Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a common inflammatory skin disease. The disease has been associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, but the risk of CV disease in patients with HS is unknown.
...To investigate CV risk in patients with HS.
A population-based cohort study was conducted from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2011, using individual-level linkage of nationwide administrative registers. In a study population of 35 368 Danish individuals, 5964 patients aged 18 years or older with a hospital-based diagnosis of HS (cases) were matched 1:5 on age, sex, and calendar time with 29 404 individuals serving as controls.
Outcomes were myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, CV-associated death, major adverse CV events (MACEs), and all-cause mortality. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated by Poisson regression.
The 5964 patients with HS had a mean (SD) age of 37.7 (11.7) years; 4346 (72.9%) were women. In this sample, a total of 62 (42 749.0 person-years) MIs, 74 (42 647.8 person-years) ischemic strokes, 63 (42 941.7 person-years) CV-associated deaths, 169 (42 463.5 person-years) MACEs, and 231 (42 941.7 person-years) all-cause deaths occurred during follow-up. Adjusted (age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking, comorbidity, and medication) IRRs (95% CIs) were 1.57 (1.14-2.17) for MI, 1.33 (1.01-1.76) for ischemic stroke, 1.95 (1.42-2.67) for CV-associated death, 1.53 (1.27-1.86) for MACEs, and 1.35 (1.15-1.59) for all-cause mortality. When patients with severe psoriasis were used as controls, the adjusted IRRs in patients with HS were 1.00 (0.74-1.35) for MI, 0.93 (0.71-1.22) for ischemic stroke, 1.58 (1.17-2.12) for CV-associated death, 1.08 (0.90-1.29) for MACEs, and 1.09 (0.94-1.28) for all-cause mortality.
Hidradenitis suppurativa was associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse CV outcomes and all-cause mortality independent of measured confounders. The risk of CV-associated death was higher in patients with HS compared with the risk in those with severe psoriasis. The results call for increased awareness of this association and for studies of its clinical consequences.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are effective, widely used analgesics. For the past 2 decades, considerable attention has been focused on their cardiovascular safety. After early ...studies indicating an association between NSAID use and increased risks of heart failure and elevated blood pressure, subsequent studies found a link between NSAID use and an increased risk of thrombotic events. Selective cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) inhibitors (also known as coxibs) have been associated with the greatest risk of adverse vascular effects but concern also relates to non-selective NSAIDs, especially those with strong COX2 inhibition such as diclofenac. Although NSAID use is discouraged in patients with cardiovascular disease, pain-relief medication is often required and, in the absence of analgesics that are at least as effective but safer, NSAIDs are frequently prescribed. Furthermore, non-prescription use of NSAIDs, even among people with underlying cardiovascular risks, is largely unsupervised and varies widely between countries. As concern mounts about the disadvantages of alternatives to NSAIDs (such as opioids) for pain management, the use of NSAIDs is likely to rise. Given that the pharmaceutical development pipeline lacks new analgesics, health-care professionals, patients and medicine regulatory authorities are focused on optimizing the safe use of NSAIDs. In this Review, we summarize the current evidence on the cardiovascular safety of NSAIDs and present an approach for their use in the context of holistic pain management.
Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of thrombosis and bleeding according to multiple antithrombotic treatment regimens in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients after ...myocardial infarction (MI) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background The optimal antithrombotic treatment strategy is unresolved in patients with multiple indications. Methods A total of 12,165 AF patients hospitalized with MI and/or undergoing PCI between 2001 and 2009 were identified by nationwide registries (60.7% male; mean age 75.6 years). Risk of MI/coronary death, ischemic stroke, and bleeding according to antithrombotic treatment regimen was estimated by Cox regression models. Results Within 1 year, MI or coronary death, ischemic stroke, and bleeding events occurred in 2,255 patients (18.5%), 680 (5.6%), and 769 (6.3%), respectively. Relative to triple therapy (oral anticoagulation OAC plus aspirin plus clopidogrel), no increased risk of recurrent coronary events was seen for OAC plus clopidogrel (hazard ratio HR: 0.69, 95% confidence interval CI: 0.48 to 1.00), OAC plus aspirin (HR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.77 to 1.19), or aspirin plus clopidogrel (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.96 to 1.42), but aspirin plus clopidogrel was associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.03 to 2.20). Also, OAC plus aspirin and aspirin plus clopidogrel were associated with a significant increased risk of all-cause death (HR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.99 and HR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.25 to 2.05, respectively). When compared to triple therapy, bleeding risk was nonsignificantly lower for OAC plus clopidogrel (HR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.55 to 1.12) and significantly lower for OAC plus aspirin and aspirin plus clopidogrel. Conclusions In real-life AF patients with indication for multiple antithrombotic drugs after MI/PCI, OAC and clopidogrel was equal or better on both benefit and safety outcomes compared to triple therapy.
Dispatching citizen responders through a smartphone application (app) holds the potential to increase bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac ...arrest (OHCA).
This study investigated arrival at the OHCA location of app-dispatched citizen responders before the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the association with bystander CPR and bystander defibrillation.
Suspected OHCAs with alerted citizen responders from September 1, 2017, to August 31, 2018, were included. Citizen responders located 1.8 km (1.1 miles) from the OHCA were dispatched to start CPR or retrieve an automated external defibrillator. OHCAs where at least 1 citizen responder arrived before EMS were compared with OHCAs where EMS arrived first. In both groups, random bystanders could be present before the arrival of citizen responders and the EMS. Primary outcomes were bystander CPR and bystander defibrillation, which included CPR and defibrillation by citizen responders and random bystanders.
Citizen responders were alerted in 819 suspected OHCAs, of which 438 (53.5%) were confirmed cardiac arrests eligible for inclusion. At least 1 citizen responder arrived before EMS in 42.0% (n = 184) of all included OHCAs. When citizen responders arrived before EMS, the odds for bystander CPR increased (odds ratio: 1.76; 95% confidence interval: 1.07 to 2.91; p = 0.027) and the odds for bystander defibrillation more than tripled (odds ratio: 3.73; 95% confidence interval: 2.04 to 6.84; p < 0.001) compared with OHCAs in which citizen responders arrived after EMS.
Arrival of app-dispatched citizen responders before EMS was associated with increased odds for bystander CPR and a more than 3-fold increase in odds for bystander defibrillation. (The HeartRunner Trial; NCT03835403)
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It has been hypothesized that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may make patients more susceptible to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to ...worse outcomes through upregulation of the functional receptor of the virus, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2.
To examine whether use of ACEI/ARBs was associated with COVID-19 diagnosis and worse outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
To examine outcomes among patients with COVID-19, a retrospective cohort study using data from Danish national administrative registries was conducted. Patients with COVID-19 from February 22 to May 4, 2020, were identified using ICD-10 codes and followed up from day of diagnosis to outcome or end of study period (May 4, 2020). To examine susceptibility to COVID-19, a Cox regression model with a nested case-control framework was used to examine the association between use of ACEI/ARBs vs other antihypertensive drugs and the incidence rate of a COVID-19 diagnosis in a cohort of patients with hypertension from February 1 to May 4, 2020.
ACEI/ARB use was defined as prescription fillings 6 months prior to the index date.
In the retrospective cohort study, the primary outcome was death, and a secondary outcome was a composite outcome of death or severe COVID-19. In the nested case-control susceptibility analysis, the outcome was COVID-19 diagnosis.
In the retrospective cohort study, 4480 patients with COVID-19 were included (median age, 54.7 years interquartile range, 40.9-72.0; 47.9% men). There were 895 users (20.0%) of ACEI/ARBs and 3585 nonusers (80.0%). In the ACEI/ARB group, 18.1% died within 30 days vs 7.3% in the nonuser group, but this association was not significant after adjustment for age, sex, and medical history (adjusted hazard ratio HR, 0.83 95% CI, 0.67-1.03). Death or severe COVID-19 occurred in 31.9% of ACEI/ARB users vs 14.2% of nonusers by 30 days (adjusted HR, 1.04 95% CI, 0.89-1.23). In the nested case-control analysis of COVID-19 susceptibility, 571 patients with COVID-19 and prior hypertension (median age, 73.9 years; 54.3% men) were compared with 5710 age- and sex-matched controls with prior hypertension but not COVID-19. Among those with COVID-19, 86.5% used ACEI/ARBs vs 85.4% of controls; ACEI/ARB use compared with other antihypertensive drugs was not significantly associated with higher incidence of COVID-19 (adjusted HR, 1.05 95% CI, 0.80-1.36).
Prior use of ACEI/ARBs was not significantly associated with COVID-19 diagnosis among patients with hypertension or with mortality or severe disease among patients diagnosed as having COVID-19. These findings do not support discontinuation of ACEI/ARB medications that are clinically indicated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The prevalence of both atrial fibrillation (AF) and malignancies are increasing in the elderly, but incidences of new onset AF in different cancer subtypes are not well described.The objectives of ...this study were therefore to determine the incidence of AF in different cancer subtypes and to examine the association of cancer and future AF.
Using national databases, the Danish general population was followed from 2000 until 2012. Every individual aged > 18 years and with no history of cancer or AF prior to study start was included. Incidence rates of new onset AF were identified and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of AF in cancer patients were calculated in an adjusted Poisson regression model.
A total of 4,324,545 individuals were included in the study. Cancer was diagnosed in 316,040 patients. The median age of the cancer population was 67.0 year and 51.5% were females. Incidences of AF were increased in all subtypes of cancer. For overall cancer, the incidence was 17.4 per 1000 person years (PY) vs 3.7 per 1000 PY in the general population and the difference increased with age. The covariate adjusted IRR for AF in overall cancer was 1.46 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.44-1.48). The strength of the association declined with time from cancer diagnosis (IRR
= 3.41 (3.29-3.54), (IRR-
= 1.57 (CI 1.50-1.64) and (IRR
= 1.12 (CI 1.09-1.15).
In this nationwide cohort study we observed that all major cancer subtypes were associated with an increased incidence of AF. Further, cancer and AF might be independently associated.
Patients with skin disorders are considered at a higher risk of depression and anxiety than the background population. Patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) may be particularly affected. We ...explored the association between HS and depression, anxiety, and completed suicides in the Danish national registries, expanding to include data on suicidal behavior, using both a cross-sectional and a cohort study design. Both designs included 7,732 patients with HS and a background population of 4,354,137. The cohort study revealed that HS patients had an increased risk of completed suicide after adjustment for confounding factors (11 per 7,732 vs. 2,904 per 4,354,137) (hazard ratio 95% confidence interval = 2.42 1.07−5.45; P = 0.0334) and an increased risk of antidepressant drug use (1.30 1.17−1.45; P < 0.0001). In contrast to previous studies, the cross-sectional baseline data revealed nonsignificant association with depression (odds ratio 95% confidence interval = 1.13; 0.87−1.47; P = 0.36 and hospitalization due to depression (1.32 0.94−1.85; P = 0.1083). To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have reported on the increased risk of completed suicide among HS patients. The increased risk of completed suicide is not solely explained by lifestyle and demographic differences and the results highlight the profound impact HS has on the lives of patients with this often devastating disease.
The cumulative burden and importance of cardiovascular risk factors have changed over the past decades. Specifically, obesity rates have increased among younger people, whereas cardiovascular health ...has improved in the elderly. Little is known regarding how these changes have impacted the incidence and the mortality rates of heart failure. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the age-specific trends in the incidence and 1-year mortality rates following a first-time diagnosis of heart failure in Denmark between 1995 and 2012.
We included all Danish individuals >18 years of age with a first-time in-hospital diagnosis of heart failure. Data were collected from 3 nationwide Danish registries. Annual incidence rates of heart failure and 1-year standardized mortality rates were calculated under the assumption of a Poisson distribution.
We identified 210 430 individuals with a first-time diagnosis of heart failure between 1995 and 2012; the annual incidence rates per 10 000 person-years declined among older individuals (rates in 1995 versus 2012: 164 versus 115 in individuals >74 years, 63 versus 35 in individuals 65-74 years, and 20 versus 17 in individuals 55-64 years;
<0.0001 for all) but increased among the younger (0.4 versus 0.7 in individuals 18-34 years, 1.3 versus 2.0 in individuals 35-44 years, and 5.0 versus 6.4 in individuals 45-54 years;
<0.0001 for all). The proportion of patients with incident heart failure ≤50 years of age doubled from 3% in 1995 to 6% in 2012 (
<0.0001). Sex- and age-adjusted incidence rate ratios for 2012 versus 1996 were 0.69 (95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.71;
<0.0001) among people >50 years of age, and 1.52 (95% confidence interval, 1.33-1.73;
<0.0001) among individuals ≤50 years of age; it remained essentially unchanged on additional adjustment for diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension. Standardized 1-year mortality rates declined for middle-aged patients with heart failure but remained constant for younger (<45 years) and elderly (≥65 years) patients. The prevalence of comorbidities (including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation) increased, especially in younger patients with heart failure.
Over the past 2 decades, the incidence of heart failure in Denmark declined among older individuals (>50 years), but increased among younger (≤50 years) individuals. These observations may portend a rising burden of heart failure in the community.
Patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) are considered at high risk of infective endocarditis (IE). However, data on the risk of IE following transcatheter aortic valve ...replacement (TAVR) are sparse and limited by the lack of long-term follow-up as well as a direct comparison with patients undergoing SAVR.
This study sought to investigate the long-term incidence of IE in patients undergoing TAVR and to compare the long-term risk of IE with patients undergoing isolated SAVR.
In this nationwide observational cohort study, all patients undergoing TAVR and isolated SAVR from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2016, with no history of IE and alive at discharge were identified using data from Danish nationwide registries.
A total of 2,632 patients undergoing TAVR and 3,777 patients undergoing isolated SAVR were identified. During a mean follow-up of 3.6 years, 115 patients (4.4%) with TAVR and 186 patients (4.9%) with SAVR were admitted with IE. The median time from procedure to IE hospitalization was 352 days (25th to 75th percentile: 133 to 778 days) in the TAVR group and 625 days (25th to 75th percentile: 209 to 1,385 days) in the SAVR group. The crude incidence rates of IE were 1.6 (95% confidence interval CI: 1.4 to 1.9) and 1.2 (95% CI: 1.0 to 1.4) events per 100 person-years in TAVR and SAVR patients, respectively. The cumulative 1-year risk of IE was 2.3% (95% CI: 1.8% to 2.9%) and 1.8% (95% CI: 1.4% to 2.3%) in TAVR and SAVR patients, respectively. Correspondingly, the cumulative 5-year risk of IE was 5.8% (95% CI: 4.7% to 7.0%) and 5.1% (95% CI: 4.4% to 6.0%), respectively. In multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, TAVR was not associated with a statistically significant different risk of IE compared with SAVR (hazard ratio: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.84 to 1.49).
The 5-year incidence of IE following TAVR was 5.8% and not significantly different than the incidence following SAVR.
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