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The UK Simon Broome (SB) familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) register previously reported 3-fold higher standardised mortality ratio for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women compared to men from 2009 to 2015. Here we examined sex differences in CVD morbidity in FH by national linkage of the SB register with Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). Of 3553 FH individuals in the SB register (aged 20–79 years at registration), 2988 (52.5% women) had linked HES records. Standardised Morbidity Ratios (SMbR) compared to an age and sex-matched UK general practice population were calculated [95% confidence intervals] for first CVD hospitalisation in HES (a composite of coronary heart disease (CHD), myocardial infarction (MI), stable or unstable angina, stroke, TIA, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), heart failure, coronary revascularisation interventions). At registration, men had significantly (p < 0.001) higher prevalence of previous CHD (24.8% vs 17.6%), previous MI (13.2% vs 6.3%), and were commenced on lipid-lowering treatment at a younger age than women (37.5 years vs 42.3 years). The SMbR for composite CVD was 6.83 (6.33–7.37) in men and 7.55 (6.99–8.15) in women. In individuals aged 30–50 years, SMbR in women was 50% higher than in men (15.04 [12.98–17.42] vs 10.03 [9.01–11.17]). In individuals >50 years, SMbR was 33% higher in women than men (6.11 [5.57–6.70] vs 4.59 [4.08–5.15]). Excess CVD morbidity due to FH remains markedly elevated in women at all ages, but especially those aged 30–50 years. This highlights the need for earlier diagnosis and optimisation of lipid-lowering risk factor management for all FH patients, with particular attention to young women with FH. Image 1 • Males with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) had more cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and were commenced on lipid-lowering therapy at a younger age, than females with FH. • Individuals with FH had excess rates of hospitalisations for CVD, compared to the general population of non-FH individuals. • Excess CVD morbidity due to FH was higher in women than men aged 30 years and over, but especially in those aged 30–50 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death worldwide at 119 per 100,000 and 85 per 100,000 population. For the USA, heart disease is leading cause of death at 165 per 100,000 population. In developed countries, strokes and acute myocardial infarction in the general population have fallen from smoking reduction, lifestyle modifications and therapeutic interventions including statins. In a population-based stroke study in the UK involving primary care practices, of in-hospital strokes 90% were ischaemic, and 37% occurred within 1 week of an operation. Approximately 50% of the patients were not on a statin. In the UK, there is a national screening initiative for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) offered to people aged 40-74 yr old. The QRISK3 tool calculates the risk of developing heart disease or stroke over 10 yr, from which recommendations are made on interventions for the prevention of ASCVD up to age 84 yr, with similar screening and assessment tools in Europe and the US. If the QRISK3 score tool for calculating cardiovascular risk is considered sufficiently robust for population screening in primary care, should anaesthetists not use the same screening for secondary care? We present a case for statin use over the perioperative period, to reduce early vascular adverse events based on statins' early pleiotropic actions, using the primary care QRISK tool for screening of ASCVD risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of physical activity (PA) and sarcopenia is a known risk factors for ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, considering their coexistence in the middle-aged and elderly population, the interaction of these two factors remains uncertain. Here, we investigated the interactive effects of PA and sarcopenia on IHD. We extracted 344,688 participants free of IHD at baseline from the UK Biobank. PA was classified into low, moderate, and high according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Sarcopenia was identified in accordance with the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2. Cox proportional hazard models were applied to estimate the effect of PA and sarcopenia on incident IHD and its subtypes. We also used objective PA data measured by wrist-worn devices to repeat these analyses. Over a median follow-up of 11.7 years, 24,809 (7.2%) participants developed incident IHD. Lack of PA was associated with a higher risk of IHD after adjusting for potential confounders. The hazard ratio (HR) was 1.09 (95% CI: 1.05–1.13) for individuals without sarcopenia and 1.29 (95% CI: 1.17–1.42) for those with sarcopenia. Regarding the joint effect, the combination of low PA and sarcopenia was associated with the highest risk of IHD, with an HR of 1.54 (95% CI: 1.44–1.66), and both additive and multiplicative interactions were significant (RERI 0.27, 95% CI: 0.14–0.39, p -interaction <0.01). For subtypes of IHD, the interaction was pronounced in acute myocardial infarction and chronic ischemic heart disease. These results suggest a synergistic interaction between lack of PA and sarcopenia on the risk of IHD. Findings from this study may help facilitate more effective primary prevention of IHD. [Display omitted] • Lack of physical activity (PA) and sarcopenia have synergistic interaction on ischemic heart disease (IHD). • The synergistic interaction is also found in subtypes of IHD. • Moderate volume of PA can provide beneficial protective effects. • Protective effects may only be achieved with moderate to high-intensity PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Lower socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with worse outcomes after acute myocardial infarction. Data for survival after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) by SES in the current era of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is more limited. Methods Data was collected for all patients with acute STEMI undergoing primary PCI at The South Yorkshire Cardiothoracic Centre, UK between 2009 and 2014. A Cox regression analysis was used to assess differences in survival by SES quartile (using an area-level measure). Results Of the 3126 STEMI patients, 2655 (84.9%) were first presentations of STEMI. Lower SES groups generally had a less favourable baseline cardiovascular risk factor profile, with higher rates of smoking (p = 0.001), diabetes (p = 0.007) and previous coronary heart disease (p = 0.025). With the exception of beta-blockers, the use of secondary preventative medications was similar between SES quartiles. Adjusting for age and gender, the most disadvantaged SES quartile trended to a non-significant increased mortality at 30 days (hazard ratio 1.35 (0.79–2.33)), 1 year (1.12 (0.76–1.65)), or 3 years (1.22 (0.88–1.70)) compared to the least disadvantaged SES quartile, but this was attenuated by adjusting for additional cardiovascular risk factors and medication use on discharge. Conclusions In this large study of unselected STEMI patients managed by primary PCI, we did not find any significant differences in survival by SES at 30 days, 1 year, or 3 years. Highlights • Lower socioeconomic status is associated with worse outcomes post-MI. • STEMI and NSTEMI are managed different, with urgent reperfusion needed for STEMI. • Lower socioeconomic groups have greater use of emergency services. • Data for survival after STEMI by socioeconomic status in the era of PCI is limited. • We did not find any significant differences in survival by SES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to investigate the individual and combined associations of depression and low socioeconomic status (SES) with risk of major cardiovascular events (MCVE), defined as first-ever fatal or non-fatal stroke or myocardial infarction, in a large prospective cohort study.Methods: We used data from 466,238 UK Biobank participants, aged 40-69 years without cardiovascular disease, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia at baseline. We performed Cox proportional hazard models to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the individual and combined associations of depression and each of educational attainment, area-based deprivation and income with risk of MCVE. We assessed effect modification and explored interaction on the additive and multiplicative scale.Results: Depression, low education, high area-based deprivation and low income were individually associated with increased risks of MCVE (adjusted HR, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.19-1.38; 1.20, 1.14-1.27; 1.17, 1.11-1.23; and 1.22, 1.16-1.29, respectively). Depression was associated with increased risks of MCVE among individuals with high and low SES. Individuals with depression and each of low education, high area-based deprivation and low income were at particularly high risk of MCVE (HR, 95% CI: 1.50, 1.38-1.63; 1.63, 1.46-1.82; 1.31, 1.23-1.40, respectively). There was interaction between depression and area-based deprivation on multiplicative and additive scales but no interaction with education or income.Conclusion: Depression was associated with increased risks of MCVE among individuals with high and low SES, with particularly high risks among those living in areas of high deprivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]