Association between ideal cardiovascular health and risk of sudden cardiac death and all-cause mortality among middle-aged men in Finland

Background Strong associations have been demonstrated between the American Heart Association’s cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics and various cardiovascular outcomes, but the association with sudden cardiac death (SCD) is uncertain. We examined the associations between these CVH metrics and the risks of SCD and all-cause mortality among men in Finland. Methods and results We used the prospective population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease cohort study, which consists of men between 42 and 60 years of age at baseline. CVH metrics were computed for 2577 men with CVH scores at baseline ranging from 0 to 7, categorized into CVH scores of 0–2 (poor), 3–4 (intermediate) and 5–7 (ideal). Mult…

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia…

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities(.)(1,2) This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity(3-6). Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions…

Handgrip strength is inversely associated with fatal cardiovascular and all-cause mortality events

Purpose: We aimed to assess the associations of handgrip strength (HS) with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality and whether adding data on HS to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is associated with improvement in CVD mortality prediction. Design: Handgrip strength was assessed in a population-based sample of 861 participants aged 61–74 years at baseline. Relative HS was obtained by dividing the absolute value by body weight. Results: During a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 17.3 (12.6–18.4) years, 116 fatal coronary heart diseases (CHDs), 195 fatal CVDs and 412 all-cause mortality events occurred. On adjustment for several risk factors, the hazard ratios (95% confidence…

Ideal cardiovascular health and risk of acute myocardial infarction among Finnish men

Background and aims: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with high mortality globally and remains a public health burden. We sought to investigate the relation between the American Heart Association’s cardiovascular health metrics (CVH) and the risk of AMI among middle-aged Finnish men. Methods: We used the ongoing population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease cohort study comprising men aged 40 to 62 years at baseline. The CVH metrics was computed among 2584 participants at baseline with health scores ranging from 0 to 7. This was categorized into three groups of CVH metrics as poor (0-2), intermediate (3-4) and ideal (≥5). Multivariate Cox regression models were used to esti…

Author response: Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

BACKGROUND: Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents.

In vitro efficacy of praziquantel against the cercariae of Diplostomum sp., Rhipidocotyle fennica and R. campanula.

Handgrip strength is not associated with risk of venous thromboembolism: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives. Consistent evidence suggests an inverse and independent association between handgrip strength and arterial thrombotic disease. However, whether handgrip strength is related to future risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is uncertain. We sought to assess the prospective association between handgrip strength and VTE risk. Design. Handgrip strength was assessed using a hand dynamometer in a population-based sample of 864 men and women aged 61–74 years without a history of VTE at baseline in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective cohort study. Handgrip strength was allometrically scaled to account for the effect of body weight (handgrip strength/body weight2/3) and to normali…

Infectivity of trematode eye flukes in farmed salmonid fish — Effects of parasite and host origins

Abstract Parasites cause significant economic losses in fish farming, and knowledge of the mechanisms underlying their effects on hosts is an essential prerequisite of preventative procedures for the parasite problem in hatcheries. One such mechanism is local adaptation of parasites, which should lead to higher infectivity of parasites in sympatric host–parasite combinations compared to corresponding allopatric combinations. In this study, we investigated the infectivity of two ubiquitous species of trematode eye flukes, Diplostomum sp. and Tylodelphus clavata, in their farmed salmonid fish hosts with respect to origin of the parasite and the host. First, we exposed two anadromous and one l…

Leisure‐time cross‐country skiing is associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes : A prospective cohort study

Aims. Cross‐country skiing is associated with reduction in risk of adverse vascular outcomes, but its association with type 2 diabetes is uncertain. We aimed to assess the associations between leisure‐time cross‐country skiing habits and incident type 2 diabetes. Methods. We analyzed data of 2,483 middle‐aged men with no history of diabetes at baseline in the KIHD prospective study. The frequency, average duration, and intensity of leisure cross‐country skiing were assessed at baseline using a 12‐month physical activity questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CIs) for type 2 diabetes were estimated. Results. During a median follow‐up of 21.6 years, 539 men developed type 2 diabetes. Type 2 …

Leisure-time cross-country skiing is associated with lower incidence of hypertension:A prospective cohort study

Abstract Objective: The prospective relationship between cross-country skiing and hypertension is uncertain. We aimed to assess the associations of leisure time cross-country skiing habits with incident hypertension in a general population. Methods: The frequency, average duration, and intensity of leisure cross-country skiing were assessed at baseline using a 12-month physical activity questionnaire in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective study of 1809 middle-aged men without hypertension. Hazard ratios [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] were calculated. Results: New onset diagnosis of hypertension was observed in 279 participants during a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 2…

American Heart Association’s Cardiovascular Health Metrics and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among a Middle-aged Male Scandinavian Population

Background: The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prompted the American Heart Association to develop a cardiovascular health (CVH) metric as a measure to assess the cardiovascular status of the population. We aimed to assess the association between CVH scores and the risk of CVD mortality among a middle-aged Finnish population. Methods: We employed the prospective population-based Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease cohort study comprising of middle-aged men (42–60 years). CVH scores were computed among 2607 participants at baseline and categorized as optimum (0–4), average (5–9), or inadequate (10–14) CVH. Multivariate cox regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 9…

Leisure-time cross-country skiing is associated with lower incidence of type 2 diabetes:A prospective cohort study

Background Cross-country skiing is associated with reduction in risk of adverse vascular outcomes, but its association with type 2 diabetes is uncertain. We aimed to assess the associations between leisure-time cross-country skiing habits and incident type 2 diabetes. Methods We analysed the data of 2483 middle-aged men with no history of diabetes at baseline in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective study. The frequency, average duration, and intensity of leisure cross-country skiing were assessed at baseline using a 12-month physical activity questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CIs) for type 2 diabetes were estimated. Results During a median follow-up of 21.6 years, 539 men dev…

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

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Association between ideal cardiovascular health and risk of sudden cardiac death and all-cause mortality among middle-aged men in Finland.

Abstract Background Strong associations have been demonstrated between the American Heart Association’s cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics and various cardiovascular outcomes, but the association with sudden cardiac death (SCD) is uncertain. We examined the associations between these CVH metrics and the risks of SCD and all-cause mortality among men in Finland. Methods and results We used the prospective population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease cohort study, which consists of men between 42 and 60 years of age at baseline. CVH metrics were computed for 2577 men with CVH scores at baseline ranging from 0 to 7, categorized into CVH scores of 0–2 (poor), 3–4 (intermediate) and 5–7 (ide…

Differences in cardiometabolic risk profiles between Chinese and Finnish older adults with glucose impairment and central obesity.

Abstract Background Obesity and ethnicity play important roles in cardiovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to compare cardiometabolic risk profiles between Chinese and Finnish older adults of central obesity with prediabetes or T2DM. Methods Study subjects were 60–74 years old and originated from two population samples. The Finnish subjects came from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease (KIHD) study (n = 1089), and the Chinese subjects came from the Shanghai High-risk Diabetic Screen (SHiDS) study (n = 818). The KIHD and SHiDS studies used similar questionnaires to determine participants’ baseline characteristics regarding the history of m…

Joint effect of blood pressure and C-reactive protein and the risk of sudden cardiac death : a prospective cohort study

Background Both blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP) are each independently related to mortality risk. However, the combined effect of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and CRP on sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk has not been studied. Patients and methods We studied the joint impact of SBP and CRP and the risk of SCD in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease prospective cohort study of 1953 men aged 42–61 years with no history of ischemic heart disease. Baseline investigations were conducted between March 1984 and December 1989. SBP and CRP were measured. SBP was divided based on median values to low and high (median cutoffs 132 mmHg) and CRP as low and high (median cut-off 1.30 mg/L). Hazard …

Exercise cardiac power and the risk of heart failure in men: A population-based follow-up study.

Little is known about exercise cardiac power (ECP), defined as the ratio of directly measured maximal oxygen uptake with peak systolic blood pressure during exercise, on heart failure (HF) risk. We examined the association of ECP and the risk of HF.This was a population-based cohort study of 2351 men from eastern Finland. The average time to follow-up was 25 years. Participants participated at baseline in an exercise stress test. A total of 313 cases of HF occurred.Men with low ECP (9.84 mL/mmHg, the lowest quartile) had a 2.37-fold (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.68-3.35, p0.0001) hazards ratio of HF as compared with men with high ECP (13.92 mL/mmHg, the highest quartile), after adjust…

Lipoprotein(a) is not associated with venous thromboembolism risk.

Objectives. Evidence from case-control studies as well as meta-analyses of these study designs suggest elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] to be associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Prospective evidence on the association is limited, uncertain, and could be attributed to regression dilution bias. We aimed to assess the prospective association of Lp(a) with risk of VTE and correct for regression dilution. Design. We related plasma Lp(a) concentrations to the incidence of VTE in 2,180 men of the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease cohort study. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals [CI]) were assessed and repeat measurements of Lp(a) at 4 and 11 years from baseline…

Serum Albumin and Future Risk of Hip, Humeral, and Wrist Fractures in Caucasian Men:New Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> Low serum albumin concentration is associated with poor health outcomes, but its relationship with the risk of fractures has not been reliably quantified. We aimed to assess the prospective association of serum albumin with the risk of fractures in a general population. <b><i>Subjects and Methods:</i></b> Baseline serum albumin concentrations were measured in 2,245 men aged 42–61 years in the Kuopio Is­chemic Heart Disease study. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals) were calculated for incident fractures. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 121 fractures (hip, humeral, or wrist) were rec…

Exercise cardiac power and the risk of heart failure in men : A population-based follow-up study

Background Little is known about exercise cardiac power (ECP), defined as the ratio of directly measured maximal oxygen uptake with peak systolic blood pressure during exercise on heart failure (HF) risk. We examined the association of ECP and the risk of HF. Methods This was a population-based cohort study of 2351 men from eastern Finland. The average time to follow-up was 25 years. Participants participated at baseline in an exercise stress test. A total of 313 cases of HF occurred. Results Men with low ECP (13.92 mL/mmHg, highest quartile), after adjusting for age. Low ECP was associated with a 1.96-fold risk (95%CI: 1.38 − 2.78, p < 0.001) of HF after additional adjustment for conventio…

American heart association’s cardiovascular health metrics and risk of cardiovascular disease mortality among a middle-aged male Scandinavian population

Background: The burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prompted the American Heart Association to develop a cardiovascular health (CVH) metric as a measure to assess the cardiovascular status of the population. We aimed to assess the association between CVH scores and the risk of CVD mortality among a middle-aged Finnish population. Methods: We employed the prospective population-based Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease cohort study comprising of middle-aged men (42–60 years). CVH scores were computed among 2607 participants at baseline and categorized as optimum (0–4), average (5–9), or inadequate (10–14) CVH. Multivariate cox regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 9…