nunes; Izar, Maria Cristina de Oliveira; Amaral, Jônatas Bussador do; Tegani, Daniela Melo; Fonseca, Francisco Antonio Helfenstein

2015-01-01

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is a choice of great relevance because of its impact on health. Some biomarkers, such as microparticles derived from different cell populations, have been considered useful in the assessment of cardiovascular disease. Microparticles are released by the membrane structures of different cell types upon activation or apoptosis, and are present in the plasma of healthy individuals (in levels considered physiological) and in patients with different pathologies. Many studies have suggested an association between microparticles and different pathological conditions, mainly the relationship with the development of cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, the effects of different lipid-lowering therapies have been described in regard to measurement of microparticles. The studies are still controversial regarding the levels of microparticles that can be considered pathological. In addition, the methodologies used still vary, suggesting the need for standardization of the different protocols applied, aiming at using microparticles as biomarkers in clinical practice

Microparticles as Potential Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

França, Carolina Nunes, E-mail: carolufscar24@gmail.com [Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP - UNISA, SP, São Paulo (Brazil); Universidade de Santo Amaro - UNISA, SP, São Paulo (Brazil); Izar, Maria Cristina de Oliveira; Amaral, Jônatas Bussador do; Tegani, Daniela Melo; Fonseca, Francisco Antonio Helfenstein [Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP - UNISA, SP, São Paulo (Brazil)

2015-02-15

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is a choice of great relevance because of its impact on health. Some biomarkers, such as microparticles derived from different cell populations, have been considered useful in the assessment of cardiovascular disease. Microparticles are released by the membrane structures of different cell types upon activation or apoptosis, and are present in the plasma of healthy individuals (in levels considered physiological) and in patients with different pathologies. Many studies have suggested an association between microparticles and different pathological conditions, mainly the relationship with the development of cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, the effects of different lipid-lowering therapies have been described in regard to measurement of microparticles. The studies are still controversial regarding the levels of microparticles that can be considered pathological. In addition, the methodologies used still vary, suggesting the need for standardization of the different protocols applied, aiming at using microparticles as biomarkers in clinical practice.

Perindopril for improving cardiovascular events

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DiNicolantonio JJ

2014-08-01

Full Text Available James J DiNicolantonio, James H O'Keefe Department of Preventive Cardiology, Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, MO, USAIn a recent review in Vascular Health and Risk Management Wang et al state that “In mainly placebo-controlled cardiovascular (CV-outcome studies in patients with hypertension, CV benefits with perindopril were associated with large reductions in BP.”1 However, perindopril in the European Trial on Reduction of Cardiac Events With Perindopril in Stable Coronary Artery Disease (EUROPA study significantly reduced major cardiovascular events despite a small reduction (approximately 4 mmHg in systolic blood pressure from baseline.2,3 Additionally, the average baseline blood pressure in the EUROPA was just 137/82 mmHg, and in those without hypertension, perindopril still provided a 20% reduction in the combined endpoint of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and cardiac arrest.4,5 In fact, patients receiving perindopril with a baseline systolic blood pressure of <120 mmHg had the greatest reduction in the primary event.6 View original paper by Wang and colleagues. 

Evaluation of efficacy of atorvastatin in prevention of cardiovascular risks in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizvi, F.; Alam, R.; Khan, M.; Rizvi, N.

2012-01-01

Objective: To demonstrate the dual cardiopulmonary protective effects of Atorvastatin in COPD patients, which may become the mainstay of therapy in prevention of exacerbation of COPD and cardiovascular events in COPD patients. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted over a period of 6 months (December 2010 to May 2011) with an individual study period of 3 months (90 days), conducted in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in collaboration with Chest medicine JPMC Karachi. Subjects and Methods: Thirty five moderate stable COPD with post bronchodilator FEV 3mg/l, were evaluated in a quasi experimental trial. The patients were assigned to give tablet Atorvastatin 20 mg once daily for 12 consecutive weeks. The primary study outcome was to evaluate the reduction in cardiovascular risk by evaluating the improvement in FEV1 and reduction in hsCRP levels. Efficacy was evaluated at days 30, 60 and day 90. Results: Out of 35 patients only 33 (94%) patients completed the study. At baseline hsCRP level was 6.45+-0.30 which decreased to 4.6+-0.19 (p<0.05) at day 90. FEV1 at baseline was 2.16+-0.07 and at day 90 FEV1 increased upto 2.48+-0.06 (p<0.01). This shows that, the Atorvastatin can lead to statistically significant decrease in the hsCRP levels and increase the forced expiratory volume in one second. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Atorvastatin effectively decreases the cardiovascular risk by decreasing the systemic inflammation which was indicated by decreasing the hsCRP levels and it can also improve the pulmonary functional capacity in COPD patients. (author)

Rivaroxaban with or without aspirin in stable cardiovascular disease

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eikelboom, John W; Connolly, Stuart J; Bosch, Jackie

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether rivaroxaban alone or in combination with aspirin would be more effective than aspirin alone for secondary cardiovascular prevention. METHODS: In this double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 27,395 participants with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease to receive...... rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin (100 mg once daily), rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily), or aspirin (100 mg once daily). The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction. The study was stopped for superiority of the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group after...... a mean follow-up of 23 months. RESULTS: The primary outcome occurred in fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group than in the aspirin-alone group (379 patients [4.1%] vs. 496 patients [5.4%]; hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.86; P

Use of Low-dose Aspirin as Secondary Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Among US Adults (From the National Health Interview Survey, 2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Jing; George, Mary G.; Gindi, Renee M.; Hong, Yuling; Yang, Quanhe; Ayala, Carma; Ward, Brian W.; Loustalot, Fleetwood

2015-01-01

Current guidelines recommend that adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease take low-dose aspirin or other antiplatelet medications as secondary prevention of recurrent cardiovascular events. Yet, no national level assessment of low-dose aspirin use for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease has been reported among a community-based population. Using data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, we assessed low-dose aspirin use among those with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. We estimated the prevalence ratios of low-dose aspirin use, adjusting for sociodemographic status, health insurance, and cardiovascular risk factors. Among those with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (n=3,068), 76% had been instructed to take aspirin, and 88% of those were following this advice. Of those not advised, 11% took aspirin on this own. Overall, 70% were taking aspirin (including those who followed their health care provider's advice and those who were not advised but took aspirin on their own). Logistic regression models showed that women, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics, those aged 40–64 years, with a high school education or with some college, or with fewer cardiovascular disease risk factors were less likely to take aspirin than men, non-Hispanic whites, those aged ≥65 years, with a college education or higher, or with all four selected cardiovascular disease risk factors, respectively. Additional analyses conducted among those with coronary heart disease only (n=2,007) showed similar patterns. In conclusion, use of low-dose aspirin for secondary prevention was 70%, with high reported adherence to health care providers' advice to take low-dose aspirin (88%), and significant variability within subgroups. PMID:25670639

Perceived determinants of cardiovascular risk management in primary care: disconnections between patient behaviours, practice organisation and healthcare system.

Science.gov (United States)

Huntink, E; Wensing, M; Klomp, M A; van Lieshout, J

2015-12-15

Although conditions for high quality cardiovascular risk management in primary care in the Netherlands are favourable, there still remains a gap between practice guideline recommendations and practice. The aim of the current study was to identify determinants of cardiovascular primary care in the Netherlands. We performed a qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals and patients with established cardiovascular diseases or at high cardiovascular risk. A framework analysis was used to cluster the determinants into seven domains: 1) guideline factors, 2) individual healthcare professional factors, 3) patient factors, 4) professional interaction, 5) incentives and recourses, 6) mandate, authority and accountability, and 7) social, political and legal factors. Twelve healthcare professionals and 16 patients were interviewed. Healthcare professionals and patients mentioned a variety of factors concerning all seven domains. Determinants of practice according to the health care professionals were related to communication between healthcare professionals, patients' lack of knowledge and self-management, time management, market mechanisms in the Dutch healthcare system and motivational interviewing skills of healthcare professionals. Patients mentioned determinants related to their knowledge of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, medication adherence and self-management as key determinants. A key finding is the mismatch between healthcare professionals' and patients' views on patient's knowledge and self-management. Perceived determinants of cardiovascular risk management were mainly related to patient behaviors and (but only for health professionals) to the healthcare system. Though health care professionals and patients agree upon the importance of patients' knowledge and self-management, their judgment of the current state of knowledge and self-management is entirely different.

Obesity and cardiovascular risk: a call for action from the European Society of Hypertension Working Group of Obesity, Diabetes and the High-risk Patient and European Association for the Study of Obesity: part B: obesity-induced cardiovascular disease, early prevention strategies and future research directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotsis, Vasilios; Tsioufis, Konstantinos; Antza, Christina; Seravalle, Gino; Coca, Antonio; Sierra, Cristina; Lurbe, Empar; Stabouli, Stella; Jelakovic, Bojan; Redon, Josep; Redon, Pau; Nilsson, Peter M; Jordan, Jens; Micic, Dragan; Finer, Nicholas; Leitner, Deborah R; Toplak, Hermann; Tokgozoglu, Lale; Athyros, Vasilios; Elisaf, Moses; Filippatos, Theodosios D; Grassi, Guido

2018-04-12

: Obesity predisposes for atrial fibrillation, heart failure, sudden cardiac death, renal disease and ischemic stroke, which are the main causes of cardiovascular hospitalization and mortality. As obesity and the cardiovascular effects on the vessels and the heart start early in life, even from childhood, it is important for health policies to prevent obesity very early before the disease manifestation emerge. Key roles in the prevention are strategies to increase physical exercise, reduce body weight and to prevent or treat hypertension, lipids disorders and diabetes earlier and efficiently to prevent cardiovascular complications.

New visions for basic research and primary prevention of pediatric allergy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hamelman, E.; Herz, U.; Holt, P.

2008-01-01

, resources need to be focused on better understanding of the early allergic events and on interventional studies to investigate new strategies of primary and secondary prevention. Accordingly, this review summarizes the state-of-the-art of genetic, immunological and clinical aspects of primary prevention...

Three-Frames Approach to Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: A Quasi-Experimental Educational Intervention among Civil Servants in Calabar, Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ogban E. Omoronyia

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs have continued to be a leading cause of death among adults. Civil servants constitute vital workforce, and high CVD burden in this group has implications for national productivity. Unfortunately, guided cardiovascular health education interventions are uncommon. This study assessed the effect of an educational intervention on knowledge and practice of CVD prevention among Nigerian civil servants. Quasi-experimental study design was employed among subjects in distant communities in Cross River State. Multistage technique was used to recruit 172 subjects into one control group (Ogoja and two intervention groups (Calabar and Ikom. The first intervention group received 4-h daily, 5-day cardiovascular health education, with emphasis on burden, risk factors, and preventive measures including nutrition, stress, alcohol, medicals, exercise, and smoking. The second intervention group received the same content of education, but with the use of Food, Rest for stress management, Alcohol, Medicals, Exercise, and Smoking (FRAMES as guide for delivery. Questionnaires were used to assess knowledge and practice at baseline and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Knowledge scores and practice of CVD prevention were compared between study groups using inferential statistics. Mean age was 46.3 ± 7.4 years, and no significant difference in sociodemographic characteristics was observed by comparing the study groups (p > 0.05. Baseline knowledge and practice of preventive measures were generally poor, and no significant difference was observed by comparing the groups (p > 0.05. At 12 weeks post-intervention, knowledge of CVD was higher in the intervention groups compared with the control group (p 0.05. For effective delivery of cardiovascular health education, the use of “FRAMES” is as effective as its nonuse. Further studies in other settings are recommended.

Doctors' knowledge, attitudes, and compliance with 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines for prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Singapore.

Science.gov (United States)

Setia, Sajita; Fung, Selwyn Sze-Wang; Waters, David D

2015-01-01

There is an unmet need for strategies to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Singapore. The main objective of this study was to investigate Singapore physicians' response to the 2013 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines for treatment of cholesterol and their impact on clinical practice. This survey was conducted in two stages, qualitative and quantitative. Physicians were initially screened on the basis of an initial screener questionnaire, and eligible physicians were then included in the study. Qualitative (n=19) and quantitative (n=66) surveys were completed by eligible physicians from Singapore. Physicians were less familiar with the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines (35%) as compared with the Singapore Ministry of Health (MoH) lipid guidelines 2006 (49%). Of the physicians whose opinion was sought on the ACC/AHA guidelines, more than 50% disagreed with the definition of high-, moderate-, and low-intensity statin therapy; recommendation of atorvastatin 40-80 mg and rosuvastatin 20-40 mg as medications for high-intensity statin therapy; and classification of individuals who would benefit from moderate- to high-intensity statin therapy. Most physicians assumed that Asians may be intolerant to high-intensity statin therapy. Although embracing the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines in clinical practice is expected to provide better clinical care to patients, our study revealed high reluctance by physicians, especially in the use of high-dose statins. However, ACC/AHA guidelines can be easily adopted in Asia as there is a wealth of data available for atorvastatin in primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with similar efficacy and safety profiles in the white and Asian populations.

Doctors’ knowledge, attitudes, and compliance with 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines for prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Singapore

Science.gov (United States)

Setia, Sajita; Fung, Selwyn Sze-Wang; Waters, David D

2015-01-01

Purpose There is an unmet need for strategies to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Singapore. The main objective of this study was to investigate Singapore physicians’ response to the 2013 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines for treatment of cholesterol and their impact on clinical practice. Methods This survey was conducted in two stages, qualitative and quantitative. Physicians were initially screened on the basis of an initial screener questionnaire, and eligible physicians were then included in the study. Results Qualitative (n=19) and quantitative (n=66) surveys were completed by eligible physicians from Singapore. Physicians were less familiar with the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines (35%) as compared with the Singapore Ministry of Health (MoH) lipid guidelines 2006 (49%). Of the physicians whose opinion was sought on the ACC/AHA guidelines, more than 50% disagreed with the definition of high-, moderate-, and low-intensity statin therapy; recommendation of atorvastatin 40–80 mg and rosuvastatin 20–40 mg as medications for high-intensity statin therapy; and classification of individuals who would benefit from moderate- to high-intensity statin therapy. Most physicians assumed that Asians may be intolerant to high-intensity statin therapy. Conclusion Although embracing the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines in clinical practice is expected to provide better clinical care to patients, our study revealed high reluctance by physicians, especially in the use of high-dose statins. However, ACC/AHA guidelines can be easily adopted in Asia as there is a wealth of data available for atorvastatin in primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with similar efficacy and safety profiles in the white and Asian populations. PMID:26082642

Speeding the growth of primary mental health prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Wissow, Lawrence S

2015-01-01

While there is a strong case for primary prevention of mental health problems, relatively little mental health scholarship has been devoted to it in the last decade. Efforts to accelerate prevention scholarship could potentially benefit from strengthening pathways for interdisciplinary research; developing new training and working models for mental health professionals; developing a common language for public, policy, and scientific discussion of prevention; learning how to measure the common outcomes of heterogeneous interventions tailored to diverse communities.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Screening for and Managing Identified Hypertension for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Vietnam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nguyen, Thi-Phuong-Lan; Wright, E. Pamela; Thanh-Trung Nguyen,; Schuiling-Veninga, C. C. M.; Bijlsma, M. J.; Thi-Bach-Yen Nguyen,; Postma, M. J.

2016-01-01

Objective To inform development of guidelines for hypertension management in Vietnam, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of different strategies on screening for hypertension in preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods A decision tree was combined with a Markov model to measure incremental

primary prevention of mental, neurological and psychosocial

African Journals Online (AJOL)

92-4-. 154516X. This well written book addresses the primary prevention of ... a broad, public health perspective. ... suicide include gun control, gas detoxification and responsible ... It will be most useful for policy makers, and professionals and.

Primary prevention in public health: an analysis of basic assumptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ratcliffe, J; Wallack, L

1985-01-01

The common definition of primary prevention is straightforward; but how it is transformed into a framework to guide action is based on personal and societal feelings and beliefs about the basis for social organization. This article focuses on the two contending primary prevention strategies of health promotion and health protection. The contention between the two strategies stems from a basic disagreement about disease causality in modern society. Health promotion is based on the "lifestyle" theory of disease causality, which sees individual health status linked ultimately to personal decisions about diet, stress, and drug habits. Primary prevention, from this perspective, entails persuading individuals to forgo their risk-taking, self-destructive behavior. Health protection, on the other hand, is based on the "social-structural" theory of disease causality. This theory sees the health status of populations linked ultimately to the unequal distribution of social resources, industrial pollution, occupational stress, and "anti-health promotion" marketing practices. Primary prevention, from this perspective, requires changing existing social and, particularly, economic policies and structures. In order to provide a basis for choosing between these contending strategies, the demonstrated (i.e., past) impact of each strategy on the health of the public is examined. Two conclusions are drawn. First, the health promotion strategy shows little potential for improving the public health, because it systematically ignores the risk-imposing, other-destructive behavior of influential actors (policy-makers and institutions) in society. And second, effective primary prevention efforts entail an "upstream" approach that results in far-reaching sociopolitical and economic change.

(S)Partners for Heart Health: a school-based program for enhancing physical activity and nutrition to promote cardiovascular health in 5th grade students

OpenAIRE

Carlson, Joseph J; Eisenmann, Joey C; Pfeiffer, Karin A; Jager, Kathleen B; Sehnert, Scott T; Yee, Kimbo E; Klavinski, Rita A; Feltz, Deborah L

2008-01-01

Abstract Background The American Heart Association Position Statement on Cardiovascular Health Promotion in Public Schools encourages school-based interventions for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) through risk factor prevention or reduction in children with an emphasis on creating an environment that promotes healthy food choices and physical activity (PA). In an effort to address issues related to CVD risk factors including obesity in Michigan children, a multi-discipl...

Prognostic value of tissue Doppler imaging for predicting ventricular arrhythmias and cardiovascular mortality in ischaemic cardiomyopathy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biering-Sørensen, Tor; Olsen, Flemming Javier; Storm, Katrine

2016-01-01

AIMS: Only 30% of patients receiving an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for primary prevention receive appropriately therapy. We sought to investigate the value of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) to predict ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), and cardiovascular...

The Role of Statins in Disease Modification and Cardiovascular Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Stergios Soulaidopoulos

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Rheumatoid arthritis (RA is an autoimmune, inflammatory disorder associated with excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A complex interplay between traditional risk factors (dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, arterial hypertension, obesity, smoking and chronic inflammation is implicated in the development of premature atherosclerosis and consequently in the higher incidence of cardiovascular events observed in RA patients. Despite the acknowledgment of elevated cardiovascular risk among RA individuals, its management remains suboptimal. While statin administration has a crucial role in primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention strategies as lipid modulating factors, there are limited data concerning the precise benefit of such therapy in patients with RA. Systemic inflammation and anti-inflammatory treatments influence lipid metabolism, leading to variable states of dyslipidemia in RA. Hence, the indications for statin therapy for cardiovascular prevention may differ between RA patients and the general population and the precise role of lipid lowering treatment in RA is yet to be established. Furthermore, some evidence supports a potential beneficial impact of statins on RA disease activity, attributable to their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. This review discusses existing data on the efficacy of statins in reducing RA-related cardiovascular risk as well as their potential beneficial effects on disease activity.

Association between B vitamins supplementation and risk of cardiovascular outcomes: a cumulative meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

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Chi Zhang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Observational studies suggest that B vitamin supplementation reduces cardiovascular risk in adults, but this association remains controversial. This study aimed to summarize the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs investigating B vitamin supplementation for the primary or secondary prevention of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes and to perform a cumulative meta-analysis to determine the evidence base. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In April 2013, we searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify relevant RCTs. We included RCTs investigating the effect of B vitamin supplementation on cardiovascular outcome. Relative risk (RR was used to measure the effect using a random-effect model. Statistical heterogeneity scores were assessed using the Q statistic. We included data on 57,952 individuals from 24 RCTs: 12 primary prevention trials and 12 secondary prevention trials. In 23 of these trials, 10,917 major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE occurred; in 20 trials, 7,203 deaths occurred; in 15 trials, 3,422 cardiac deaths occurred; in 19 trials, 3,623 myocardial infarctions (MI occurred; and in 18 trials, 2,465 strokes occurred. B vitamin supplementation had little or no effect on the incidence of MACE (RR, 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93-1.03; P = 0.37, total mortality (RR, 1.01; 95% CI: 0.97-1.05; P = 0.77, cardiac death (RR, 0.96; 95% CI: 0.90-1.02; P = 0.21, MI (RR, 0.99; 95% CI: 0.93-1.06; P = 0.82, or stroke (RR, 0.94; 95% CI: 0.85-1.03; P = 0.18. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: B vitamin supplementation, when used for primary or secondary prevention, is not associated with a reduction in MACE, total mortality, cardiac death, MI, or stroke.

[Breastfeeding as a method to prevent cardiovascular diseases in the mother and the child].

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Aguilar Cordero, María José; Madrid Baños, Nayra; Baena García, Laura; Mur Villar, Norma; Guisado Barrilao, Rafael; Sánchez López, Antonio Manuel

2015-05-01

Breastfeeding is a recommended practice from all health institutions, both national and international, due to the benefits that it provides for both the nursling's and the mother's health. It has been proved that mothers who breastfeed their children suffer from less cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension, than those women who have never done it. The goal of this review is to analyse the studies that have done some research on breastfeeding as a protection from cardiovascular diseases in the mother and the infant. A systematic search has been carried out and 10 meta-analysis or reviews, 8 original articles of clinical studies, 31 longitudinal or cohort studies and 7 correlational studies of large sample and descriptive were selected. Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death for women all over the world. Diet, exercise, quitting smoking and blood pressure control are well-known methods to prevent cardiovascular diseases. It has been shown that breastfeeding has a positive impact on the mother and child's blood pressure level, both in the short term and the long term. It is, thus, necessary to provide further information for the population so as to promote breastfeeding and know its benefits. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Using Large-Scale Linkage Data to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a National Educational Program on Antithrombotic Prescribing and Associated Stroke Prevention in Primary Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhixin; Moorin, Rachael; Worthington, John; Tofler, Geoffrey; Bartlett, Mark; Khan, Rabia; Zuo, Yeqin

2016-10-13

The National Prescribing Service (NPS) MedicineWise Stroke Prevention Program, which was implemented nationally in 2009-2010 in Australia, sought to improve antithrombotic prescribing in stroke prevention using dedicated interventions that target general practitioners. This study evaluated the impact of the NPS MedicineWise Stroke Prevention Program on antithrombotic prescribing and primary stroke hospitalizations. This population-based time series study used administrative health data linked to 45 and Up Study participants with a high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) to assess the possible impact of the NPS MedicineWise program on first-time aspirin prescriptions and primary stroke-related hospitalizations. Time series analysis showed that the NPS MedicineWise program was significantly associated with increased first-time prescribing of aspirin (P=0.03) and decreased hospitalizations for primary ischemic stroke (P=0.03) in the at-risk study population (n=90 023). First-time aspirin prescription was correlated with a reduction in the rate of hospitalization for primary stroke (P=0.02). Following intervention, the number of first-time aspirin prescriptions increased by 19.8% (95% confidence interval, 1.6-38.0), while the number of first-time stroke hospitalizations decreased by 17.3% (95% confidence interval, 1.8-30.0). Consistent with NPS MedicineWise program messages for the high-risk CVD population, the NPS MedicineWise Stroke Prevention Program (2009) was associated with increased initiation of aspirin and a reduced rate of hospitalization for primary stroke. The findings suggest that the provision of evidence-based multifaceted large-scale educational programs in primary care can be effective in changing prescriber behavior and positively impacting patient health outcomes. © 2016 The Authors and NPS MedicineWise. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

Evaluation of efficacy of atorvastatin in prevention of cardiovascular risks in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

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Rizvi, F.; Alam, R.; Khan, M. [Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi (Pakistan); Rizvi, N. [Karachi Univ. (Pakistan)

2012-12-15

Objective: To demonstrate the dual cardiopulmonary protective effects of Atorvastatin in COPD patients, which may become the mainstay of therapy in prevention of exacerbation of COPD and cardiovascular events in COPD patients. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted over a period of 6 months (December 2010 to May 2011) with an individual study period of 3 months (90 days), conducted in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in collaboration with Chest medicine JPMC Karachi. Subjects and Methods: Thirty five moderate stable COPD with post bronchodilator FEV <80% and post bronchodilator FEV1/FVC <70%, with hsCRP level >3mg/l, were evaluated in a quasi experimental trial. The patients were assigned to give tablet Atorvastatin 20 mg once daily for 12 consecutive weeks. The primary study outcome was to evaluate the reduction in cardiovascular risk by evaluating the improvement in FEV1 and reduction in hsCRP levels. Efficacy was evaluated at days 30, 60 and day 90. Results: Out of 35 patients only 33 (94%) patients completed the study. At baseline hsCRP level was 6.45+-0.30 which decreased to 4.6+-0.19 (p<0.05) at day 90. FEV1 at baseline was 2.16+-0.07 and at day 90 FEV1 increased upto 2.48+-0.06 (p<0.01). This shows that, the Atorvastatin can lead to statistically significant decrease in the hsCRP levels and increase the forced expiratory volume in one second. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Atorvastatin effectively decreases the cardiovascular risk by decreasing the systemic inflammation which was indicated by decreasing the hsCRP levels and it can also improve the pulmonary functional capacity in COPD patients. (author)

HbA1c levels in non-diabetic older adults - No J-shaped associations with primary cardiovascular events, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality after adjustment for confounders in a meta-analysis of individual participant data from six cohort studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schöttker, B.; Rathmann, W.; Herder, C.; Thorand, B.; Wilsgaard, T.; Feskens, E.J.M.; Trichopoulou, A.

2016-01-01

Background To determine the shape of the associations of HbA1c with mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in non-diabetic individuals and explore potential explanations. Methods The associations of HbA1c with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and primary cardiovascular events (myocardial

Sleep: important considerations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

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Grandner, Michael A; Alfonso-Miller, Pamela; Fernandez-Mendoza, Julio; Shetty, Safal; Shenoy, Sundeep; Combs, Daniel

2016-09-01

Sleep plays many roles in maintenance of cardiovascular health. This review summarizes the literature across several areas of sleep and sleep disorders in relation to cardiometabolic disease risk factors. Insufficient sleep duration is prevalent in the population and is associated with weight gain and obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mortality. Insomnia is also highly present and represents an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially when accompanied by short sleep duration. Sleep apnea is a well-characterized risk factor for cardiometabolic disease and cardiovascular mortality. Other issues are relevant as well. For example, sleep disorders in pediatric populations may convey cardiovascular risks. Also, sleep may play an important role in cardiovascular health disparities. Sleep and sleep disorders are implicated in cardiometabolic disease risk. This review addresses these and other issues, concluding with recommendations for research and clinical practice.

[Physical fitness in dependence on cardiovascular risk factors - an assessment of 20- to 30-year-old adults].

Science.gov (United States)

Sammito, S; Niebel, I

2013-01-01

Cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors are already common in the young adult population. The prevalence of obesity increases. More and more employees are not able to stand the physical demands at the workplace. In the course of increasing the statutory retirement age ("retirement with 67") more knowledge about the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their influence on the physical fitness is necessary for a wise and goal-oriented primary prevention. A retrospective analysis of survey examinations from young German soldiers in terms of prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their physical fitness was undertaken. The causes for rejection were analysed. In the group of 646 test persons (in average 23.4 years old) there were large rates of people with overweight (37.9%) and obesity (10.8%). Smoking (55.6%), hypercholesteremia (18.6%) and hypertriglyceridemia (13.3%) were also common. Apparent diseases were rare. With an increasing number of cardiovascular risk factors, the physical fitness was significantly lower. High liver enzymes, obesity and lacking physical fitness were reasons for rejection. Already in this young adult collective cardiovascular risk factors are widely spread. This reduces the physical fitness directly or indirectly. A goal-oriented primary prevention is already necessary in this collective of young employees to avoid later limitations in ability to work. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Physical Activity and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Adults

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Sho-Jen Cheng

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease (CVD represents a leading cause of mortality and morbidity especially among the elder people, and therefore the need of effective preventive strategies is imperative. Despite limited data among the elderly people, the majority of published studies have demonstrated that physically active elderly people have lower rates of CVD. In this article, we provide an overview of the epidemiology studies that investigate this association and analyze the relevant underlying biological mechanisms. We also discuss the types and amounts of physical activity recommended for the primary prevention of CVD in older adults.

Prevention of hypertension in patients with pre-hypertension: protocol for the PREVER-prevention trial

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Neto José

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Blood pressure (BP within pre-hypertensive levels confers higher cardiovascular risk and is an intermediate stage for full hypertension, which develops in an annual rate of 7 out of 100 individuals with 40 to 50 years of age. Non-drug interventions to prevent hypertension have had low effectiveness. In individuals with previous cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the use of BP-lowering agents reduces the incidence of major cardiovascular events. In the absence of higher baseline risk, the use of BP agents reduces the incidence of hypertension. The PREVER-prevention trial aims to investigate the efficacy, safety and feasibility of a population-based intervention to prevent the incidence of hypertension and the development of target-organ damage. Methods This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, with participants aged 30 to 70 years, with pre-hypertension. The trial arms will be chlorthalidone 12.5 mg plus amiloride 2.5 mg or identical placebo. The primary outcomes will be the incidence of hypertension, adverse events and development or worsening of microalbuminuria and of left ventricular hypertrophy in the EKG. The secondary outcomes will be fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events: myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, evidence of new sub-clinical atherosclerosis, and sudden death. The study will last 18 months. The sample size was calculated on the basis of an incidence of hypertension of 14% in the control group, a size effect of 40%, power of 85% and P alpha of 5%, resulting in 625 participants per group. The project was approved by the Ethics committee of each participating institution. Discussion The early use of blood pressure-lowering drugs, particularly diuretics, which act on the main mechanism of blood pressure rising with age, may prevent cardiovascular events and the incidence of hypertension in individuals with hypertension. If this intervention shows to be effective and safe

Inequalities in the use of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic status: evidence from the PURE observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Adrianna; Palafox, Benjamin; O'Donnell, Owen; Stuckler, David; Perel, Pablo; AlHabib, Khalid F; Avezum, Alvaro; Bai, Xiulin; Chifamba, Jephat; Chow, Clara K; Corsi, Daniel J; Dagenais, Gilles R; Dans, Antonio L; Diaz, Rafael; Erbakan, Ayse N; Ismail, Noorhassim; Iqbal, Romaina; Kelishadi, Roya; Khatib, Rasha; Lanas, Fernando; Lear, Scott A; Li, Wei; Liu, Jia; Lopez-Jaramillo, Patricio; Mohan, Viswanathan; Monsef, Nahed; Mony, Prem K; Puoane, Thandi; Rangarajan, Sumathy; Rosengren, Annika; Schutte, Aletta E; Sintaha, Mariz; Teo, Koon K; Wielgosz, Andreas; Yeates, Karen; Yin, Lu; Yusoff, Khalid; Zatońska, Katarzyna; Yusuf, Salim; McKee, Martin

2018-03-01

There is little evidence on the use of secondary prevention medicines for cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic groups in countries at different levels of economic development. We assessed use of antiplatelet, cholesterol, and blood-pressure-lowering drugs in 8492 individuals with self-reported cardiovascular disease from 21 countries enrolled in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Defining one or more drugs as a minimal level of secondary prevention, wealth-related inequality was measured using the Wagstaff concentration index, scaled from -1 (pro-poor) to 1 (pro-rich), standardised by age and sex. Correlations between inequalities and national health-related indicators were estimated. The proportion of patients with cardiovascular disease on three medications ranged from 0% in South Africa (95% CI 0-1·7), Tanzania (0-3·6), and Zimbabwe (0-5·1), to 49·3% in Canada (44·4-54·3). Proportions receiving at least one drug varied from 2·0% (95% CI 0·5-6·9) in Tanzania to 91·4% (86·6-94·6) in Sweden. There was significant (pSaudi Arabia, China, Colombia, India, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. Pro-poor distributions were observed in Sweden, Brazil, Chile, Poland, and the occupied Palestinian territory. The strongest predictors of inequality were public expenditure on health and overall use of secondary prevention medicines. Use of medication for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease is alarmingly low. In many countries with the lowest use, pro-rich inequality is greatest. Policies associated with an equal or pro-poor distribution include free medications and community health programmes to support adherence to medications. Full funding sources listed at the end of the paper (see Acknowledgments). Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0. license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Inequalities in the use of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic status: evidence from the PURE observational study

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Adrianna Murphy, PhD

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Summary: Background: There is little evidence on the use of secondary prevention medicines for cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic groups in countries at different levels of economic development. Methods: We assessed use of antiplatelet, cholesterol, and blood-pressure-lowering drugs in 8492 individuals with self-reported cardiovascular disease from 21 countries enrolled in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE study. Defining one or more drugs as a minimal level of secondary prevention, wealth-related inequality was measured using the Wagstaff concentration index, scaled from −1 (pro-poor to 1 (pro-rich, standardised by age and sex. Correlations between inequalities and national health-related indicators were estimated. Findings: The proportion of patients with cardiovascular disease on three medications ranged from 0% in South Africa (95% CI 0–1·7, Tanzania (0–3·6, and Zimbabwe (0–5·1, to 49·3% in Canada (44·4–54·3. Proportions receiving at least one drug varied from 2·0% (95% CI 0·5–6·9 in Tanzania to 91·4% (86·6–94·6 in Sweden. There was significant (p<0·05 pro-rich inequality in Saudi Arabia, China, Colombia, India, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. Pro-poor distributions were observed in Sweden, Brazil, Chile, Poland, and the occupied Palestinian territory. The strongest predictors of inequality were public expenditure on health and overall use of secondary prevention medicines. Interpretation: Use of medication for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease is alarmingly low. In many countries with the lowest use, pro-rich inequality is greatest. Policies associated with an equal or pro-poor distribution include free medications and community health programmes to support adherence to medications. Funding: Full funding sources listed at the end of the paper (see Acknowledgments.

Is there an app for that? Mobile phones and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Neubeck, Lis; Cartledge, Susie; Dawkes, Susan; Gallagher, Robyn

2017-09-01

Advances in technology coupled with increased penetration of mobile phones and smart devices are rapidly changing healthcare delivery. Mobile phone applications ('apps'), text messages, and Internet platforms used alone or in combination are now providing interventions targeting people with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The present article will review the emerging evidence regarding apps and discuss their potential role in providing secondary prevention interventions via mobile phones. Seven recent randomized controlled trials used text messages or apps for six to 12 months, with or without differing combinations of other technology platforms. All studies, involved cardiac and diabetes populations, and demonstrated at least one positive improvement to cardiovascular risk factor profiles. When measured, acceptability of the intervention was high. Mobile apps and technology can deliver positive outcomes in the management of cardiovascular risk factors. However, because of the complexity of combination interventions, it is difficult to determine the 'active' ingredient. A future challenge for researchers and clinicians will be to respond quickly to these rapidly evolving interventions in order to ensure the delivery of effective, evidence-based outcomes.

Aspirin for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Events: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials and Subgroup Analysis by Sex and Diabetes Status

OpenAIRE

Xie, Manling; Shan, Zhilei; Zhang, Yan; Chen, Sijing; Yang, Wei; Bao, Wei; Rong, Ying; Yu, Xuefeng; Hu, Frank B.; Liu, Liegang

2014-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the benefits and harms of aspirin for the primary prevention of CVD and determine whether the effects vary by sex and diabetes status. Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases for randomized controlled trials comparing the effects of aspirin with placebo or control in people with no pre-existing CVD. Two investigators independently extracted data and assessed the study quality. Analyses were performed using Stata version 12. Results: Fourteen trials ...

Use of Fibrates Monotherapy in People with Diabetes and High Cardiovascular Risk in Primary Care: A French Nationwide Cohort Study Based on National Administrative Databases.

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Ronan Roussel

Full Text Available According to guidelines, diabetic patients with high cardiovascular risk should receive a statin. Despite this consensus, fibrate monotherapy is commonly used in this population. We assessed the frequency and clinical consequences of the use of fibrates for primary prevention in patients with diabetes and high cardiovascular risk.Retrospective cohort study based on nationwide data from the medical and administrative databases of French national health insurance systems (07/01/08-12/31/09 with a follow-up of up to 30 months.Lipid-lowering drug-naive diabetic patients initiating fibrate or statin monotherapy were identified. Patients at high cardiovascular risk were then selected: patients with a diagnosis of diabetes and hypertension, and > 50 (men or 60 (women, but with no history of cardiovascular events. The composite endpoint comprised myocardial infarction, stroke, amputation, or death.Of the 31,652 patients enrolled, 4,058 (12.8% received a fibrate. Age- and gender-adjusted annual event rates were 2.42% (fibrates and 2.21% (statins. The proportionality assumption required for the Cox model was not met for the fibrate/statin variable. A multivariate model including all predictors was therefore calculated by dividing data into two time periods, allowing Hazard Ratios to be calculated before (HR 540 of follow-up. Multivariate analyses showed that fibrates were associated with an increased risk for the endpoint after 540 days: HR 540 = 1.73 (1.28-2.32.Fibrate monotherapy is commonly prescribed in diabetic patients with high cardiovascular risk and is associated with poorer outcomes compared to statin therapy.

Dabigatran experience in primary and secondary prevention of cardioembolic stroke

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Maksim Alekseyevich Domashenko

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The review of novel oral anticoagulants (dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban in stroke prevention and also own data of administration of dabigatran in primary and secondary prevention of ischemic stroke in 45 patients with cerebrovascular diseases are presented. Most patients received dabigatran 14 days after the first stroke associated with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. In other cases dabigatran was used for primary prevention of stroke in patients with chronic forms of cerebrovascular diseases and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Dabigatran shows good tolerability and efficacy. Recurrent strokes were diagnosed in 2 patients. The reasons for these events were arterial hypertension in one case and symptomatic atherosclerotic plaque in the other case.

Maintained intentional weight loss reduces cardiovascular outcomes: results from the Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes (SCOUT) trial.

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Caterson, I D; Finer, N; Coutinho, W; Van Gaal, L F; Maggioni, A P; Torp-Pedersen, C; Sharma, A M; Legler, U F; Shepherd, G M; Rode, R A; Perdok, R J; Renz, C L; James, W P T

2012-06-01

The Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes trial showed that sibutramine produced greater mean weight loss than placebo but increased cardiovascular morbidity but not mortality. The relationship between 12-month weight loss and subsequent cardiovascular outcomes is explored. Overweight/obese subjects (N = 10 744), ≥55 years with cardiovascular disease and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus, received sibutramine plus weight management during a 6-week Lead-in Period before randomization to continue sibutramine (N = 4906) or to receive placebo (N = 4898). The primary endpoint was the time from randomization to first occurrence of a primary outcome event (non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, resuscitated cardiac arrest or cardiovascular death). For the total population, mean weight change during Lead-in Period (sibutramine) was -2.54 kg. Post-randomization, mean total weight change to Month 12 was -4.18 kg (sibutramine) or -1.87 kg (placebo). Degree of weight loss during Lead-in Period or through Month 12 was associated with a progressive reduction in risk for the total population in primary outcome events and cardiovascular mortality over the 5-year assessment. Although more events occurred in the randomized sibutramine group, on an average, a modest weight loss of approximately 3 kg achieved in the Lead-in Period appeared to offset this increased event rate. Moderate weight loss (3-10 kg) reduced cardiovascular deaths in those with severe, moderate or mild cardiovascular disease. Modest weight loss over short-term (6 weeks) and longer-term (6-12 months) periods is associated with reduction in subsequent cardiovascular mortality for the following 4-5 years even in those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. While the sibutramine group experienced more primary outcome events than the placebo group, greater weight loss reduced overall risk of these occurring in both groups. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A systematic review of published interventions for primary and secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease (IHD in rural populations of Australia

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Laura V. Alston

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rural Australians are known to experience a higher burden of ischaemic heart disease (IHD than their metropolitan counterparts and the reasons for this appear to be highly complex and not well understood. It is not clear what interventions and prevention efforts have occurred specifically in rural Australia in terms of IHD. A summary of this evidence could have implications for future action and research in improving the health of rural communities. The aim of this study was to review all published interventions conducted in rural Australia that were aimed at the primary and/or secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease (IHD in adults. Methods Systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature published between January 1990 and December 2015. Search terms were derived from four major topics: (1 rural; (2 ischaemic heart disease; (3 Australia and; (4 intervention/prevention. Terms were adapted for six databases and three independent researchers screened results. Studies were included if the published work described an intervention focussed on the prevention or reduction of IHD or risk factors, specifically in a rural population of Australia, with outcomes specific to participants including, but not limited to, changes in diet, exercise, cholesterol or blood pressure levels. Results Of 791 papers identified in the search, seven studies met the inclusion criteria, and one further study was retrieved from searching reference lists of screened abstracts. Typically, excluded studies focused on cardiovascular diseases without specific reference to IHD, or presented intervention results without stratification by rurality. Larger trials that included metropolitan residents without stratification were excluded due to differences in the specific needs, characteristics and health service access challenges of rural populations. Six interventions were primary prevention studies, one was secondary prevention only and one included both

Similarity between generic and brand-name antihypertensive drugs for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: evidence from a large population-based study.

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Corrao, Giovanni; Soranna, Davide; Merlino, Luca; Mancia, Giuseppe

2014-10-01

Although generic and earlier brand-name counterparts are bioequivalent, their equivalence in preventing relevant clinical outcomes is of concern. To compare effectiveness of generic and brand-name antihypertensive drugs for preventing the onset of cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. A population-based, nested case-control study was carried out by including the cohort of 78 520 patients from Lombardy (Italy) aged 18 years or older who were newly treated with antihypertensive drugs during 2005. Cases were the 2206 patients who experienced a hospitalization for CV disease from initial prescription until 2011. One control for each case was randomly selected from the same cohort that generated cases. Logistic regression was used to model the CV risk associated with starting on and/or continuing with generic or brand-name agents. There was no evidence that patients who started on generics experienced different CV risk than those on brand-name product (OR 0·86; 95% CI 0·63-1·17). Patients at whom generics were main dispensed had not significantly difference in CV outcomes than those mainly on brand-name agents (OR 1·19; 95% CI 0·86-1·63). Compared with patients who kept initial brand-name therapy, those who experienced brand-to-generic or generic-to-brand switches, and those always on generics, did not show differential CV risks, being the corresponding ORs (and 95% CIs), 1·18 (0·96-1·47), 0·87 (0·63-1·21) and 1·08 (0·80-1·46). Our findings do not support the notion that brand-name antihypertensive agents are superior to generics for preventing CV outcomes in the real-world clinical practice. © 2014 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.

Community-based primary prevention programs decrease the rate of metabolic syndrome among socioeconomically disadvantaged women.

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Gilstrap, Lauren Gray; Malhotra, Rajeev; Peltier-Saxe, Donna; Slicas, Donna; Pineda, Eliana; Culhane-Hermann, Catherine; Cook, Nakela; Fernandez-Golarz, Carina; Wood, Malissa

2013-04-01

Metabolic Syndrome (MetSyn) is one of the strongest predictors of type 2 diabetes (DM2) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is associated with a 4- to 10-fold increased risk of DM2 and a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of CVD. Low income and minority women have some of the highest rates of MetSyn. This study examines the effect of a unique, community based, primary prevention program on the rates of MetSyn and health habits. Sixty-four low income and minority women were enrolled in the HAPPY (Health Awareness and Primary Prevention in Your neighborhood) Heart Program in an eastern suburb of Boston. Over these 2 years, patients were evaluated by an interdisciplinary medical team: their primary physician, cardiologist, nutritionist, physical therapist, and health coach. The rate of MetSyn was measured at baseline, year 1, and year 2. Comparisons were made either using the paired t test for normally distributed variables or the Wilcoxon Sign test for non-normal variables. The rate of MetSyn fell from 64.7% at baseline to 34.9% at year 1 (p=0.01) and 28.2% at year 2 (p<0.001). This was driven by increases in high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) (p<0.001) and decreases in blood pressure (p=0.05). Fasting blood glucose trended down, but the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reached significance (decreasing from 6 to 5.8, p<0.01). Nutrition and exercise habits trended toward improvement. There were significant decreases in anxiety (p<0.001), depression (p=0.006) and stress (p=0.002). This lifestyle intervention program is effective at decreasing MetSyn in a socioeconomically disadvantaged, largely minority, female population. This program also decreases anxiety, stress, and depression among participants.

[Prevention of cardiovascular diseases - Prophylactic program in a selected enterprise].

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Siedlecka, Jadwiga; Gadzicka, Elżbieta; Szyjkowska, Agata; Siedlecki, Patryk; Szymczak, Wiesław; Makowiec-Dąbrowska, Teresa; Bortkiewicz, Alicja

2017-10-17

In Poland cardiovascular diseases (CVD), classified as work-related diseases, are responsible for 25% of disability and cause 50% of all deaths, including 26.9% of deaths in people aged under 65 years. The aim of the study was to analyze employee expectations regarding CVD- oriented prophylactic activities in the selected enterprise. A questionnaire, developed for this study, consists of: socio-demographic data, job characteristics, occupational factors, and questions about the respondents' expectations concerning the prevention program. The study group comprised 407 multi-profile company employees aged (mean) 46.7 years (standard deviation (SD) = 9.1), including 330 men (81.1%), mean age = 46.9 (SD = 9.2) and 77 women (18.9%), mean age = 45.9 (SD = 8.2) The study was performed using the method of auditorium survey. Employees declared the need for actions related to physical activity: use of gym, swimming pool, tennis (56.5%), smoking habits - education sessions on quitting smoking (24.6%). A few people were interested in activities related to healthy diet. According to the majority of the study group, the scope of preventive examinations should be expanded. Based on our own findings and literature data CVD- -oriented preventive program, addressed to the analyzed enterprise was prepared. The program will be presented in another paper. The results showed significant quantitative and qualitative differences in the classic and occupational CVD risk factors between men and women, as well as in preferences for participation in prevention programs. Therefore, gender differences should be taken into account when planning prevention programs. Med Pr 2017;68(6):757-769. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids in cardiovascular disease: do they really work?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kromhout, D.; Yasuda, S.; Geleijnse, J.M.; Shimokawa, H.

2012-01-01

Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found abundantly in fish oil, exert pleiotropic cardiometabolic effects with a diverse range of actions. The results of previous studies raised a lot of interest in the role of fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular

Lipid discordance and carotid plaque in obese patients in primary prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Masson, Walter; Siniawski, Daniel; Lobo, Martín; Molinero, Graciela

2018-01-01

Obese patients with lipid discordance (non-HDL cholesterol levels 30mg/dL above the LDL-c value) may have a greater prevalence of carotid atherosclerotic plaque (CAP). Our study objectives were: 1) To assess the prevalence of lipid discordance in a primary prevention population of obese patients; 2) To investigate the association between lipid discordance and presence of CAP. Obese subjects aged >18 years (BMI ≥30kg/m 2 ) with no cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or lipid-lowering treatment from six cardiology centers were included. Lipid discordance was defined when, regardless of the LDL-c level, the non-HDL cholesterol value exceeded the LDL-c value by 30mg/dL. Presence of CAP was identified by ultrasonography. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to explore the association between lipid discordance and presence of CAP. The study simple consisted of 325 obese patients (57.2% men; mean age, 52.3 years). Prevalence of lipid discordance was 57.9%. CAP was found in 38.6% of patients, but the proportion was higher in subjects with lipid discordance as compared to those without this lipid pattern (44.4% vs. 30.7%, P=.01). In both the univariate (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.14-2.87; P=.01) and the multivariate analysis (OR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.22-3.54; P=.007), presence of lipid discordance was associated to an increased probability of CAP. In these obese patients, lipid discordance was associated to greater prevalence of CAP. Evaluation of obese patients with this strategy could help identify subjects with higher residual cardiovascular risk. Copyright © 2017 SEEN y SED. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Cost-effectiveness of primary prevention of paediatric asthma: a decision-analytic model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramos, G. Feljandro P.; van Asselt, Antoinette D. I.; Kuiper, Sandra; Severens, Johan L.; Maas, Tanja; Dompeling, Edward; Knottnerus, J. André; van Schayck, Onno C. P.

2013-01-01

Background: Many children stand to benefit from being asthma-free for life with primary (i.e., prenatally started) prevention addressing one environmental exposure in a unifaceted (UF) approach or at least two in a multifaceted (MF) approach. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of primary prevention

Challenges in Sex- and Gender-Centered Prevention and Management of Cardiovascular Disease: Implications of Genetic, Metabolic, and Environmental Paths.

Science.gov (United States)

Kouvari, Matina; Yannakoulia, Mary; Souliotis, Kyriakos; Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B

2018-01-01

The recognition of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as a "male" privilege has been a commonly held concept. However, emerging data describe another reality. Heterogeneities have been convincingly demonstrated regarding CVD manifestations, risk factor burden, and prognosis between males and females. The aim of the present narrative review was to highlight sex- and gender-related discrepancies in primary and secondary CVD prevention, underscoring plausible underlying mechanisms. Manifestation of CVD in women is characterized by atypical symptoms/signs and inadequately studied pathophysiology features challenging accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Regarding CVD risk assessment, the burden and effect size of conventional, novel, and female-specific risk factors needs better clarification. Hitherto outcomes are nonconsistent, while most importantly, the interpretation of the attendant metabolic paths remains a challenge; the interactions among genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors are of high complexity regulated by genomic and nongenomic sex hormones effects. To deal with these key points, the National Institutes of Health currently calls upon investigators to provide a sex- and gender-specific reporting in all health research hypotheses. The implementation of high-quality studies addressing these issues is an imperative need to maximize cost-effectiveness in prevention and management strategies.

The role of mental health in primary prevention of sexual and gender-based violence.

Science.gov (United States)

Gevers, Aník; Dartnall, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

In this short communication, we assert that mental health has a crucial role in the primary prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). However, we found that most research and practice to date has focused on the role of mental health post-violence, and SGBV primary prevention is relying on public health models that do not explicitly include mental health. Yet, key concepts, processes, and competencies in the mental health field appear essential to successful SGBV primary prevention. For example, empathy, self-esteem, compassion, emotional regulation and resilience, stress management, relationship building, and challenging problematic social norms are crucial. Furthermore, competencies such as rapport building, group processing, emotional nurturing, modelling, and the prevention of vicarious trauma among staff are important for the successful implementation of SGBV primary prevention programmes. SGBV primary prevention work would benefit from increased collaboration with mental health professionals and integration of key mental health concepts, processes, and skills in SGBV research.

The role of mental health in primary prevention of sexual and gender-based violence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aník Gevers

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In this short communication, we assert that mental health has a crucial role in the primary prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV. However, we found that most research and practice to date has focused on the role of mental health post-violence, and SGBV primary prevention is relying on public health models that do not explicitly include mental health. Yet, key concepts, processes, and competencies in the mental health field appear essential to successful SGBV primary prevention. For example, empathy, self-esteem, compassion, emotional regulation and resilience, stress management, relationship building, and challenging problematic social norms are crucial. Furthermore, competencies such as rapport building, group processing, emotional nurturing, modelling, and the prevention of vicarious trauma among staff are important for the successful implementation of SGBV primary prevention programmes. SGBV primary prevention work would benefit from increased collaboration with mental health professionals and integration of key mental health concepts, processes, and skills in SGBV research.

Time to foster a rational approach to preventing cardiovascular morbid events.

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Cohn, Jay N; Duprez, Daniel A

2008-07-29

Efforts to prevent atherosclerotic morbid events have focused primarily on risk factor prevention and intervention. These approaches, based on the statistical association of risk factors with events, have dominated clinical practice in the last generation. Because the cardiovascular abnormalities eventuating in morbid events are detectable in the arteries and heart before the development of symptomatic disease, recent efforts have focused on identifying the presence of these abnormalities as a more sensitive and specific guide to the need for therapy. Advances in noninvasive techniques for studying the vasculature and the left ventricle now provide the opportunity to use early disease rather than risk factors as the tool for clinical decision making. A disease scoring system has been developed using 10 tests of vascular and cardiac function and structure. More extensive data to confirm the sensitivity and specificity of this scoring system and to demonstrate its utility in tracking the response to therapy are needed to justify widespread application in clinical practice.

Cardiovascular Risk in Malaysia: causes, consequences and prevention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Selvarajah, S.

2012-01-01

Cardiovascular disease forms the highest morbidity and mortality worldwide and disproportionately affects low and middle-income developing countries. In developing countries, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality tend to affect the (younger) working adults. This poses a significant burden to the

[Primary prevention of coronary thrombosis by antithrombotic agents].

Science.gov (United States)

Milon, H; Lantelme, P; Khettab, F; Mestre-Fernandes, C; Lasserre-Remy, S

2001-11-01

At the start of the eighties, in the wake of the good results obtained with aspirin in secondary prevention, two studies were launched aimed at testing the effect of aspirin on the primary prevention of myocardial infarction. The results published in 1988 and 1989 were divergent: the study conducted by British doctors showed no benefit with aspirin, that conducted by American doctors showed a very distinct benefit concerning myocardial infarction but no advantage for cerebral vascular accidents. Besides, in both studies an additional risk of haemorrhagic cerebral vascular accident was described. Methodological reasons were the origin of these facts, but it resulted in a certain confusion as to the practical conduct to adopt. Ten years later it is much more clear after the publication of three supplementary trials. The benefits of aspirin in terms of prevention of myocardial infarction are certain and considerable, at the price of a haemorrhagic risk equally certain but moderate. On the other hand, questions remain concerning the preventive effect of aspirin on cerebral vascular accidents and also on the expected benefits in the female sex. In practice, the prescription of aspirin with the objective of primary prevention must take into account the absolute benefit which can be expected. This is a function of the individual absolute risk before treatment which therefore signifies an evaluation based on the risk factors. Only subjects exposed to a substantial risk before treatment are likely to benefit from aspirin. For the others, the risks linked with aspirin could counterbalance its preventive advantages.

Estimated time spent on preventive services by primary care physicians

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Gradison Margaret

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Delivery of preventive health services in primary care is lacking. One of the main barriers is lack of time. We estimated the amount of time primary care physicians spend on important preventive health services. Methods We analyzed a large dataset of primary care (family and internal medicine visits using the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (2001–4; analyses were conducted 2007–8. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate the amount of time spent delivering each preventive service, controlling for demographic covariates. Results Preventive visits were longer than chronic care visits (M = 22.4, SD = 11.8, M = 18.9, SD = 9.2, respectively. New patients required more time from physicians. Services on which physicians spent relatively more time were prostate specific antigen (PSA, cholesterol, Papanicolaou (Pap smear, mammography, exercise counseling, and blood pressure. Physicians spent less time than recommended on two "A" rated ("good evidence" services, tobacco cessation and Pap smear (in preventive visits, and one "B" rated ("at least fair evidence" service, nutrition counseling. Physicians spent substantial time on two services that have an "I" rating ("inconclusive evidence of effectiveness", PSA and exercise counseling. Conclusion Even with limited time, physicians address many of the "A" rated services adequately. However, they may be spending less time than recommended for important services, especially smoking cessation, Pap smear, and nutrition counseling. Future research is needed to understand how physicians decide how to allocate their time to address preventive health.

The future of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease prevention: polyhype or polyhope?: tales from the polyera

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Franco, O.; Karnik, K.; Bonneux, L.G.A.

2007-01-01

Recently society has been witnessing the rise of a new era in the prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease: the Polyera. This new era started when a promising concept – the Polypill – was introduced by Wald et al. in 2003. The Polypill is a theoretical

Implantable Cardioverter-defibrillator Therapy for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Usefulness in Primary and Secondary Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarrias, Axel; Galve, Enrique; Sabaté, Xavier; Moya, Àngel; Anguera, Ignacio; Núñez, Elaine; Villuendas, Roger; Alcalde, Óscar; García-Dorado, David

2015-06-01

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a frequent cause of sudden death. Clinical practice guidelines indicate defibrillator implantation for primary prevention in patients with 1 or more risk factors and for secondary prevention in patients with a history of aborted sudden death or sustained ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of the present study was to analyze the follow-up of patients who received an implantable defibrillator following the current guidelines in nonreferral centers for this disease. This retrospective observational study included all patients who underwent defibrillator implantation between January 1996 and December 2012 in 3 centers in the province of Barcelona. The study included 69 patients (mean age [standard deviation], 44.8 [17] years; 79.3% men), 48 in primary prevention and 21 in secondary prevention. The mean number of risk factors per patient was 1.8 in the primary prevention group and 0.5 in the secondary prevention group (P=.029). The median follow-up duration was 40.5 months. The appropriate therapy rate was 32.7/100 patient-years in secondary prevention and 1.7/100 patient-years in primary prevention (P<.001). Overall mortality was 10.1%. Implant-related complications were experienced by 8.7% of patients, and 13% had inappropriate defibrillator discharges. In patients with a defibrillator for primary prevention, the appropriate therapy rate is extremely low, indicating the low predictive power of the current risk stratification criteria. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Clinician-patient risk discussion for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease prevention: importance to implementation of the 2013 ACC/AHA Guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Seth S; Sperling, Laurence S; Blaha, Michael J; Wilson, Peter W F; Gluckman, Ty J; Blumenthal, Roger S; Stone, Neil J

2015-04-07

Successful implementation of the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association cholesterol guidelines hinges on a clear understanding of the clinician-patient risk discussion (CPRD). This is a dialogue between the clinician and patient about potential for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk reduction benefits, adverse effects, drug-drug interactions, and patient preferences. Designed especially for primary prevention patients, this process of shared decision making establishes the appropriateness of a statin for a specific patient. CPRD respects the autonomy of an individual striving to make an informed choice aligned with personal values and preferences. Dedicating sufficient time to high-quality CPRD offers an opportunity to strengthen clinician-patient relationships, patient engagement, and medication adherence. We review the guideline-recommended CPRD, the general concept of shared decision making and decision aids, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Risk Estimator application as an implementation tool, and address potential barriers to implementation. Copyright © 2015 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multifactorial intervention to prevent cardiovascular disease in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svensson, Annemarie Lyng; Christensen, Robin; Persson, Frederik

2016-01-01

clinics in Denmark. The primary end point after 5 years of follow-up is a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke and cardiac revascularisation. Secondary outcomes are: the proportion of patients achieving low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ....5 mmol/L, glycated haemoglobin blood pressure ... rheumatological nurse-administered set-up of behaviour modification and pharmacological therapy targeting (1) hyperlipidaemia, (2) hypertension, (3) hyperglycaemia and (4) microalbuminuria (intervention group). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol is approved by the local ethics committee (DK-S-2014007...

Race/Ethnic Differences in the Associations of the Framingham Risk Factors with Carotid IMT and Cardiovascular Events.

Science.gov (United States)

Gijsberts, Crystel M; Groenewegen, Karlijn A; Hoefer, Imo E; Eijkemans, Marinus J C; Asselbergs, Folkert W; Anderson, Todd J; Britton, Annie R; Dekker, Jacqueline M; Engström, Gunnar; Evans, Greg W; de Graaf, Jacqueline; Grobbee, Diederick E; Hedblad, Bo; Holewijn, Suzanne; Ikeda, Ai; Kitagawa, Kazuo; Kitamura, Akihiko; de Kleijn, Dominique P V; Lonn, Eva M; Lorenz, Matthias W; Mathiesen, Ellisiv B; Nijpels, Giel; Okazaki, Shuhei; O'Leary, Daniel H; Pasterkamp, Gerard; Peters, Sanne A E; Polak, Joseph F; Price, Jacqueline F; Robertson, Christine; Rembold, Christopher M; Rosvall, Maria; Rundek, Tatjana; Salonen, Jukka T; Sitzer, Matthias; Stehouwer, Coen D A; Bots, Michiel L; den Ruijter, Hester M

2015-01-01

Clinical manifestations and outcomes of atherosclerotic disease differ between ethnic groups. In addition, the prevalence of risk factors is substantially different. Primary prevention programs are based on data derived from almost exclusively White people. We investigated how race/ethnic differences modify the associations of established risk factors with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. We used data from an ongoing individual participant meta-analysis involving 17 population-based cohorts worldwide. We selected 60,211 participants without cardiovascular disease at baseline with available data on ethnicity (White, Black, Asian or Hispanic). We generated a multivariable linear regression model containing risk factors and ethnicity predicting mean common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and a multivariable Cox regression model predicting myocardial infarction or stroke. For each risk factor we assessed how the association with the preclinical and clinical measures of cardiovascular atherosclerotic disease was affected by ethnicity. Ethnicity appeared to significantly modify the associations between risk factors and CIMT and cardiovascular events. The association between age and CIMT was weaker in Blacks and Hispanics. Systolic blood pressure associated more strongly with CIMT in Asians. HDL cholesterol and smoking associated less with CIMT in Blacks. Furthermore, the association of age and total cholesterol levels with the occurrence of cardiovascular events differed between Blacks and Whites. The magnitude of associations between risk factors and the presence of atherosclerotic disease differs between race/ethnic groups. These subtle, yet significant differences provide insight in the etiology of cardiovascular disease among race/ethnic groups. These insights aid the race/ethnic-specific implementation of primary prevention.

ISFAHAN HEALTHY HEART PROGRAM:A COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL. DESIGN, METHODS AND INITIAL EXPERIENCE 2000-2001

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N MOHAMMADI FARD

2002-03-01

Full Text Available Isfahan Healthy Heart Program (IHHP is a five to six year comprehensive integrated community based program for preventing and controlling of cardiovascular diseases (CVD via reducing CVD risk factors and improvement of cardiovascular healthy behavior in target population. IHHP has been started in 1999 and will be last since 2004. Primary survey was done to collect baseline data from interventional (Isfahan and Najafabad Cities and reference (Arak communities. In a multistage sampling method, we select randomly 5 to 10 percent of households in clusters. Then individuals aged equal or higher than 19 years old were selected for entering to survey. In this way, data from 12600 individuals (6300 in interventional counties and 6300 in reference county was collected and stratified due to their living area (urban vs. rural and different age and sex groups. Cardiovascular risk factors (Hypercholesterolemia, Smoking, Hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity were investigated by laboratory tests (Lipid profile, FBS, OGTT, physical exam and standard questionnaires, in all ones. Nutritional habits, socioeconomic states, physical activity profiles and other healthy behaviors regarding to cardiovascular disease were assessed by validated questionnaires via interviewing to all individuals. Twelve leads electrocardiogram was done in all persons older than 35 years old. The prevalence of CVDs and distribution of CVD risk factors were estimated in this phase. In the 2nd phase, based on primary survey findings, we arranged a series of teams (worksite, children, women, health personnel, high risk patients, nutrition for planning and implementation of program through interventional community for a 5-year period. Every team has its own target population and objectives and monitors its process during the study. At intervals (annually, some local and small surveys with a random sampling will be conducted to assess and monitor the program and its potency to cope with

Dyslipidemia in primary care – prevalence, recognition, treatment and control: data from the German Metabolic and Cardiovascular Risk Project (GEMCAS

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Wasem Jürgen

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Current guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC define low thresholds for the diagnosis of dyslipidemia using total cholesterol (TC and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C to guide treatment. Although being mainly a prevention tool, its thresholds are difficult to meet in clinical practice, especially primary care. Methods In a nationwide study with 1,511 primary care physicians and 35,869 patients we determined the prevalence of dyslipidemia, its recognition, treatment, and control rates. Diagnosis of dyslipidemia was based on TC and LDL-C. Basic descriptive statistics and prevalence rate ratios, as well as 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results Dyslipidemia was highly frequent in primary care (76% overall. 48.6% of male and 39.9% of female patients with dyslipidemia was diagnosed by the physicians. Life style intervention did however control dyslipidemia in about 10% of patients only. A higher proportion (34.1% of male and 26.7% female was controlled when receiving pharmacotherapy. The chance to be diagnosed and subsequently controlled using pharmacotherapy was higher in male (PRR 1.15; 95%CI 1.12–1.17, in patients with concomitant cardiovascular risk factors, in patients with hypertension (PRR 1.20; 95%CI 1.05–1.37 and cardiovascular disease (PRR 1.46; 95%CI 1.29–1.64, previous myocardial infarction (PRR 1.32; 95%CI 1.19–1.47, and if patients knew to be hypertensive (PRR 1.18; 95%CI 1.04–1.34 or knew about their prior myocardial infarction (PRR 1.17; 95%CI 1.23–1.53. Conclusion Thresholds of the ESC seem to be difficult to meet. A simple call for more aggressive treatment or higher patient compliance is apparently not enough to enhance the proportion of controlled patients. A shift towards a multifactorial treatment considering lifestyle interventions and pharmacotherapy to reduce weight and lipids may be the only way in a population where just to be normal is certainly not ideal.

Using "get with the guidelines" to improve cardiovascular secondary prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

LaBresh, Kenneth A; Gliklich, Richard; Liljestrand, James; Peto, Randolph; Ellrodt, A Gray

2003-10-01

"Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)" was developed and piloted by the American Heart Association (AHA), New England Affiliate; MassPRO, Inc.; and other organizations to reduce the gap in the application of secondary prevention guidelines in hospitalized cardiovascular disease patients. Collaborative learning programs and technology solutions were created for the project. The interactive Web-based patient management tool (PMT) was developed using quality measures derived from the AHA/American College of Cardiology secondary prevention guidelines. It provided data entry, embedded reminders and guideline summaries, and online reports of quality measure performance, including comparisons with the aggregate performance of all hospitals. Multidisciplinary teams from 24 hospitals participated in the 2000-2001 pilot. Four collaborative learning sessions and monthly conference calls supported team interaction. Best-practices sharing and the use of an Internet tool enabled hospitals to change systems and collect data on 1,738 patients. The GWTG program, a template of learning sessions with didactic presentations, best-practices sharing, and collaborative multidisciplinary team meetings supported by the Internet-based data collection and reporting system, can be extended to multiple regions without requiring additional development. Following the completion of the pilot, the AHA adopted GWTG as a national program.

Hormone Therapy for the Primary Prevention of Chronic Conditions in Postmenopausal Women: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Science.gov (United States)

Grossman, David C; Curry, Susan J; Owens, Douglas K; Barry, Michael J; Davidson, Karina W; Doubeni, Chyke A; Epling, John W; Kemper, Alex R; Krist, Alex H; Kurth, Ann E; Landefeld, C Seth; Mangione, Carol M; Phipps, Maureen G; Silverstein, Michael; Simon, Melissa A; Tseng, Chien-Wen

2017-12-12

Menopause occurs at a median age of 51.3 years, and the average US woman who reaches menopause is expected to live another 30 years. The prevalence and incidence of most chronic conditions, such as coronary heart disease, dementia, stroke, fractures, and breast cancer, increase with age; however, the excess risk for these conditions that can be attributed to menopause alone is uncertain. Since the publication of findings from the Women's Health Initiative that hormone therapy use is associated with serious adverse health effects in postmenopausal women, use of menopausal hormone therapy has declined. To update the 2012 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on the use of menopausal hormone therapy for the primary prevention of chronic conditions. The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of systemic (ie, oral or transdermal) hormone therapy for the prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal women and whether outcomes vary among women in different subgroups or by timing of intervention after menopause. The review did not address hormone therapy for preventing or treating menopausal symptoms. Although the use of hormone therapy to prevent chronic conditions in postmenopausal women is associated with some benefits, there are also well-documented harms. The USPSTF determined that the magnitude of both the benefits and the harms of hormone therapy in postmenopausal women is small to moderate. Therefore, the USPSTF concluded with moderate certainty that combined estrogen and progestin has no net benefit for the primary prevention of chronic conditions for most postmenopausal women with an intact uterus and that estrogen alone has no net benefit for the primary prevention of chronic conditions for most postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy. The USPSTF recommends against the use of combined estrogen and progestin for the primary prevention of chronic conditions in postmenopausal women. (D recommendation) The USPSTF

Cyber-bullying prevention in primary school: School leaders’ understanding of cyber-bullying prevention

OpenAIRE

Vestvik, Svitlana

2011-01-01

This master‟s thesis is about cyber-bullying prevention in primary school. My reason for choosing this issue was a desire to get a greater insight into cyber-bullying as a phenomenon. In addition, I found it interesting to find how the principals can work systematically for prevention and reduction of cyber-bullying incidents in schools, with the purpose of offering pupils a good psycho-social environment as enshrined in the Education Act, Section 9a-3. My attention was focused on understa...

Reduced or modified dietary fat for preventing cardiovascular disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Hooper

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Reduction and modification of dietary fats have differing effects on cardiovascular risk factors (such as serum cholesterol, but their effects on important health outcomes are less clear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of reduction and/or modification of dietary fats on mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular morbidity and individual outcomes including myocardial infarction, stroke and cancer diagnoses in randomised clinical trials of at least 6 months duration. METHODS: Search methods: For this review update, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Medline and Embase, were searched through to June 2010. References of Included studies and reviews were also checked. Selection criteria: Trials fulfilled the following criteria: 1 randomized with appropriate control group, 2 intention to reduce or modify fat or cholesterol intake (excluding exclusively omega-3 fat interventions, 3 not multi factorial, 4 adult humans with or without cardiovascular disease, 5 intervention at least six months, 6 mortality or cardiovascular morbidity data available. Data collection and analysis: Participant numbers experiencing health outcomes in each arm were extracted independently in duplicate and random effects meta-analyses, meta-regression, sub-grouping, sensitivity analyses and funnel plots were performed. MAIN RESULTS: This updated review suggested that reducing saturated fat by reducing and/or modifying dietary fat reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 14% (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.96, 24 comparisons, 65,508 participants of whom 7% had a cardiovascular event, I2 50%. Subgrouping suggested that this reduction in cardiovascular events was seen in studies of fat modification (not reduction - which related directly to the degree of effect on serum total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, of at least two years duration and in studies of men (not of women. There were no clear effects of dietary fat

Reduced or modified dietary fat for preventing cardiovascular disease

Science.gov (United States)

Hooper, Lee; Summerbell, Carolyn D; Thompson, Rachel; Sills, Deirdre; Roberts, Felicia G; Moore, Helen; Smith, George Davey

2014-01-01

Background Reduction and modification of dietary fats have differing effects on cardiovascular risk factors (such as serum cholesterol), but their effects on important health outcomes are less clear. Objectives To assess the effect of reduction and/or modification of dietary fats on mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular morbidity and individual outcomes including myocardial infarction, stroke and cancer diagnoses in randomised clinical trials of at least 6 months duration. Search methods For this review update, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE and EMBASE, were searched through to June 2010. References of Included studies and reviews were also checked. Selection criteria Trials fulfilled the following criteria: 1) randomised with appropriate control group, 2) intention to reduce or modify fat or cholesterol intake (excluding exclusively omega-3 fat interventions), 3) not multi factorial, 4) adult humans with or without cardiovascular disease, 5) intervention at least six months, 6) mortality or cardiovascular morbidity data available. Data collection and analysis Participant numbers experiencing health outcomes in each arm were extracted independently in duplicate and random effects meta-analyses, meta-regression, sub-grouping, sensitivity analyses and funnel plots were performed. Main results This updated review suggested that reducing saturated fat by reducing and/or modifying dietary fat reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 14% (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.96, 24 comparisons, 65,508 participants of whom 7% had a cardiovascular event, I2 50%). Subgrouping suggested that this reduction in cardiovascular events was seen in studies of fat modification (not reduction - which related directly to the degree of effect on serum total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides), of at least two years duration and in studies of men (not of women). There were no clear effects of dietary fat changes on total mortality (RR 0

Osteoporosis: primary prevention in the community.

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Loh, K Y; Shong, H K

2007-10-01

The incidence of osteoporosis is increasing worldwide. It has great impact on the life of the elderly population. The most significant medical consequence of osteoporosis is fragility fracture which without proper treatment will cause severe medical and psychosocial complications. The overall cost in managing osteoporosis and its related fractures is escalating. Using bone densitometry to measure bone mineral density is useful in the diagnosis of osteoporosis but it is costly and not feasible in the community. Drugs such as estrogen replacement, raloxifene and calcitonin are effective in prevention and treatment of osteoporosis but they are also expensive. Identifying modifiable risk factors such as smoking, lack of exercise, low dietary calcium and vitamin D intake and healthy life style remain strategy in the primary prevention of osteoporosis in the community.

The role of noninvasive cardiovascular testing, applied clinical nutrition and nutritional supplements in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Houston, Mark

2018-03-01

Numerous clinical trials suggest that we have reached a limit in our ability to decrease the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) utilizing the traditional diagnostic evaluation, prevention and treatment strategies for the top five cardiovascular risk factors of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, obesity and smoking. About 80% of heart disease (heart attacks, angina, coronary heart disease and congestive heart failure) can be prevented by optimal nutrition, optimal exercise, optimal weight and body composition, mild alcohol intake and avoiding smoking. Statistics show that approximately 50% of patients continue to have CHD or myocardial infarction (MI) despite presently defined 'normal' levels of the five risk factors listed above. This is often referred to as the 'CHD gap'. Novel and more accurate definitions and evaluations of these top five risk factors are required, such as 24 h ambulatory blood pressure (ABM) results, advanced lipid profiles, redefined fasting and 2 h dysglycemia parameters, a focus on visceral obesity and body composition and the effects of adipokines on cardiovascular risk. There are numerous traumatic insults from the environment that damage the cardiovascular system but there are only three finite vascular endothelial responses, which are inflammation, oxidative stress and immune vascular dysfunction. In addition, the concept of translational cardiovascular medicine is mandatory in order to correlate the myriad of CHD risk factors to the presence or absence of functional or structural damage to the vascular system, preclinical and clinical CHD. This can be accomplished by utilizing advanced and updated CV risk scoring systems, new and redefined CV risk factors and biomarkers, micronutrient testing, cardiovascular genetics, nutrigenomics, metabolomics, genetic expression testing and noninvasive cardiovascular testing.

Childhood socioeconomic position, young adult intelligence and fillings of prescribed medicine for prevention of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged men

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kriegbaum, Margit; Kildemoes, Helle Wallach; Rasmussen, Jeppe Nørgaard

2014-01-01

To explore the relationship between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and filling of medicine prescriptions for prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with young adult intelligence (IQ) as a potential mediator....

The Role of Decision Support System (DSS) in Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R. Anchala (Raghupathy); M.P. Pinto (Maria); A. Shroufi (Amir); R. Chowdhury (Rajiv); J. Sanderson (Jean); L.A. Johnson (Laura); P. Blanco (Patricia); D. Prabhakaran (Dorairaj); O.H. Franco (Oscar)

2012-01-01

textabstractBackground: The potential role of DSS in CVD prevention remains unclear as only a few studies report on patient outcomes for cardiovascular disease. Methods and Results: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and observational studies was done using

Primary Prevention Is? A Global Perspective on How Organizations Engaging Men in Preventing Gender-Based Violence Conceptualize and Operationalize Their Work.

Science.gov (United States)

Storer, Heather L; Casey, Erin A; Carlson, Juliana; Edleson, Jeffrey L; Tolman, Richard M

2016-02-01

Engaging men in addressing violence against women (VAW) has become a strategy in the global prevention of gender-based violence. Concurrently, Western public health frameworks have been utilized to guide prevention agendas worldwide. Using qualitative methods, this study describes how global anti-violence organizations that partner with men conceptualize primary prevention in their work. Findings suggest that "primary prevention" is not a fixed term in the context of VAW and that front-line prevention work challenges rigidly delineated distinctions between levels of prevention. Much can be learned from global organizations' unique and contextualized approaches to the prevention of VAW. © The Author(s) 2015.

PRIMARY PREVENTION IS? A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON HOW ORGANIZATIONS ENGAGING MEN IN PREVENTING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE CONCEPTUALIZE AND OPERATIONALIZE THEIR WORK

Science.gov (United States)

Storer, Heather L.; Casey, Erin A.; Carlson, Juliana; Edleson, Jeffrey L.; Tolman, Richard M.

2014-01-01

Engaging men in addressing violence against women (VAW) has become a strategy in the global prevention of gender-based violence. Concurrently, Western public health frameworks have been utilized to guide prevention agendas worldwide. Using qualitative methods, this study describes how global anti-violence organizations that partner with men conceptualize primary prevention in their work. Findings suggest that ‘primary prevention’ is not a fixed term in the context of VAW and that front-line prevention work challenges rigidly delineated distinctions between levels of prevention. Much can be learned from global organizations’ unique and contextualized approaches to the prevention of VAW. PMID:26333283

Screening for cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic users of the primary health care network in Lebanon, 2012-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamout, Rouham; Adib, Salim M; Hamadeh, Randa; Freidi, Alia; Ammar, Walid

2014-07-17

In 2012, the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon piloted a service of multifactorial cardiovascular screening in the publicly subsidized Primary Health Care (PHC) Network. We present an epidemiological analysis of data produced during this pilot to justify the inclusion of this service in the package of essential services offered through PHC and to present a preliminary cardiovascular risk profile in an asymptomatic population. A total of 4,205 participants (two-thirds of which were women) aged at least 40 years and reportedly free from diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) were screened. The screening protocol used a questionnaire and direct measurements to assess 5 modifiable cardiovascular risk factors; total cardiovascular risk score was calculated according to a paper-based algorithm developed by the World Health Organization and the International Society of Hypertension. Approximately 25% of the sample displayed metabolic impairments (11% for impaired blood glucose metabolism and 17% for impaired systolic blood pressure), and 6.6% were classified at total cardiovascular risk of 10% or more. Just over one-quarter of the sample was obese, almost half had a substantially elevated waist circumference, and 41% were smokers. Men were significantly more likely to screen positive for metabolic impairment than women, and women were more likely to be obese. The implementation of a multifactorial screening for CVD among asymptomatic subjects detected a substantial proportion of previously undiagnosed cases of high metabolic risk, people who could now be referred to optimal medical follow-up.

Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease in Adolescents and Adults through the Transcendental Meditation® Program: A Research Review Update

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Barnes, Vernon A.; Orme-Johnson, David W.

2012-01-01

The pathogenesis and progression of cardiovascular diseases are thought to be exacerbated by stress. Basic research indicates that the Transcendental Meditation® technique produces acute and longitudinal reductions in sympathetic tone and stress reactivity. In adolescents at risk for hypertension, the technique has been found to reduce resting and ambulatory blood pressure, left ventricular mass, cardiovascular reactivity, and to improve school behavior. Research on adults with mild or moderate essential hypertension has reported decreased blood pressure and reduced use of anti-hypertensive medication. The technique has also been reported to decrease symptoms of angina pectoris and carotid atherosclerosis, to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, including alcohol and tobacco use, to markedly reduce medical care utilization for cardiovascular diseases, and to significantly decrease cardiovascular and all-cause morbidity and mortality. These findings have important implications for inclusion of the Transcendental Meditation program in efforts to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases and their clinical consequences. ®Transcendental Meditation and TM are trademarks registered in the US. Patent and Trademark Office, licensed to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation and are used with permission. PMID:23204989

Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease in Adolescents and Adults through the Transcendental Meditation(®) Program: A Research Review Update.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnes, Vernon A; Orme-Johnson, David W

2012-08-01

The pathogenesis and progression of cardiovascular diseases are thought to be exacerbated by stress. Basic research indicates that the Transcendental Meditation(®) technique produces acute and longitudinal reductions in sympathetic tone and stress reactivity. In adolescents at risk for hypertension, the technique has been found to reduce resting and ambulatory blood pressure, left ventricular mass, cardiovascular reactivity, and to improve school behavior. Research on adults with mild or moderate essential hypertension has reported decreased blood pressure and reduced use of anti-hypertensive medication. The technique has also been reported to decrease symptoms of angina pectoris and carotid atherosclerosis, to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, including alcohol and tobacco use, to markedly reduce medical care utilization for cardiovascular diseases, and to significantly decrease cardiovascular and all-cause morbidity and mortality. These findings have important implications for inclusion of the Transcendental Meditation program in efforts to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases and their clinical consequences.(®)Transcendental Meditation and TM are trademarks registered in the US. Patent and Trademark Office, licensed to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation and are used with permission.

Terapia farmacológica en la mujer y prevención cardiovascular

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Nohora I. Rodríguez-Guerrero

2018-01-01

postponed approximately 10 years in women, compared with men, and the symptoms and comorbidities are very diverse. In Colombia, circulatory system diseases represent the main cause of mortality. Among the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, and with greater frequency in women, are physical inactivity, obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and smoking. The particularity of cardiovascular diseases in women has led to the development of specific guidelines for prevention and cardiovascular treatment in women, with recommendations related to lifestyle, pharmacology and invasive interventions. It is clear that there are gender differences in the presentation of symptoms, the therapeutic approach during an acute coronary event and treatment in primary and secondary prevention. Also, junctures such as menopause mark a point of increased cardiovascular risk, with a higher prevalence of several of the cardiovascular risk factors. In general, the drugs used to manage risk factors in women are similar to those indicated in the male population. There is no significant evidence of dose differences, or additional benefits or side effects, with the exception of ACE inhibitors and ARA2 in pregnancy, platelet antiaggregants in primary prevention, and thrombolytic therapy in some cases. The present article intends to describe the main pharmacological interventions of cardiovascular pathologies in women. Palabras clave: Mujer, Enfermedad cardiovascular, Terapia farmacológica, Keywords: Women, Cardiovascular diseases, Drug therapy

Prediction models for the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dieren, S.; Beulens, J. W. J.; Kengne, A. P.; Peelen, L. M.; Rutten, G. E. H. M.; Woodward, M.; van der Schouw, Y. T.; Moons, K. G. M.

2012-01-01

A recent overview of all CVD models applicable to diabetes patients is not available. To review the primary prevention studies that focused on the development, validation and impact assessment of a cardiovascular risk model, scores or rules that can be applied to patients with type 2 diabetes.

The impact of obesity on cardiovascular structure and function: the fetal programming era

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St-Pierre J

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Julie St-Pierre1, Luigi Bouchard2,3, Paul Poirier41Department of Pediatrics, Chicoutimi Hospital, Saguenay, QC, Canada; 2Department of Biochemistry, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada; 3ECOGENE-21 and Lipid Clinic, Chicoutimi Hospital, Saguenay, QC, Canada; 4Quebec Heart and Lungs Institute, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, CanadaAbstract: The burden of obesity is now well established as a precursor of cardiovascular disease and other disorders. Although better clinical guidelines exist to prevent and treat obesity, the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents is increasing alarmingly. Primary prevention remains the gold standard to significantly reduce the public health concerns associated with obesity. Traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors (such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes for cardiovascular disease among children and adolescents are known. The scope of this review is thus to discuss new and emerging obesity and associated-disease risk factors. Evaluation of the coronary plaque formation, diastolic dysfunction, carotid intima-media thickness and heart rate variability represent interesting tools with clinical relevance. Beyond these new cardiovascular disease risk factors, recent evidence suggests that a detrimental fetal environment, associated with for example, maternal obesity, insulin resistance, and physical inactivity, imprints fetal metabolic programming via epigenetic mechanisms that predisposes the newborn to obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life. This information may impact on the future management of maternal health, as well as for those high-risk children.Keywords: cardiovascular disease, pediatrics, risk factors

Primary prevention of coronary heart disease: integration of new data, evolving views, revised goals, and role of rosuvastatin in management. A comprehensive survey

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Kones R

2011-06-01

, since ≥90% of young adults with a low 10-year risk have a lifetime risk of ≥39%; over half of all American adults have a low 10-year risk but a high lifetime risk. At age 50 the absence of traditional risk factors is associated with extremely low lifetime risk and significantly greater longevity. Pathological and epidemiological data confirm that atherosclerosis begins in early childhood, and advances seamlessly and inexorably throughout life. Risk factors in childhood are similar to those in adults, and track between stages of life. When indicated, aggressive treatment should begin at the earliest indication, and be continued for years. For those patients at intermediate risk according to global risk scores, C-reactive protein (CRP, coronary artery calcium (CAC, and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT are available for further stratification. Using statins for primary prevention is recommended by guidelines, is prevalent, but remains underprescribed. Statin drugs are unrivaled, evidence-based, major weapons to lower cardiovascular risk. Even when low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C targets are attained, over half of patients continue to have disease progression and clinical events. This residual risk is of great concern, and multiple sources of remaining risk exist. Though clinical evidence is incomplete, altering or raising the blood high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C level continues to be pursued. Of all agents available, rosuvastatin produces the greatest reduction in LDL-C, LDL-P, and improvement in apoA-I/apoB, together with a favorable safety profile. Several recent proposals and methods to lower cardiovascular risk are reviewed. A combination of approaches, such as the addition of lifetime risk, refinement of risk prediction, guideline compliance, novel treatments, improvement in adherence, and primordial prevention, including environmental and social intervention, will be necessary to lower the present high risk burden.Keywords: primary

Practice of preventive dentistry for nursing staff in primary care

Science.gov (United States)

Acuña-Reyes, Raquel; Cigarroa-Martínez, Didier; Ureña-Bogarín, Enrique; Orgaz-Fernández, Jose David

2014-01-01

Objectives: Determine the domain of preventive dentistry in nursing personnel assigned to a primary care unit. Methods: Prospective descriptive study, questionnaire validation, and prevalence study. In the first stage, the questionnaire for the practice of preventive dentistry (CPEP, for the term in Spanish) was validated; consistency and reliability were measured by Cronbach's alpha, Pearson's correlation, factor analysis with intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). In the second stage, the domain in preventive dental nurses was explored. Results: The overall internal consistency of CPEP is α= 0.66, ICC= 0.64, CI95%: 0.29-0.87 (p >0.01). Twenty-one subjects in the study, average age 43, 81.0% female, average seniority of 12.5 were included. A total of 71.5% showed weak domain, 28.5% regular domain, and there was no questionnaire with good domain result. The older the subjects were, the smaller the domain; female nurses showed greater mastery of preventive dentistry (29%, CI95%: 0.1-15.1) than male nurses. Public health nurses showed greater mastery with respect to other categories (50%, CI95%: 0.56-2.8). Conclusions: The CDEP has enough consistency to explore the domain of preventive dentistry in health-care staff. The domain of preventive dentistry in primary care nursing is poor, required to strengthen to provide education in preventive dentistry to the insured population. PMID:25386037

Assessing Cardiovascular Health Using Life′s Simple 7 in a Chinese Population Undergoing Stroke Prevention

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Qiong Yang

2015-01-01

Conclusions: Few Chinese patients undergoing stroke prevention had optimal CVH (determined using LS7. Additionally, fewer patients undergoing secondary prevention had optimal CVH than those undergoing primary prevention. In particular, physical activity and diet status in this population require improvement.

NIGHT HEMODYNAMIC DISORDER RISK FACTORS AND MARKERS FOR PATIENT-SPECIFIC APPROACH TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE PREVENTION IN CHILDREN

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Olga V. Kozhevnikova

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background:  High mortality rates of cardiovascular disease request research revealing risk factors and early markers of cardiovascular dysfunction in children with chronic pathology.Objective:  to reveal the risk factors and early markers of night hemodynamic disorders for the development of personalized cardiovascular disease prevention in children based on the results of the combined daily monitoring of arterial pressure, ECG examination, and analysis of night sleep. Patients and methods:  Parents filled screeningquestionnaire of night sleep before the study onset. Combined monitoring and examination was performed  in 232  children aged 6–17 with different blood pressure disorders using Astrocard НS E2bp (Russia equipment in the outpatient setting.Results: 24-hour BP monitoring identified arterial hypotension 3.8 times more often than routine ambulance method. 21% of children or every fifth child with hypotension  had night hypertension  associated  with maximum (93% pathology  of ENT organs  with nasal obstruction. Differentiation of investigated groups by night PP and DBP show these marks of hemodynamics to be really important at the early period of pathology development in children. 62% of children had QT interval with bad adaptation to RR-interval at night. In the group with high BMI we found 1.6 times more often children with height more than 85th percentile of the norm. These children had night diastolic hypotension  5 times more often, children with obesity didn’t have normal 24-hour  BP dynamics, children with high BMI had longer QT-interval at night.Conclusions: We demonstrate the necessity of night sleep hemodynamics investigation in children for personalized cardiovascular disorder prevention. Children of early school age suffering from chronic ENT-pathology with nasal obstruction and/or high BMI, with high BMI, and with height ≥85th percentile of gender-age norm have risk of development of cardiovascular

Standard cardiovascular disease risk algorithms underestimate the risk of cardiovascular disease in schizophrenia: evidence from a national primary care database.

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McLean, Gary; Martin, Julie Langan; Martin, Daniel J; Guthrie, Bruce; Mercer, Stewart W; Smith, Daniel J

2014-10-01

Schizophrenia is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction algorithms are widely in the general population, their utility for patients with schizophrenia is unknown. A primary care dataset was used to compare CVD risk scores (Joint British Societies (JBS) score), cardiovascular risk factors, rates of pre-existing CVD and age of first diagnosis of CVD for schizophrenia (n=1997) relative to population controls (n=215,165). Pre-existing rates of CVD and the recording of risk factors for those without CVD were higher in the schizophrenia cohort in the younger age groups, for both genders. Those with schizophrenia were more likely to have a first diagnosis of CVD at a younger age, with nearly half of men with schizophrenia plus CVD diagnosed under the age of 55 (schizophrenia men 46.1% vs. control men 34.8%, pschizophrenia women 28.9% vs. control women 23.8%, prisk factors within the schizophrenia group, only a very small percentage (3.2% of men and 7.5% of women) of those with schizophrenia under age 55 were correctly identified as high risk for CVD according to the JBS risk algorithm. The JBS2 risk score identified only a small proportion of individuals with schizophrenia under the age of 55 as being at high risk of CVD, despite high rates of risk factors and high rates of first diagnosis of CVD within this age group. The validity of CVD risk prediction algorithms for schizophrenia needs further research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

National differences in screening programmes for cardiovascular risks could obstruct understanding of cardiovascular prevention studies in Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thio, S. L.; Twickler, Th B.; Cramer, M. J.; Giral, P.

2011-01-01

In North-West Europe, cardiovascular disease is still a major cause of death and despite several efforts (e.g. European guidelines and conferences) cardiovascular risk factors are still inconsistently diagnosed and treated. We evaluated the first consultations of patients in two cardiovascular

Using Misoprostol for Primary versus Secondary Prevention of Postpartum Haemorrhage - Do Costs Matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Susmita; Sarkar, Anupam; Rao, Krishna D

2016-01-01

Postpartum heammorrhage (PPH), defined as blood loss greater than or equal to 500 ml within 24 hours after birth, is the leading cause of maternal deaths globally and in India. Misoprostol is an important option for PPH management in setting where oxytocin (the gold standard for PPH prevention and treatment) in not available or not feasible to use. For the substantial number of deliveries which take place at home or at lower level heatlh facilities in India, misoprostol pills can be adminstered to prevent PPH. The standard approach using misoprostol is to administer it prophylactically as primary prevention (600 mcg). An alternative strategy could be to administer misoprostol only to those who are at high risk of having PPH i.e. as secondary prevention. This study reports on the relative cost per person of a strategy involving primary versus secondary prevention of PPH using misoprostol. It is based on a randomized cluster trial that was conducted in Bijapur district in Karnataka, India between December 2011 and March 2014 among pregnant women to compare two community-level strategies for the prevention of PPH: primary and secondary. The analysis was conducted from the government perspective using an ingredient approach. The cluster trial showed that there were no significant differences in clinical outcomes between the two study arms. However, the results of the cost analysis show that there is a difference of INR 6 (US$ 0.1) per birth for implementing the strategies primary versus secondary prevention. In India where 14.9 million births take place at sub-centres and at home, this additional cost of INR 6 per birth translates to an additional cost of INR 94 (US$ 1.6) million to the government to implement the primary prevention compared to the secondary prevention strategy. As clinical outcomes did not differ significantly between the two arms in the trial, taking into account the difference in costs and potential issues with sustainability, secondary prevention

Using Misoprostol for Primary versus Secondary Prevention of Postpartum Haemorrhage - Do Costs Matter?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susmita Chatterjee

Full Text Available Postpartum heammorrhage (PPH, defined as blood loss greater than or equal to 500 ml within 24 hours after birth, is the leading cause of maternal deaths globally and in India. Misoprostol is an important option for PPH management in setting where oxytocin (the gold standard for PPH prevention and treatment in not available or not feasible to use. For the substantial number of deliveries which take place at home or at lower level heatlh facilities in India, misoprostol pills can be adminstered to prevent PPH. The standard approach using misoprostol is to administer it prophylactically as primary prevention (600 mcg. An alternative strategy could be to administer misoprostol only to those who are at high risk of having PPH i.e. as secondary prevention.This study reports on the relative cost per person of a strategy involving primary versus secondary prevention of PPH using misoprostol. It is based on a randomized cluster trial that was conducted in Bijapur district in Karnataka, India between December 2011 and March 2014 among pregnant women to compare two community-level strategies for the prevention of PPH: primary and secondary. The analysis was conducted from the government perspective using an ingredient approach.The cluster trial showed that there were no significant differences in clinical outcomes between the two study arms. However, the results of the cost analysis show that there is a difference of INR 6 (US$ 0.1 per birth for implementing the strategies primary versus secondary prevention. In India where 14.9 million births take place at sub-centres and at home, this additional cost of INR 6 per birth translates to an additional cost of INR 94 (US$ 1.6 million to the government to implement the primary prevention compared to the secondary prevention strategy.As clinical outcomes did not differ significantly between the two arms in the trial, taking into account the difference in costs and potential issues with sustainability, secondary

Environmental and occupational interventions for primary prevention of cancer: a cross-sectorial policy framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Espina, Carolina; Porta, Miquel; Schüz, Joachim; Aguado, Ildefonso Hernández; Percival, Robert V; Dora, Carlos; Slevin, Terry; Guzman, Julietta Rodriguez; Meredith, Tim; Landrigan, Philip J; Neira, Maria

2013-04-01

Nearly 13 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths occur worldwide each year; 63% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. A substantial proportion of all cancers are attributable to carcinogenic exposures in the environment and the workplace. We aimed to develop an evidence-based global vision and strategy for the primary prevention of environmental and occupational cancer. We identified relevant studies through PubMed by using combinations of the search terms "environmental," "occupational," "exposure," "cancer," "primary prevention," and "interventions." To supplement the literature review, we convened an international conference titled "Environmental and Occupational Determinants of Cancer: Interventions for Primary Prevention" under the auspices of the World Health Organization, in Asturias, Spain, on 17-18 March 2011. Many cancers of environmental and occupational origin could be prevented. Prevention is most effectively achieved through primary prevention policies that reduce or eliminate involuntary exposures to proven and probable carcinogens. Such strategies can be implemented in a straightforward and cost-effective way based on current knowledge, and they have the added benefit of synergistically reducing risks for other noncommunicable diseases by reducing exposures to shared risk factors. Opportunities exist to revitalize comprehensive global cancer control policies by incorporating primary interventions against environmental and occupational carcinogens.

Primary prevention of food allergy in infants who are at risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Høst, Arne; Halken, Susanne

2005-01-01

on primary prevention of food allergy. RECENT FINDINGS: In prospective observational controlled studies of high quality of birth cohorts, exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months combined with introduction of solid foods after 4 months of age is associated with a reduced risk of food allergy and atopic......: Breastfeeding should be encouraged for 4-6 months. In high-risk infants a documented hypoallergenic hydrolysed formula is recommended if exclusively breastfeeding is not possible for the first 4 months. As regards primary prevention of food allergy there is no evidence for preventive dietary intervention during......PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Allergic diseases represent a major burden of health problems in industrialized countries. Though several studies have focused on possible preventive measure and strategies much controversy still exists on this topic. The aim of this review is to discuss the recent literature...

The effectiveness and cost effectiveness of dark chocolate consumption as prevention therapy in people at high risk of cardiovascular disease: best case scenario analysis using a Markov model.

Science.gov (United States)

Zomer, Ella; Owen, Alice; Magliano, Dianna J; Liew, Danny; Reid, Christopher M

2012-05-30

To model the long term effectiveness and cost effectiveness of daily dark chocolate consumption in a population with metabolic syndrome at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Best case scenario analysis using a Markov model. Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study. 2013 people with hypertension who met the criteria for metabolic syndrome, with no history of cardiovascular disease and not receiving antihypertensive therapy. Treatment effects associated with dark chocolate consumption derived from published meta-analyses were used to determine the absolute number of cardiovascular events with and without treatment. Costs associated with cardiovascular events and treatments were applied to determine the potential amount of funding required for dark chocolate therapy to be considered cost effective. Daily consumption of dark chocolate (polyphenol content equivalent to 100 g of dark chocolate) can reduce cardiovascular events by 85 (95% confidence interval 60 to 105) per 10,000 population treated over 10 years. $A40 (£25; €31; $42) could be cost effectively spent per person per year on prevention strategies using dark chocolate. These results assume 100% compliance and represent a best case scenario. The blood pressure and cholesterol lowering effects of dark chocolate consumption are beneficial in the prevention of cardiovascular events in a population with metabolic syndrome. Daily dark chocolate consumption could be an effective cardiovascular preventive strategy in this population.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease: What is important for primary care physicians?

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Mohamed H Ahmed

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD is emerging as the most common chronic liver condition in Western World and across the globe. NAFLD prevalence is estimated to be around one-third of the total population. There are no published data that project the future prevalence of NAFLD, but with an increase in epidemic of diabetes and obesity, it is possible to suggest an increase in a number of individuals with NAFLD. NAFLD is associated with insulin resistance and occurs with an increase in cluster of features of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it is important to exclude the possibility of diabetes in those individuals with evidence of fatty liver. The global diabetes epidemic continues to grow, and it is estimated that the number of people with diabetes will double by year 2030. NAFLD is also a risk factor for an increase in cardiovascular incidence independent of age, sex, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, smoking, and cluster of metabolic syndromes. It is expected that NAFLD will be an important challenge for health providers in the near future. Taking all these factors into consideration, we believe that increasing awareness of metabolic and cardiovascular impact of NAFLD among general practitioners and health authorities may decrease the serious consequences of late diagnosis of NAFLD. Importantly, the collaboration between medical specialties is vital in decreasing the impact of the epidemic of NAFLD. The focus of this review is in the role of primary care physician in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of NAFLD and patients education.

[Cardiovascular disease prevention in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus according to the recent statement from the American Heart Association/American Diabetes Association].

Science.gov (United States)

Avogaro, Angelo

2016-03-01

There is a clear epidemiologic association between glycemic control and cardiovascular disease. There is strong evidence of a microvascular benefit by lowering glycated hemoglobin diabetic patients, to control all major cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. These risk factors, easily measurable, account for 90% of acute myocardial infarction. In this review, the update on prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus from the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association is discussed and commented.

Rivaroxaban with or without Aspirin in Stable Cardiovascular Disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Eikelboom, John W; Connolly, Stuart J; Bosch, Jackie; Dagenais, Gilles R; Hart, Robert G; Shestakovska, Olga; Diaz, Rafael; Alings, Marco; Lonn, Eva M; Anand, Sonia S; Widimsky, Petr; Hori, Masatsugu; Avezum, Alvaro; Piegas, Leopoldo S; Branch, Kelley R H; Probstfield, Jeffrey; Bhatt, Deepak L; Zhu, Jun; Liang, Yan; Maggioni, Aldo P; Lopez-Jaramillo, Patricio; O'Donnell, Martin; Kakkar, Ajay K; Fox, Keith A A; Parkhomenko, Alexander N; Ertl, Georg; Störk, Stefan; Keltai, Matyas; Ryden, Lars; Pogosova, Nana; Dans, Antonio L; Lanas, Fernando; Commerford, Patrick J; Torp-Pedersen, Christian; Guzik, Tomek J; Verhamme, Peter B; Vinereanu, Dragos; Kim, Jae-Hyung; Tonkin, Andrew M; Lewis, Basil S; Felix, Camilo; Yusoff, Khalid; Steg, P Gabriel; Metsarinne, Kaj P; Cook Bruns, Nancy; Misselwitz, Frank; Chen, Edmond; Leong, Darryl; Yusuf, Salim

2017-10-05

We evaluated whether rivaroxaban alone or in combination with aspirin would be more effective than aspirin alone for secondary cardiovascular prevention. In this double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 27,395 participants with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease to receive rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin (100 mg once daily), rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily), or aspirin (100 mg once daily). The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction. The study was stopped for superiority of the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group after a mean follow-up of 23 months. The primary outcome occurred in fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group than in the aspirin-alone group (379 patients [4.1%] vs. 496 patients [5.4%]; hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.86; Paspirin group (288 patients [3.1%] vs. 170 patients [1.9%]; hazard ratio, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.40 to 2.05; Paspirin group as compared with 378 (4.1%) in the aspirin-alone group (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.96; P=0.01; threshold P value for significance, 0.0025). The primary outcome did not occur in significantly fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-alone group than in the aspirin-alone group, but major bleeding events occurred in more patients in the rivaroxaban-alone group. Among patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease, those assigned to rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin had better cardiovascular outcomes and more major bleeding events than those assigned to aspirin alone. Rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily) alone did not result in better cardiovascular outcomes than aspirin alone and resulted in more major bleeding events. (Funded by Bayer; COMPASS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01776424 .).

Why Weight? An Analytic Review of Obesity Management, Diabetes Prevention, and Cardiovascular Risk Reduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Igel, L I; Saunders, K H; Fins, J J

2018-05-21

In this review, we examine one of the ironies of American health care-that we pay more for disease management than disease prevention. Instead of preventing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) by treating its precursor, obesity, we fail to provide sufficient insurance coverage for weight management only to fund the more costly burden of overt T2DM. There is a vital need for expanded insurance coverage to help foster a weight-centric approach to T2DM management. This includes broader coverage of anti-diabetic medications with evidence of cardiovascular risk reduction and mortality benefit, anti-obesity pharmacotherapy, bariatric surgery, weight loss devices, endoscopic bariatric therapies, and lifestyle interventions for the treatment of obesity. The fundamental question to ask is why weight? Why wait to go after obesity until its end-stage sequelae cause intractable conditions? Instead of managing the complications of T2DM, consider preventing them by tackling obesity.

Primary Prevention of Urinary Incontinence: A Case Study of Prenatal and Intrapartum Interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kissler, Katherine; Yount, Susan M; Rendeiro, Melissa; Zeidenstein, Laura

2016-07-01

A wealth of information is available regarding the diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence. However, there is a dearth of quality information and clinical practice guidelines regarding the primary prevention of urinary incontinence. Given the high prevalence of this concern and the often cited correlation between pregnancy, childbirth, and urinary incontinence, women's health care providers should be aware of risk factors and primary prevention strategies for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in order to reduce associated physical and emotional suffering. This case report describes several common risk factors for SUI and missed opportunities for primary prevention of postpartum urinary incontinence. The most effective methods for preventing urinary incontinence include correct teaching of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT; specifically Kegel exercises), moderate combined physical exercise regimens, counseling and support for weight loss, counseling against smoking, appropriate treatment for asthma and constipation, and appropriate labor management to prevent pelvic organ prolapse, urethral injury, and pelvic floor muscle damage. © 2016 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Inequalities in the use of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic status: evidence from the PURE observational study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

A. Murphy (Adrianna); Palafox, B. (Benjamin); O.A. O'Donnell (Owen); D. Stuckler (David); P. Perel (Pablo); AlHabib, K.F. (Khalid F); Avezum, A. (Alvaro); Bai, X. (Xiulin); Chifamba, J. (Jephat); Chow, C.K. (Clara K); Corsi, D.J. (Daniel J); G.R. Dagenais (Gilles R); Dans, A.L. (Antonio L); R. Díaz (Rafael); Erbakan, A.N. (Ayse N); Ismail, N. (Noorhassim); Iqbal, R. (Romaina); Kelishadi, R. (Roya); Khatib, R. (Rasha); Lanas, F. (Fernando); Lear, S.A. (Scott A); Li, W. (Wei); Liu, J. (Jia); Lopez-Jaramillo, P. (Patricio); Mohan, V. (Viswanathan); Monsef, N. (Nahed); Mony, P.K. (Prem K); Puoane, T. (Thandi); Rangarajan, S. (Sumathy); A. Rosengren (Annika); Schutte, A.E. (Aletta E); Sintaha, M. (Mariz); Teo, K.K. (Koon K); Wielgosz, A. (Andreas); Yeates, K. (Karen); Yin, L. (Lu); Yusoff, K. (Khalid); Zatońska, K. (Katarzyna); S. Yusuf (Salim); M. McKee (Martin)

2018-01-01

textabstractBackground: There is little evidence on the use of secondary prevention medicines for cardiovascular disease by socioeconomic groups in countries at different levels of economic development. Methods: We assessed use of antiplatelet, cholesterol, and blood-pressure-lowering drugs in 8492

Predictors of primary care referrals to a vascular disease prevention lifestyle program among participants in a cluster randomised trial.

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Passey, Megan E; Laws, Rachel A; Jayasinghe, Upali W; Fanaian, Mahnaz; McKenzie, Suzanne; Powell-Davies, Gawaine; Lyle, David; Harris, Mark F

2012-08-03

Cardiovascular disease accounts for a large burden of disease, but is amenable to prevention through lifestyle modification. This paper examines patient and practice predictors of referral to a lifestyle modification program (LMP) offered as part of a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of prevention of vascular disease in primary care. Data from the intervention arm of a cluster RCT which recruited 36 practices through two rural and three urban primary care organisations were used. In each practice, 160 eligible high risk patients were invited to participate. Practices were randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. Intervention practice staff were trained in screening, motivational interviewing and counselling and encouraged to refer high risk patients to a LMP involving individual and group sessions. Data include patient surveys; clinical audit; practice survey on capacity for preventive care; referral records from the LMP. Predictors of referral were examined using multi-level logistic regression modelling after adjustment for confounding factors. Of 301 eligible patients, 190 (63.1%) were referred to the LMP. Independent predictors of referral were baseline BMI ≥ 25 (OR 2.87 95%CI:1.10, 7.47), physical inactivity (OR 2.90 95%CI:1.36,6.14), contemplation/preparation/action stage of change for physical activity (OR 2.75 95%CI:1.07, 7.03), rural location (OR 12.50 95%CI:1.43, 109.7) and smaller practice size (1-3 GPs) (OR 16.05 95%CI:2.74, 94.24). Providing a well-structured evidence-based lifestyle intervention, free of charge to patients, with coordination and support for referral processes resulted in over 60% of participating high risk patients being referred for disease prevention. Contrary to expectations, referrals were more frequent from rural and smaller practices suggesting that these practices may be more ready to engage with these programs. ACTRN12607000423415.

Identification of major cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes using primary care data.

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Pouwels, Koen Bernardus; Voorham, Jaco; Hak, Eelko; Denig, Petra

2016-04-02

Routine primary care data are increasingly being used for evaluation and research purposes but there are concerns about the completeness and accuracy of diagnoses and events captured in such databases. We evaluated how well patients with major cardiovascular disease (CVD) can be identified using primary care morbidity data and drug prescriptions. The study was conducted using data from 17,230 diabetes patients of the GIANTT database and Dutch Hospital Data register. To estimate the accuracy of the different measures, we analyzed the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) relative to hospitalizations and/or records with a diagnosis indicating major CVD, including ischaemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular events. Using primary care morbidity data, 43% of major CVD hospitalizations could be identified. Adding drug prescriptions to the search increased the sensitivity up to 94%. A proxy of at least one prescription of either a platelet aggregation inhibitor, vitamin k antagonist or nitrate could identify 85% of patients with a history of major CVD recorded in primary care, with an NPV of 97%. Using the same proxy, 57% of incident major CVD recorded in primary or hospital care could be identified, with an NPV of 99%. A substantial proportion of major CVD hospitalizations was not recorded in primary care morbidity data. Drug prescriptions can be used in addition to diagnosis codes to identify more patients with major CVD, and also to identify patients without a history of major CVD.

Mobile phone text messaging to improve medication adherence in secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

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Adler, Alma J; Martin, Nicole; Mariani, Javier; Tajer, Carlos D; Owolabi, Onikepe O; Free, Caroline; Serrano, Norma C; Casas, Juan P; Perel, Pablo

2017-04-29

Worldwide at least 100 million people are thought to have prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD). This population has a five times greater chance of suffering a recurrent cardiovascular event than people without known CVD. Secondary CVD prevention is defined as action aimed to reduce the probability of recurrence of such events. Drug interventions have been shown to be cost-effective in reducing this risk and are recommended in international guidelines. However, adherence to recommended treatments remains sub-optimal. In order to influence non-adherence, there is a need to develop scalable and cost-effective behaviour-change interventions. To assess the effects of mobile phone text messaging in patients with established arterial occlusive events on adherence to treatment, fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, and adverse effects. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, the Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science on Web of Science on 7 November 2016, and two clinical trial registers on 12 November 2016. We contacted authors of included studies for missing information and searched reference lists of relevant papers. We applied no language or date restrictions. We included randomised trials with at least 50% of the participants with established arterial occlusive events. We included trials investigating interventions using short message service (SMS) or multimedia messaging service (MMS) with the aim to improve adherence to medication for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Eligible comparators were no intervention or other modes of communication. We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. In addition, we attempted to contact all authors on how the SMS were developed. We included seven trials (reported in 13 reports) with 1310 participants randomised. Follow-up ranged from one month to 12 months. Due to heterogeneity in the methods, population and outcome measures, we were unable to conduct meta-analysis on these studies

Stakeholder analysis for the development of a community pharmacy service aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease.

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Franco-Trigo, L; Hossain, L N; Durks, D; Fam, D; Inglis, S C; Benrimoj, S I; Sabater-Hernández, D

Participatory approaches involving stakeholders across the health care system can help enhance the development, implementation and evaluation of health services. These approaches may be particularly useful in planning community pharmacy services and so overcome challenges in their implementation into practice. Conducting a stakeholder analysis is a key first step since it allows relevant stakeholders to be identified, as well as providing planners a better understanding of the complexity of the health care system. The main aim of this study was to conduct a stakeholder analysis to identify those individuals and organizations that could be part of a leading planning group for the development of a community pharmacy service (CPS) to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Australia. An experienced facilitator conducted a workshop with 8 key informants of the Australian health care system. Two structured activities were undertaken. The first explored current needs and gaps in cardiovascular care and the role of community pharmacists. The second was a stakeholder analysis, using both ex-ante and ad-hoc approaches. Identified stakeholders were then classified into three groups according to their relative influence on the development of the pharmacy service. The information gathered was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The key informants identified 46 stakeholders, including (1) patient/consumers and their representative organizations, (2) health care providers and their professional organizations and (3) institutions and organizations that do not directly interact with patients but organize and manage the health care system, develop and implement health policies, pay for health care, influence funding for health service research or promote new health initiatives. From the 46 stakeholders, a core group of 12 stakeholders was defined. These were considered crucial to the service's development because they held positions that could drive or inhibit progress

Primary Prevention of Food Allergy.

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Greenhawt, Matthew J; Fleischer, David M

2017-04-01

Food allergy is estimated to affect approximately 8% of children in the USA. This is a disease without any known treatment or cure and, for some, a disease that can be quite severe, even life-threatening. While recent advances in potential treatment have made remarkable strides, with two food-targeted immunotherapy products now in phase III trials, perhaps the biggest gains in the field have come in the advent of potential preventative strategies to avoid the development of food allergy in high-risk individuals. There have been multiple, randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) performed in the past 5 years that have demonstrated significant risk reduction from early allergen introduction. These include two trials for early peanut introduction and five trials for early egg introduction in the first year of life. The results indicate that primary prevention of food allergy through early allergen introduction may represent a strategy that could potentially avert tens of thousands of children from becoming food allergic. In support of the data for peanut, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recently sponsored an addendum to the 2010 food allergy guidelines, specifically recommending peanut be introduced in both high- and standard-risk infants to reduce the risk of developing peanut allergy. To date, no formal recommendations have been made for egg, however. This review will focus on the latest evidence supporting early introduction as a strategy to prevent food allergy, as well as on practical aspects for its successful implementation.

Omega-3 dietary supplements and the risk of cardiovascular events: a systematic review.

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Marik, Paul E; Varon, Joseph

2009-07-01

Epidemiologic data suggest that omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish oil reduce cardiovascular disease. The clinical benefit of dietary fish oil supplementation in preventing cardiovascular events in both high and low risk patients is unclear. To assess whether dietary supplements of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) decrease cardiovascular events across a spectrum of patients. MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and citation review of relevant primary and review articles. Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials that evaluated clinical cardiovascular end points (cardiovascular death, sudden death, and nonfatal cardiovascular events) and all-cause mortality in patients randomized to EPA/DHA or placebo. We only included studies that used dietary supplements of EPA/DHA which were administered for at least 1 year. Data were abstracted on study design, study size, type and dose of omega-3 supplement, cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and duration of follow-up. Studies were grouped according to the risk of cardiovascular events (high risk and moderate risk). Meta-analytic techniques were used to analyze the data. We identified 11 studies that included a total of 39 044 patients. The studies included patients after recent myocardial infarction, those with an implanted cardioverter defibrillator, and patients with heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, and hypercholesterolemia. The average dose of EPA/DHA was 1.8 +/- 1.2 g/day and the mean duration of follow-up was 2.2 +/- 1.2 years. Dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular deaths (odds ratio [OR]: 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.79-0.95, p = 0.002), sudden cardiac death (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.76-0.99, p = 0.04), all-cause mortality (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85-0.99, p = 0.02), and nonfatal cardiovascular events (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85-0.99, p = 0.02). The mortality benefit was