Journal of the American Heart Association

ObjectiveTo examine the association between Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) and subclinical myocardial injury (SCMI), and their combined impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the general population. MethodsThis analysis included 7,093 participants without CVD from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. AIP was calculated as the logarithmic ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol. Participants were stratified into low or high AIP groups based on the median ...

BackgroundDespite guideline recommendations for optimal medical therapy (OMT) in the secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease (IHD)--including antiplatelets, statins, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi), and {beta}-blockers--substantial sex disparities in OMT utilization persist. The extent to which national efforts have mitigated these disparities in contemporary cohorts remains unclear. MethodsWe analyzed data from the 2011-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examinat...

BackgroundThe impact of very low baseline levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) on patients with coronary artery disease remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with low baseline LDL-C levels who had undergone coronary revascularization. MethodsWe enrolled 39439 patients of the pooled population from the CREDO-Kyoto registries Cohorts 1, 2, and 3. After excluding 6306 patients with missing baseline LDL-C ...

BackgroundAlthough many studies on the association between dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD) exist in older adults, data on the association among adolescents and young adults living with disproportionate burden of cardiometabolic disorders are scarce. MethodsThe Strong Heart Family Study (SHFS) is a multi-center, family-based, prospective cohort study of CVD in American Indians, including 12 communities in central Arizona, southwestern Oklahoma, and the Dakotas. We evaluated SHFS pa...

BackgroundPoor R-wave progression (PRWP) on the 12-lead electrocardiogram has been linked to adverse outcomes. Its prognostic value in a contemporary, multi-ethnic population without baseline coronary artery disease (CAD) is unclear. MethodsWe analyzed 6,323 adults (mean age 61.9{+/-}10.2 years; 54% women) from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis after excluding pre-excitation, major conduction disease, Q-wave infarction, and missing covariates. PRWP was defined as R-wave amplitude [≤]...

BACKGROUNDThe atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), calculated as log (triglycerides / high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), has emerged as a novel marker for assessing atherogenic risk and cardiometabolic health. However, the relationship between AIP and the risks of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and all-cause mortality in early adulthood remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the association of AIP with CVD and all-cause mortality in a large-scale cohort. METHODSA total of 41,82...

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to investigate the hypertension and arterial stiffness (AS) in predicting future atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. Methods: We included 6530 participants from Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital. AS was assessed by measuring brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and participants were stratified into two groups: ASCVD[&ge;]10% or ASCVD<10% by a risk threshold of 10%. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional ris...

BackgroundCurrent guidelines recommend a blood pressure (BP) goal [&le;]130/80 mm Hg in peripheral artery disease (PAD) even though few PAD patients were enrolled in the landmark BP-lowering trials. Moreover, intensive BP control can worsen limb perfusion and none of the trials adjudicated limb events. MethodsUsing data from a longitudinal registry of US Veterans, we identified 91,296 patients (>2.7 million BP values) with a new diagnosis of PAD during 2015-2020. Multivariable Cox regression mo...

BackgroundExtracellular volume (ECV) and native T1 time (nT1) are markers of interstitial-myocardial-fibrosis (IMF) by cardiac MRI (CMR) and are associated with CV events, heart failure and death. However, the association between smoking and IMF at the population level has not been explored. ObjectivesThis study investigated the relationship between smoking and IMF by CMR, as well as the sex differences of this association in the MESA cohort. MethodsA total of 2118 participants (53% women) had...

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases exponentially with age, largely due to vascular aging. We explored how dietary behaviors (sucrose, fructose, sodium, and potassium consumption) and endured psychological stress in young adult males and females impact the vascular aging index (VAI) and CVD risk by mid-life. MethodsData were obtained from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study, an ongoing longitudinal study. Included participants (n=2,656) had undergone car...

BackgroundAbdominal aortic calcification (AAC), a critical marker for cardiovascular disease, is strongly correlated with metabolic disorders like diabetes and hypertension. Recent studies have highlighted the Monocyte-to-High Density Lipoprotein Ratio (MHR) as a potential biomarker for assessing the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Methods and ResultsThis cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2013-2014, focus...

BACKGROUNDTo assess the correlation between regional body fat and cardiovascular diseases in middle-aged and young adults. METHODSInformation on the regional body fat, including the mass and percentage of fat in the head, arms, trunk, and legs, was collected. Data for the observational study were derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2018. The relationship between exposure and outcomes was primarily assessed using restricted cubic splines (RCS), weighted multiva...

BackgroundLifes Essential 8 (LE8) are the key health behaviors and factors for improving and maintaining cardiovascular health, as defined by the American Heart Association. However, despite the association of cardiovascular diseases with inflammation, LE8 does not include inflammatory markers as a component. We analyzed the longitudinal association of LE8 components and inflammatory measures with health outcomes among a community-based population. MethodsBaseline LE8 metrics and inflammatory m...

BackgroundInformation on reproductive experiences and awareness of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among pregnancy-capable and post-menopausal individuals has not been well described. We sought to evaluate preconception health and APO awareness in a large population-based registry. MethodsData from the Fertility and Pregnancy Survey of the American Heart Association Research Goes Red Registry (AHA-RGR) were used. Responses to questions pertaining to prena...

Background & AimsObesity is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis, though recent evidence shows conflicting results. This study aimed to evaluate whether obesity or its associated metabolic abnormalities play a more significant role in atherosclerosis development in a primary care population. MethodsA cross-sectional study using data from the Cardiometabolic Risk Factor Registry (CARFARE) at Hospital Universitario Austral included adults undergoing their first healthcare visit fo...

BackgroundData remain sparse regarding the impact of chronic stress on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and outcomes. Prior work has been limited by incomplete assessments of perceived stress and focus on single stress domains. We evaluated the association between a composite measure of perceived stress and CVD risk factors and outcomes. MethodsParticipants from the Dallas Heart Study phase 2 (2007-2009) without prevalent CVD who completed questionnaire assessments of perceived stress ...

ObjectiveTo characterize trends in prevalence of ASCVD, risk-factor control and medication use among adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), with frequent update of relevant guidelines. Patients and MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from 55,081 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 1999-2018. ResultsThe age-standardized prevalence of ASCVD did not change significantly from 1999-2002 (7.9%, CI 7.1%-8.7%) to 2015-2018 (7...

BackgroundThe Minima Stent System is the first stent designed, tested, and FDA-approved for use in neonates, infants, and children. Our objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Minima implantation for pulmonary artery stenosis (PAS) and coarctation of the aorta (CoA). MethodsMulticenter, single-arm, prospective, non-randomized trial. Primary endpoints included stenosis relief, freedom from device-related serious adverse events (SAEs) or surgical intervention through 6-months, and ma...

BackgroundChronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI) is the most severe form of peripheral artery disease (PAD) and is associated with poor patient outcomes and increased healthcare costs. While racial, socioeconomic, and other healthcare disparities are widely recognized to influence the management of CLTI, the extent of the role they play is still an area of intense investigation. MethodsWe analyzed data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to identify all patients [&ge;]18 years of age adm...

BackgroundIn European cohorts, a higher Mediterranean diet or Lifes Simple 7 (LS7) score abolished or attenuated the risk associated with increasing Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] on cardiovascular outcomes. This is unstudied in US cohorts. The impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on the association of Lp(a) with cardiovascular outcomes remains unstudied. We sought to test if a SDOH score and LS7 score impacts the association of Lp(a) with myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke. MethodsObservat...