Shaista Malik

Impact of the Metabolic Syndrome on Mortality From Coronary Heart Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, and All Causes in United States Adults

Background—Mortality resulting from coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all causes in persons with diabetes and pre-existing CVD is high; however, these risks compared with those with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are unclear. We examined the impact of MetS on CHD, CVD, and overall mortality among US adults. Methods and Results—In a prospective cohort study, 6255 subjects 30 to 75 years of age (54% female) (representative of 64 million adults in the United States) from the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were followed for a mean±sd of 13.3±3.8 years. MetS was defined by modified National Cholesterol Education Program criteria. From sample-weighted multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression, compared with those with neither MetS nor prior CVD, age-, gender-, and risk factor–adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for CHD mortality were 2.02 (95% CI, 1.42 to 2.89) for those with MetS and 4.19 (95% CI, 3.04 to 5.79) for those with pre-existing CVD. For CVD mortality, HRs were 1.82 (95% CI, 1.40 to 2.37) and 3.14 (95% CI, 2.49 to 3.96), respectively; for overall mortality, HRs were 1.40 (95% CI, 1.19 to 1.66) and 1.87 (95% CI, 1.60 to 2.17), respectively. In persons with MetS but without diabetes, risks of CHD and CVD mortality remained elevated. Diabetes predicted all mortality end points. Those with even 1 to 2 MetS risk factors were at increased risk for mortality from CHD and CVD. Moreover, MetS more strongly predicts CHD, CVD, and total mortality than its individual components. Conclusions—CHD, CVD, and total mortality are significantly higher in US adults with than in those without MetS.

Community and dating violence among adolescents: Perpetration and victimization

PURPOSE Adolescents are both the perpetrators and victims of violence in the United States. To reduce violence, it is important to identify those most at risk within particular contexts. METHODS A social learning framework was used to investigate involvement in violence in a survey of 719 high school students. Four outcomes (community violence perpetration, community violence victimization, dating violence perpetration, and dating violence victimization) were examined as a function of demographic characteristics, exposure to violence, and several potential mediating variables. RESULTS Exposure to weapons and violent injury in the community was the sole consistent predictor across the four outcomes. Gender generally was an important correlate of violence; there were substantial gender differences in the correlates of dating violence perpetration and victimization, but relatively few gender differences in the correlates of community violence involvement. Other demographic characteristics typically were of limited importance, and were largely accounted for by exposure to violence or other mediators. Personal norms about the circumstances under which the use of violence is perceived as justified were important for three of the four outcome: community violence perpetration, and dating violence perpetration and victimization. CONCLUSIONS Being exposed to violence in one context appears to have crossover effects to victimization and perpetration in another context. Furthermore, victimization and perpetration often co-occur.

Histopathologic Characteristics of Atherosclerotic Coronary Disease and Implications of the Findings for the Invasive and Noninvasive Detection of Vulnerable Plaques

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to identify histomorphologic characteristics of atherosclerotic plaques and to determine the amenability of some of these components to be used as markers for invasive and noninvasive imaging. BACKGROUND Rupture of the atherosclerotic plaques is responsible for the majority of acute coronary events, and the culprit lesions demonstrate distinct histopathologic features. It has been tacitly believed that plaque rupture (PR) is associated with angiographically minimally occlusive lesions. METHODS We obtained 295 coronary atherosclerotic plaques, including stable (fibroatheroma [FA]; n = 105), vulnerable (thin-cap fibroatheroma [TCFA]; n = 88), and disrupted plaques (plaque rupture [PR]; n = 102) from the hearts of 181 men and 32 women who had died suddenly. The hierarchical importance of fibrous cap thickness, percent luminal stenosis, macrophage area, necrotic core area, and calcified plaque area was evaluated by using recursive partitioning analysis. Because clinical assessment of fibrous cap thickness is not possible by noninvasive imaging, it was excluded from the second set of partitioning analysis. RESULTS Thickness of the fibrous cap emerged as the best discriminator of plaque type; the cap thickness measured <55 μm in ruptured plaques, and all FA were associated with >84-μm cap thickness. Although the majority of TCFA were found in the 54- to 84-μm thickness group, those with <54-μm thickness were more likely to show <74% luminal stenosis (area under the curve: FA, 1.0; TCFA, 0.89; PR, 0.90). After exclusion of cap thickness, analysis of the plaque characteristics revealed macrophage infiltration and necrotic core to be the 2 best discriminators of plaque types (area under the curve: FA, 0.82; TCFA, 0.58; PR, 0.72). More than 75% cross-section area stenosis was seen in 70% of PR and 40% of TCFA; only 5% PR and 10% TCFA were <50% narrowed. CONCLUSIONS This postmortem study defines histomorphologic characteristics of vulnerable plaques, which may help develop imaging strategies for identification of such plaques in patients at a high risk of sustaining acute coronary events.

Impact of subclinical atherosclerosis on cardiovascular disease events in individuals with metabolic syndrome and diabetes: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis

OBJECTIVE While metabolic syndrome (MetS) and diabetes confer greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, recent evidence suggests that individuals with these conditions have a wide range of risk. We evaluated whether screening for coronary artery calcium (CAC) and carotid intimal-medial thickness (CIMT) can improve CVD risk stratification over traditional risk factors (RFs) in people with MetS and diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We assessed CAC and CIMT in 6,603 people aged 45–84 years in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Cox regression examined the association of CAC and CIMT with coronary heart disease (CHD) and CVD over 6.4 years in MetS and diabetes. RESULTS Of the subjects, 1,686 (25%) had MetS but no diabetes and 881 (13%) had diabetes. Annual CHD event rates were 1.0% among MetS and 1.5% for diabetes. Ethnicity and RF-adjusted hazard ratios for CHD for CAC 1–99 to ≥400 vs. 0 in subjects with neither MetS nor diabetes ranged from 2.6 to 9.5; in those with MetS, they ranged from 3.9 to 11.9; and in those with diabetes, they ranged from 2.9 to 6.2 (all P < 0.05 to P < 0.001). Findings were similar for CVD. CAC increased the C-statistic for events (P < 0.001) over RFs and CIMT in each group while CIMT added negligibly to prediction over RFs. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with MetS or diabetes have low risks for CHD when CAC or CIMT is not increased. Prediction of CHD and CVD events is improved by CAC more than by CIMT. Screening for CAC or CIMT can stratify risk in people with MetS and diabetes and support the latest recommendations regarding CAC screening in those with diabetes.

Looking Forward, Looking Back: Assessing Variations in Hospital Resource Use and Outcomes for Elderly Patients With Heart Failure

Background—Recent studies have found substantial variation in hospital resource use by expired Medicare beneficiaries with chronic illnesses. By analyzing only expired patients, these studies cannot identify differences across hospitals in health outcomes like mortality. This study examines the association between mortality and resource use at the hospital level, when all Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for heart failure are examined. Methods and Results—A total of 3999 individuals hospitalized with a principal diagnosis of heart failure at 6 California teaching hospitals between January 1, 2001, and June 30, 2005, were analyzed with multivariate risk-adjustment models for total hospital days, total hospital direct costs, and mortality within 180-days after initial admission (“Looking Forward”). A subset of 1639 individuals who died during the study period were analyzed with multivariate risk-adjustment models for total hospital days and total hospital direct costs within 180-days before death (“Looking Back”). “Looking Forward” risk-adjusted hospital means ranged from 17.0% to 26.0% for mortality, 7.8 to 14.9 days for total hospital days, and 0.66 to 1.30 times the mean value for indexed total direct costs. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were −0.68 between mortality and hospital days, and −0.93 between mortality and indexed total direct costs. “Looking Back” risk-adjusted hospital means ranged from 9.1 to 21.7 days for total hospital days and 0.91 to 1.79 times the mean value for indexed total direct costs. Variation in resource use site ranks between expired and all individuals were attributable to insignificant differences. Conclusions—California teaching hospitals that used more resources caring for patients hospitalized for heart failure had lower mortality rates. Focusing only on expired individuals may overlook mortality variation as well as associations between greater resource use and lower mortality. Reporting values without identifying significant differences may result in incorrect assumption of true differences.

The quality of pharmacologic care for adults in the United States.

Background:Despite rising annual expenditures for prescription drugs, little systematic information is available concerning the quality of pharmacologic care for adults in the United States. We evaluated how frequently appropriate pharmacologic care is ordered in a national sample of U.S. residents. Methods:The RAND/UCLA Modified Delphi process was used to select quality-of-care indicators for adults across 30 chronic and acute conditions and preventive care. One hundred thirty-three pharmacologic quality-of-care indicators were identified. We interviewed a random sample of adults living in 12 metropolitan areas in the United States by telephone and received consent to obtain copies of their medical records for the most recent 2-year period. We abstracted patient medical records and evaluated 4 domains of the prescribing process that encompassed the entire pharmacologic care experience: appropriate medication prescribing (underuse), avoidance of inappropriate medications (overuse), medication monitoring, and medication education and documentation. A total of 3457 participants were eligible for at least 1 quality indicator, and 10,739 eligible events were evaluated. We constructed aggregate scores and studied whether patient, insurance, and community factors impact quality. Results:Participants received 61.9% of recommended pharmacologic care overall (95% confidence interval 60.3–63.5%). Performance was lowest in education and documentation (46.2%); medication monitoring (54.7%) and underuse of appropriate medications (62.6%) performance were higher. Performance was best for avoiding inappropriate medications (83.5%). Patient race and health services utilization were associated with modest quality differences, while insurance status was not. Conclusions:Significant deficits in the quality of pharmacologic care were seen for adults in the United States, with large shortfalls associated with underuse of appropriate medications. Strategies to measure and improve pharmacologic care quality ought to be considered, especially as we initiate a prescription drug benefit for seniors.

Trends in control of cardiovascular risk factors among US adults with type 2 diabetes from 1999 to 2010: Comparison by prevalent cardiovascular disease status

Background: Most patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) suffer from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Whether CVD risk factors have improved in those with DM with and without CVD is not established. We compared risk factor levels and goal attainment in US adults with diabetes with and without CVD. Methods: We examined 2403 adults (aged ≥ 18 years) in the United States with T2DM (n = 654, 27% with CVD) across 1999–2010 using the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and evaluated control of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and body mass index (BMI) in those with DM with versus without CVD. Results: The proportions controlled for HbA1c, BP and LDL-C have improved (p < 0.001) overall between 1999 and 2010, but only 24% were at goal for all three factors in 2009–2010. There were improvements in BP, triglycerides and LDL-C in those with CVD, and in those without CVD, there were also improvements in control of all parameters, although changes in mean levels of risk factors were less impressive. Conclusion: Despite modest improvement over time, in most CVD risk factors, only one-fourth of those with T2DM are at goal for HbA1c, BP and LDL-C, with improvements seen in those without CVD more often than those with CVD.

Comparison of demographic factors and cardiovascular risk factor control among U.S. adults with type 2 diabetes by insulin treatment classification

AIMS Data on glucose and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor control among persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) according to insulin treatment status are lacking. We examined DM control, risk factors, and comorbidities among U.S. persons according to insulin treatment status. METHODS In the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2003-2006, we examined in 10,637 adults aged ≥30 with type 2 DM the extent of control of A1c, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides, and blood pressure (BP) and composite goal attainment by insulin use status. RESULTS 6.6% (n=889, projected to 14.3 million) had type 2 DM; of these, 22.9% were insulin users and 57.2% were treated only by other diabetes medications. Overall, 58.2% had an A1c<7% (53 mmol/mol) (insulin users 33.1%, non-insulin treated 66.1%, and 77.9% of those not on medication, p<0.0001). Overall, 44.2% were at a BP goal of <130/80 mmHg, 43.8% had an LDL-C<100 mg/dl (2.6 mmol/L), and 13.9% a BMI<25 kg/m(2). Only 10.2% were simultaneously at A1c, LDL, and BP goals (5.4% of those on insulin). CONCLUSIONS U.S. adults with type 2 DM, especially those treated with insulin remain inadequately controlled for A1c and CVD risk factors and have a high prevalence of comorbidities.

Cardiovascular Risk Factor Targets and Cardiovascular Disease Event Risk in Diabetes: A Pooling Project of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and Jackson Heart Study

OBJECTIVE Controlling cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in diabetes mellitus (DM) reduces the number of CVD events, but the effects of multifactorial risk factor control are not well quantified. We examined whether being at targets for blood pressure (BP), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) together are associated with lower risks for CVD events in U.S. adults with DM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied 2,018 adults, 28–86 years of age with DM but without known CVD, from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), and Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Cox regression examined coronary heart disease (CHD) and CVD events over a mean 11-year follow-up in those individuals at BP, LDL-C, and HbA1c target levels, and by the number of controlled risk factors. RESULTS Of 2,018 DM subjects (43% male, 55% African American), 41.8%, 32.1%, and 41.9% were at target levels for BP, LDL-C, and HbA1c, respectively; 41.1%, 26.5%, and 7.2% were at target levels for any one, two, or all three factors, respectively. Being at BP, LDL-C, or HbA1c target levels related to 17%, 33%, and 37% lower CVD risks and 17%, 41%, and 36% lower CHD risks, respectively (P < 0.05 to P < 0.0001, except for BP in CHD risk); those subjects with one, two, or all three risk factors at target levels (vs. none) had incrementally lower adjusted risks of CVD events of 36%, 52%, and 62%, respectively, and incrementally lower adjusted risks of CHD events of 41%, 56%, and 60%, respectively (P < 0.001 to P < 0.0001). Propensity score adjustment showed similar findings. CONCLUSIONS Optimal levels of BP, LDL-C, and HbA1c occurring together in individuals with DM are uncommon, but are associated with substantially lower risk of CHD and CVD.

Metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular risk and screening for subclinical atherosclerosis

The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of risk factors known to promote or increase the risk of diabetes development and subsequent cardiovascular disease. Screening for subclinical atherosclerosis using new imaging technologies or novel biomarkers could help to further risk-stratify patients with metabolic syndrome. In particular, noninvasive imaging of carotid intima-media thickness and coronary artery calcium scoring seem to have promising prognostic value in identifying patients at high risk. Early identification could lead to improved patient or physician adherence to risk-reducing behaviors or interventions and improve clinical outcomes.