Objective: To investigate the effects of different types of heart failure on long-term renal prognosis in patients with renal insufficiency and heart failure. Methods: The patients with renal insufficiency [baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 ml·min^-1·(1.73 m²)^-1] and heart failure followed-up for more than 2 years and hospitalized in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. The patients were divided into three groups based on the baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF, LVEF < 40%) group, heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF, 40% ≤ LVEF < 50%) group, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF, LVEF ≥ 50%) group. Clinical data were collected and endpoint events (adverse renal outcome: the composite outcome of all-cause death or worsening renal function) were recorded through the electronic medical record system. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the incidence of endpoint events of different heart failure subgroups. Cox regression model was performed to analyze the risk factors of endpoint events. Results: A total of 228 patients with renal insufficiency complicated with heart failure were included, with age of (68.14±14.21) years old and 138 males (60.5%). There were 85 patients (37.3%) in the HFrEF group, 40 patients (17.5%) in the HFmrEF group, and 103 patients (45.2%) in the HFpEF group. There were statistically significant differences in age, proportion of age > 65 years old, sex distribution, systolic blood pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, serum sodium, serum calcium, hemoglobin, serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, serum uric acid, troponin I, hypersensitive C-reactive protein, LVEF, ventricular septal thickness, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, B-type natriuretic peptide, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and proportions of using beta blockers, using spirolactone, myocardial infarction, hypertension, cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation (all P < 0.05). During the median follow-up of 36.0 (28.0, 46.0) months, 73 patients (32.0%) had adverse renal outcomes. The total incidences of adverse renal outcomes were 32.9% (28/85) in the HFrEF group, 35.0% (14/40) in the HFmrEF group, and 30.1% (31/103) in the HFpEF group. Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that there was no significant difference in the incidence of endpoint events among the three groups (log-rank test χ²=0.17, P=0.680). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HFpEF (HFrEF as reference, HR=2.430, 95% CI 1.055-5.596, P=0.037) was an independent influencing factor of endpoint events. Conclusions: The long-term renal prognosis of patients with renal insufficiency and heart failure is poor. Compared with HFrEF, HFpEF is an independent risk factor of poor long-term renal prognosis in renal insufficiency patients with heart failure.
Male ; Humans ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Heart Failure/epidemiology* ; Stroke Volume/physiology* ; Ventricular Function, Left/physiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Uric Acid ; Prognosis ; Renal Insufficiency/epidemiology* ; Kidney/physiology* ; Cholesterol

BACKGROUND: Previous cardiovascular risk prediction models in Japan have utilized prospective cohort studies with concise data. As the health information including health check-up records and administrative claims becomes digitalized and publicly available, application of large datasets based on such real-world data can achieve prediction accuracy and support social implementation of cardiovascular disease risk prediction models in preventive and clinical practice. In this study, classical regression and machine learning methods were explored to develop ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke prognostic models using real-world data. METHODS: IQVIA Japan Claims Database was searched to include 691,160 individuals (predominantly corporate employees and their families working in secondary and tertiary industries) with at least one annual health check-up record during the identification period (April 2013-December 2018). The primary outcome of the study was the first recorded IHD or stroke event. Predictors were annual health check-up records at the index year-month, comprising demographic characteristics, laboratory tests, and questionnaire features. Four prediction models (Cox, Elnet-Cox, XGBoost, and Ensemble) were assessed in the present study to develop a cardiovascular disease risk prediction model for Japan. RESULTS: The analysis cohort consisted of 572,971 invididuals. All prediction models showed similarly good performance. The Harrell's C-index was close to 0.9 for all IHD models, and above 0.7 for stroke models. In IHD models, age, sex, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure had higher importance, while in stroke models systolic blood pressure and age had higher importance. CONCLUSION Our study analyzed classical regression and machine learning algorithms to develop cardiovascular disease risk prediction models for IHD and stroke in Japan that can be applied to practical use in a large population with predictive accuracy.
Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Stroke/etiology* ; Myocardial Ischemia/epidemiology* ; Risk Assessment/methods*

Objective: To describe the prevalence of alcohol consumption and the burden of hemorrhagic stroke and hypertensive heart disease attributed to alcohol consumption in adults aged ≥20 years in 31 provinces in China from 2005 to 2018. Methods: Data from several national representative surveys was used to estimate provincial alcohol exposure level of adults aged ≥20 years from 2005 to 2018 by using kriging interpolation and locally weighted regression methods. Global disease burden research method and data, and China's death cause surveillance data were used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF) of hemorrhagic stroke and hypertensive heart disease and the deaths due to alcohol consumption in men and women aged ≥20 years in 31 provinces in China. China census data of 2010 were used to calculate the attributable standardized mortality rate. Results: In 2005 and 2018, the prevalence of alcohol consumption was 58.7% (95%CI: 57.8%-59.5%) and 58.4% (95%CI: 57.6%-59.3%), respectively, in men and 17.0% (95%CI: 16.6%-17.4%) and 18.7% (95%CI:18.1%-19.3%), respectively, in women. The daily alcohol intake was 24.6 (95%CI: 23.8-25.3) g and 27.7 (95%CI: 26.8-28.7) g, respectively, in men and 6.3 (95%CI: 6.0-6.5) g and 5.3 (95%CI: 5.0-5.6) g, respectively, in women. Alcohol exposure level was higher in the provinces in central and eastern China than in western provinces. The lowest exposure level was found in northwestern provinces. From 2005 to 2018, the PAF of hemorrhagic stroke death due to alcohol consumption increased from 5.5% to 6.8%, the attributable deaths increased from 50 200 to 59 100, while the PAF of hypertensive heart disease death due to alcohol consumption increased from 7.0% to 7.7%, the attributable deaths increased from 15 200 to 29 300. The PAF of hypertensive heart disease and hemorrhagic stroke was higher in men than in women, and in central and eastern provinces than in western provinces. In 2018, the standardized mortality rates of hemorrhagic stroke and hypertensive heart disease attributed to alcohol consumption were 4.58/100 000 and 2.11/100 000, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of alcohol consumption in men and daily alcohol intake of drinkers were relatively high in China, especially in eastern provinces. Alcohol exposure level was lower in women than in men. Regional measures should be taken to reduce the alcohol intakes in men and current drinkers in order to reduce the health problems caused by alcohol consumption.
Adult ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Hemorrhagic Stroke ; Hypertension/epidemiology* ; Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology* ; Heart Diseases/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology*

BACKGROUND: Preliminary studies have indicated that Shexiang Baoxin Pill (MUSKARDIA) has a coronary artery dilation effect and increases the coronary blood flow, relieving the symptoms of angina. This study aimed to evaluate the benefit of MUSKARDIA on patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: This was a subgroup analysis of a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled phase IV trial. CAD patients with a medical history of DM or baseline fasting blood glucose (FBG) ≥7.0 mmol/L were grouped according to the treatment (standard therapy plus MUSKARDIA or placebo). The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), which was the composite outcome of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and non-fatal stroke. The secondary outcome was the composite outcome of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, hospitalization for unstable angina or heart failure, and coronary angioplasty. RESULTS: MACEs occurred in 2.6% (9/340) and 4.8% (18/376) of patients in the MUSKARDIA and placebo groups, respectively ( P  = 0.192). Secondary composite outcome was significantly less frequent with MUSKARDIA than with placebo (15.3% [52/340] vs . 22.6% [85/376], P  = 0.017). Risk of MACEs (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31-1.57) was comparable between two groups. In patients with uncontrolled DM (≥4 measurements of FBG ≥7 mmol/L in five times of follow-up), the risk of secondary outcome was significantly lower with MUSKARDIA (5/83, 6.0%) than with placebo (15/91, 16.5%) (HR = 0.35, 95%CI: 0.13-0.95). CONCLUSION: As an add-on to standard therapy, MUSKARDIA shows a trend of reduced MACEs in patients with stable CAD and DM. Furthermore, MUSKARDIA may reduce the frequency of all-cause death, hospitalization, and coronary angioplasty in this population, especially in those with uncontrolled DM. TRIAL REGISTRATION ChiCTR.org.cn, ChiCTR-TRC-12003513.
Humans ; Coronary Artery Disease/complications* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Myocardial Infarction/complications* ; Stroke/epidemiology*

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study is to investigate whether acupuncture could be an effective complementary treatment for reducing the risk of macrovascular complications in diabetic patients currently taking antidiabetic medications using a nationwide population-based database. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the efficacy of acupuncture on cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients using data from patients between 40 and 79 years of age, newly diagnosed with diabetes between 2003 and 2006, found in the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) in Korea. From the data, we identified 21,232 diabetic patients who were taking antidiabetic medication between 2003 and 2006. The selected patients were divided into two groups-those who received acupuncture at least three times and those who received no acupuncture (non-acupuncture) in the year following their diagnosis of diabetes. After 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), each group had 3350 patients, and the observation ceased at the occurrence of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), which was defined as either myocardial infarction, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular cause. RESULTS: After PSM, the acupuncture group had a lower incidence of MACE (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.81-0.94; P = 0.0003) and all-cause mortality (HR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.70-0.84; P < 0.0001) than the non-acupuncture group; the HRs for stroke-related mortality (HR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.56-1.00; P = 0.0485), ischemic heart disease mortality (HR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.34-0.84; P = 0.006) and circulatory system disease mortality (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.55-0.82; P < 0.0001) were lower in the acupuncture group than in the non-acupuncture group in the secondary analysis. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that diabetic patients receiving acupuncture treatment might have a lower risk of MACE, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. This population-based retrospective study suggests beneficial effects of acupuncture in preventing macrovascular complications associated with diabetes. These findings call for further prospective cohort or experimental studies on acupuncture treatment for cardiovascular complications of diabetes. Please cite this article as: Jung H, Won T, Kim GY, Jang J, Yeo S, Lim S. Efficacy of acupuncture on cardiovascular complications in patients with diabetes mellitus in Korea: A nationwide retrospective cohort. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(2): 176-183.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Stroke/complications* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology*

Being the leading cause of death among both urban and rural residents in Hunan Province, China, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases hold a significant position in the region's public health landscape. Their prevalence and impact not only underscore the urgency of effective disease prevention and control but also provide crucial guidance for future initiatives. Consequently, the Hunan Province Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Health and Disease Report Summary (2020) hereinafter referred to as the "Annual Report", serves as an extensive and informative document. It meticulously examines the current status of these diseases, highlighting both the existing challenges and opportunities for prevention and control efforts in Hunan Province. The primary objective of this report is to furnish valuable insights and evidence that will empower and enrich future endeavors aimed at combatting cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases within the region. In 2017, the year of life expectancy lost due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in Hunan Province remained higher than the national average. Additionally, the per capita life expectancy in 2019 (77.1 years) was slightly lower by 0.2 years compared with the national average (77.3 years). Alarmingly, the mortality rates associated with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were consistently ranking highest, indicating an upward trajectory. Moreover, the prevalence and mortality rates of conditions such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and stroke, all encompassed within the domain of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, surpassed the national averages. Consequently, the economic burden attributable to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases is on the rise. And under vertical comparison, in 2019, the life expectancy per capita in Hunan Province increased by 1.26 years compared with 2015. The incidence rate of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events decreased by 8.34% compared with 2017. A new model of hypertension medical and preventive integration has been established with the efforts of many experts in Hunan Province, and full coverage of standardised outpatient clinics for hypertension at the grassroots level has been realised. The rate of standardised management of patients with hypertension under management in Changsha County, a demonstration area, rose to 65.27%, and the incidence rate of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, the incidence rate of stroke, and the mortality rate due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events were reduced by 28.08%, 28.62%, and 25.00%, respectively. Hunan Province has made significant strides in the prevention and control of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in recent years.
Humans ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/epidemiology* ; Life Expectancy ; Incidence ; Stroke/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Hypertension

OBJECTIVES: Stroke has become the leading cause of death and disability among adults in China. This study aims to analyze the disease burden based on gender and age and the risk factors for stroke subtypes in China 2019, and to provide reference for targeted stroke prevention and control. METHODS: Based on 2019 data of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), the gender and age in patients with different stroke subtypes (ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage) in China 2019 was described by using disability-adjusted life years (DALY), and attributable burden of related risk factors was analyzed. RESULTS: In 2019, the burden of intracranial hemorrhage was the heaviest one in China, resulting in 22.210 6 million person years of DALY, following by ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage, resulting in 21.393 9 and 2.344 7 million person years of DALY, respectively. Among them, except the 0-14 age group, the disease burden of different subtypes of stroke in men was higher than that in women. The disease burden of ischemic stroke was increased with age in both men and women, with the heaviest disease burden in ≥70 years group. The disease burden of intracranial hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage was the heaviest in males aged 50-69 years old, and in females aged ≥70 years and 50-69 years, respectively. Metabolic factors were the main risk factors in all ages of different stroke subtypes, and the most important risk factor was high systolic blood pressure. Other risk factors were different between men and women. Smoking, high body mass index, high low-density lipoprotein, and outdoor particulate matter pollution were the main risk factors for stroke in men, while high body mass index, outdoor particulate matter pollution, and high fasting blood glucose were the main risk factors of stroke in women. The main risk were different among different age groups. CONCLUSIONS The burden and attributable risk factors for different stroke subtypes are discrepancy in different gender and age groups. Targeted interventions should be conducted in the future to reduce the burden of stroke.
Male ; Adult ; Humans ; Female ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Adolescent ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage/epidemiology* ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Cost of Illness ; Stroke/etiology* ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology* ; Particulate Matter ; Ischemic Stroke ; Intracranial Hemorrhages/etiology*

BACKGROUND: Understanding the changing profiles of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and modifiable risk factors is essential for CVD prevention and control. We aimed to report the comprehensive trends in CVD and risk factors in China from 1990 to 2019. METHODS: Data on the incidence, death, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of total CVD and its 11 subtypes for China were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The CVD burden attributable to 12 risk factors was also retrieved. A secondary analysis was conducted to summarize the leading causes of CVD burden and attributable risk factors. RESULTS: From 1990 to 2019, the number of CVD incidence, death, and DALYs considerably increased by 132.8%, 89.1%, and 52.6%, respectively. Stroke, ischemic heart disease, and hypertensive heart disease accounted for over 95.0% of CVD deaths in 2019 and remained the top three causes during the past 30 years. Between 1990 and 2019, the age-standardized rate of stroke decreased significantly (percentage of decreased incidence: -9.3%; death: -39.8%; DALYs: -41.6%), while the rate of ischemic heart disease increased (percentage of increased incidence: 11.5%; death: 17.6%; DALYs: 2.2%). High systolic blood pressure, unhealthy diet, tobacco, and air pollution continued to be the major contributors to CVD deaths and DALYs (attributing to over 70% of the CVD burden), and the high body mass index (BMI)-associated CVD burden had the largest increase between 1990 and 2019. CONCLUSIONS The significant increases in the number of CVD incident cases, deaths, and DALYs suggest that the CVD burden is still a concern. Intensified strategies and policies are needed to maintain promising progress in stroke and to reduce the escalating burden of ischemic heart disease. The CVD burden attributable to risk factors has not yet made adequate achievements; even worse, high BMI has contributed to the increasing CVD burden.
Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; Global Burden of Disease ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Risk Factors ; Myocardial Ischemia/epidemiology* ; Stroke/epidemiology*

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis-related diseases represent significant health issues among adults globally. Despite their widespread impact, comprehensive data concerning the global and national burden and trends of these diseases remain sparse. Our objective is to examine the trends in the burden of atherosclerosis among adults from 1990 to 2019 at both global and national levels. METHODS: We reported the average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) in prevalence, incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of atherosclerosis-related diseases (ischemic heart disease [IHD], ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease [PAD]) at the global and national levels among individuals based on a trend analysis of the Global Burden of Diseases Study (GBD) 2019. We further analyzed these global trends as a function of age, gender, and the social development index. We also used joinpoint regression analysis to identify the year with the most substantial changes in global trends. RESULTS: Globally, the AAPC of IHD incidence rose from 1990 to 2019 (0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12-0.28), with substantial surges in 1995, 2001, 2005, 2010, and 2017. Conversely, AAPC of IHD mortality rates exhibited a different trend until a rise in 2014. The AAPC of incidence rates of ischemic stroke and PAD also escalated during the same period, with respective 0.43 (95% CI, 0.39-0.48) and 0.13 (95% CI, 0.06-0.21). For ischemic stroke, both incidence and mortality soared in 2014, while PAD incidence declined in 1994 and 1998, then sharply climbed in 2016. Nationally, the Northern Mariana Islands experienced the steepest increase in IHD and PAD incidence and mortality between 1990 and 2019. China saw a significant rise in ischemic stroke incidence, whereas the highest mortality rate increase occurred in Timor-Leste. By sociodemographic index (SDI) quintile, low-middle-, middle-, and high-middle-SDI countries all showed upward trends in IHD, ischemic stroke, and PAD incidence. Simultaneously, IHD and ischemic stroke mortality rates, as well as DALYs, dropped in the low-, high-middle-, and high-SDI nations. However, PAD mortality rates and DALYs saw an uptick across all SDI quintiles. Regarding age demographics, a global decrease in the AAPC IHD incidence as noted in individuals above 55 years old, in contrast to an increase in the 20-55 age group during this period. AAPC of mortality rates for IHD, ischemic stroke, and PAD decreased across all ages. The AAPC showed an increase in IHD incidence in both genders. Conversely, IHD's DALYs saw a reduction in both males and females. Ischemic stroke patterns mirrored these trends, whereas all measures for PAD exhibited growth for both sexes. CONCLUSIONS From 1990 to 2019, there was an overall increasing trend in the global incidence of all three clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. Between 1990 and 2019, both the mortality rate and DALYs for IHD and ischemic stroke declined across all age groups. Overall, the burden of atherosclerosis-related diseases has not significantly decreased and even shows signs of trending upward. These findings strongly suggest that despite some progress made, efforts to control atherosclerosis diseases globally need to be intensified.
Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Global Burden of Disease ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Atherosclerosis/epidemiology* ; Myocardial Ischemia/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Ischemic Stroke

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a cardiovascular epidemic that occurs primarily in the elderly with primary cardiovascular diseases, leading to severe consequences such as stroke and heart failure. The heart is an energy-consuming organ, which requires a high degree of metabolic flexibility to ensure a quick switch of metabolic substrates to meet its energy needs in response to physiological and pathological stimulation. Metabolism is closely related to the occurrence of AF, and AF patients manifest metabolic inflexibility, such as insulin resistance and the metabolic shift from aerobic metabolism to anaerobic glycolysis. Moreover, our research group and the others have shown that metabolic inflexibility is a crucial pathologic mechanism for AF. Energy metabolism is closely linked to the aging process and aging-related diseases, and impaired metabolic flexibility is considered as an essential driver of aging. Therefore, this review focuses on the alteration of metabolic flexibility in the elderly and reveals that impaired metabolic flexibility may be an important driver for the high prevalence of AF in the elderly, hoping to provide intervention strategies for the prevention and treatment of AF in the elderly.
Humans ; Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation/epidemiology* ; Anticoagulants ; Stroke ; Aging ; Heart Failure