Showing papers by "Kalevi Pyörälä published in 2000"

Myocardial infarction redefined - A consensus document of the Joint European Society of Cardiology/American College of Cardiology committee for the redefinition of myocardial infarction

Abstract: This document was developed by a consensus conference initiated by Kristian Thygesen, MD, and Joseph S. Alpert, MD, after formal approval by Lars Ryden, MD, President of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and Arthur Garson, MD, President of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). All of the participants were selected for their expertise in the field they represented, with approximately one-half of the participants selected from each organization. Participants were instructed to review the scientific evidence in their area of expertise and to attend the consensus conference with prepared remarks. The first draft of the document was prepared during the consensus conference itself. Sources of funding appear in Appendix A. The recommendations made in this document represent the attitudes and opinions of the participants at the time of the conference, and these recommendations were revised subsequently. The conclusions reached will undoubtedly need to be revised as new scientific evidence becomes available. This document has been reviewed by members of the ESC Committee for Scientific and Clinical Initiatives and by members of the Board of the ESC who approved the document on April 15, 2000.

Follow-up study of patients randomized in the scandinavian simvastatin survival study (4S) of cholesterol lowering

Abstract: The Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) and other randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that cholesterol-lowering treatment with statins improves prognosis in patients with coronary atherosclerosis compared with placebo The effect of therapy with statins beyond the typical 5 to 6 years' duration of the trials, in particular regarding the risk of cancer, has not been investigated This study examines the long-term effects of simvastatin for up to 8 years on cause-specific mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) We performed an observational, government registry-based study of mortality in the groups originally randomized to simvastatin or placebo in the 4S over an additional 2-year follow-up period, so that the median total follow-up period was 74 years (range 69 to 83 in surviving patients) Randomization took place at outpatient clinics at 94 clinical centers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden from 1988 to 1989 Of 4,444 patients with CHD, 2,223 and 2,221 were randomized to treatment with placebo or simvastatin therapy, respectively Patients received treatment with simvastatin, starting at 20 mg/day, with titration to 40 mg/day at 12 or 24 weeks if total cholesterol was >52 mmol/L (200 mg/dl), or placebo After the double-blind period, most patients in both treatment groups received simvastatin as open-label prescription Of the 1,967 patients originally treated with placebo and surviving the double-blind period, 97 (49%) died during the following 2 years In the group randomized to simvastatin the corresponding number was 74 of the 2, 039 survivors (36%) Adding these deaths to those occurring during the original trial, the total was 353 (159%) and 256 (115%) deaths in the groups originally randomized to placebo and simvastatin, respectively The relative risk was 070 (95% confidence interval 0 60 to 082, p = 000002) The total number of cancer deaths was 68 (31%) in the placebo group and 52 (23%) in the simvastatin group (relative risk 073, 95% confidence interval 051 to 005, p = 0 087), and the numbers of noncardiovascular and other deaths were similar in both groups We therefore conclude that treatment with simvastatin for up to 8 years in patients with CHD is safe and yields continued survival benefit

Relationship of socioeconomic status to the incidence and prehospital, 28-day, and 1-year mortality rates of acute coronary events in the FINMONICA myocardial infarction register study.

Abstract: Background—Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with increased coronary heart disease mortality rates. There are, however, very little data on the relation of SES to the incidence, recurrence, and prognosis of myocardial infarction (MI) events. Methods and Results—The FINMONICA MI Register recorded detailed information on all MI events among men and women aged 35 to 64 years in 3 areas of Finland during the period of 1983 to 1992. We carried out a record linkage of the MI register data with files of Statistics Finland to obtain information on indicators of SES, such as taxable income and education, for each individual who is registered. In the analyses, income was grouped into 3 categories (low, middle, and high), and education was grouped into 2 categories (basic and secondary or higher). Among men with their first MI event (n=6485), the adjusted incidence rate ratios were 1.67 (95% CI 1.57 to 1.78) and 1.84 (95% CI 1.73 to 1.95) in the low- and middle-income categories compared with the high-inc...

Cardiovascular risk factors clustering with endogenous hyperinsulinaemia predict death from coronary heart disease in patients with Type II diabetes.

Abstract: Aims/hypothesis. Information on the association of hyperinsulinaemia with coronary heart disease (CHD) in patients with Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes is limited and controversial. Therefore, we carried out a prospective study to examine the predictive value of fasting plasma insulin and “hyperinsulinaemia cluster” with regard to the risk of CHD mortality.¶Methods. At baseline risk factors for CHD were determined in 902 patients aged 45 to 64 years with Type II diabetes not treated by insulin (499 men and 403 women). These patients were followed up to 7 years for CHD mortality.¶Results. Coronary heart disease mortality (16.2 % in men, 9.2 % in women) increased significantly in men with increasing plasma insulin tertiles (p = 0.006) and in both sexes combined (p = 0.010) but not in women (p = 0.090). The predictive value of hyperinsulinaemia with regard to death from CHD was independent of conventional cardiovascular risk factors but not of risk factors clustering with hyperinsulinaemia. By applying factor analysis and principal component analysis we showed that “hyperinsulinaemia cluster” (a factor having high positive loadings for body mass index, triglycerides and insulin; and a high negative loading for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) was predictive of death from CHD in patients with Type II diabetes (hazard ratio with 95 % confidence intervals 1.43 (1.18, 1.73), p < 0.001).¶Conclusion/interpretation. Our results support the notion that cardiovascular risk factors clustering with endogenous hyperinsulinaemia increase the risk of death from CHD in patients with Type II diabetes not treated with insulin. [Diabetologia (2000) 43: 148–155]

Plasma insulin and all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality: the 22-year follow-up results of the Helsinki Policemen Study.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of plasma insulin with all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular mortality. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We studied 22-year mortality data from the Helsinki Policemen Study The study population comprised 970 men, 34-64 years of age, who were free of coronary heart disease, other cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Area under the insulin response curve (AUC insulin) during an oral glucose tolerance test was used to reflect plasma insulin levels. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 276 men died: 130 from cardiovascular and 146 from noncardiovascular causes. The hazard ratio (HR) for hyperinsulinemia (highest AUC insulin quintile vs. combined lower quintiles) with regard to all-cause mortality adjusting for age, was 1.94 (95% CI 1.20-3.13) during the first 10 years of the follow-up period and 1.51 (1.15-1.97) during the entire 22 years; adjusting for other risk factors, the HR was 1.88 (1.08-3.30) and 1.37 (1.00-1.87) during 10 and 22 years, respectively The corresponding HRs for cardiovascular mortality during 10 and 22 years were 2.67 (1.35-5.29) and 1.73 (1.19-2.53), respectively, for age-adjusted and 2.30 (1.03-5.12) and 1.39 (0.90-2.15), respectively, for multiple-adjusted HRs. A U-shaped association was observed between insulin and noncardiovascular mortality, multiple-adjusted HRs for lowest and highest versus middle AUC insulin quintiles were 1.85 (1.20-2.86) and 1.43 (0.91-2.24), respectively CONCLUSIONS: Hyperinsulinemia was associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Helsinki policemen independent of other risk factors, although these associations weakened with the lengthening of the follow-up period. The association of insulin with noncardiovascular mortality was U-shaped.

Depression after coronary heart disease events.

Abstract: Objective - To study the prevalence of depression at least 6 months after various coronary heart disease (CHD) events (bypass grafting, coronary angioplasty, myocardial infarction, myocardial ischaemia without infarction) and the associations between depression and clinical variables. Design - In the course of the study 414 (284 males, 130 females) patients younger than 71 years (mean age for men 60.9 years and for women 63.6 years) were interviewed and examined. Smoking habits, body mass index, lipid levels and diabetic status were recorded. The New York Heart Association (NYHA) class was assessed. Depression was screened using a self-rated depression scale. Results - In the four diagnostic categories, one-sixth of the patients (14-19%) suffered from depression. Depression was associated with smoking (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2; 2.4) and poor NYHA class (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4; 2.6). Conclusion - Depression is common after CHD events, and is associated with smoking and poor NYHA class. The identification and treatme...