JAMA cardiology
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Multicenter Study
Association of Coronary Artery Calcium in Adults Aged 32 to 46 Years With Incident Coronary Heart Disease and Death.
Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, prognostic data on CAC are limited in younger adults. ⋯ The presence of CAC among individuals aged between 32 and 46 years was associated with increased risk of fatal and nonfatal CHD during 12.5 years of follow-up. A CAC score of 100 or more was associated with early death. Adults younger than 50 years with any CAC, even with very low scores, identified on a computed tomographic scan are at elevated risk of clinical CHD, CVD, and death. Selective use of screening for CAC might be considered in individuals with risk factors in early adulthood to inform discussions about primary prevention.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Quality-of-Life Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in an Unselected Population: A Report From the STS/ACC Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry.
In clinical trials, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been shown to improve symptoms and quality of life. As this technology moves into general clinical practice, evaluation of the health status outcomes among unselected patients treated with TAVR is of critical importance. ⋯ In a national, contemporary clinical practice cohort of unselected patients, improvement in health status after TAVR was similar to that seen in the pivotal clinical trials. Although the health status results were favorable for most patients, approximately 1 in 3 still had a poor outcome 1 year after TAVR. Continued efforts are needed to improve patient selection and procedural/postprocedural care to maximize health status outcomes of this evolving therapy.
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Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR) is an underrecognized cause of heart failure (HF) in older individuals, owing in part to difficulty in diagnosis. ATTR can result from substitution of valine for isoleucine at codon 122 of the transthyretin (TTR) gene (V122I), present in 3.43% of African American individuals. ⋯ A prediction model using circulating RBP4 concentration and readily available clinical parameters accurately discriminated ATTR V122I amyloidosis from nonamyloid HF in a case-matched cohort. This clinical algorithm may be useful for identification of ATTR V122I amyloidosis in elderly African American patients with HF.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Absolute Rates of Heart Failure, Coronary Heart Disease, and Stroke in Chronic Kidney Disease: An Analysis of 3 Community-Based Cohort Studies.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Understanding the relative contributions of cardiovascular disease event types to the excess burden of cardiovascular disease is important for developing effective strategies to improve outcomes. ⋯ Among 3 diverse community-based cohorts, CKD was associated with an increased risk of HF that was similar in magnitude to CHD and greater than stroke. The excess risk of HF associated with CKD was particularly large among African American and Hispanic individuals. Efforts to improve health outcomes for patients with CKD should prioritize HF in addition to CHD prevention.
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The joint American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association (AHA), and Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) guidelines on the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) are used extensively to guide patient care. ⋯ Some aspects of the quality of evidence underlying AHA/ACC/HRS AF guidelines have improved over time. However, the use of level of evidence A remains low and has not increased since 2001. These findings highlight the need for focused and pragmatic randomized studies on the clinical management of AF.