Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an excess burden of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD). CV risk scores for the general population may not accurately predict CV risk for patients with RA. A population-based inception cohort of patients who fulfilled 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA from 1988 to 2007 was followed until death, migration, or December 31, 2008. CV ri...

Cardiovascular diseases in general and coronary artery disease in particular remain the number one cause of death and disability in all industrialized and many emerging countries all over the world. There has been considerable interest in developing better methods to predict future events so that preventive therapy can be targeted toward those at increased risk. Although in excess of 300 risk f...

BACKGROUND Increased arterial stiffness has been shown to be associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it remains unclear as to whether the second derivative of the finger photoplethysmogram (SDPTG), a non-invasive method for the assessment of arterial stiffness, is useful for the estimation of risk of CHD in the general population. METHODS AND RESULTS The SDPTG in 211 subjects (...

OBJECTIVES Our aim was to analyze flow-mediated dilation (FMD) time-course in response to forearm occlusion in the clinical setting. METHODS AND RESULTS In 50 asymptomatic subjects, monitoring software measuring continuous beat-to-beat change in brachial artery diameter was used to determine FMD magnitude in percentage change in peak diameter from baseline (FMD-DeltaD), time to peak diameter ...

BACKGROUND We have previously derived a chest pain score by comparing those with and without coronary artery disease on angiography, which was subsequently validated in patients attending coronary angiography. AIM To test the predictive validity of the score prospectively in a more varied out-patient population, and to determine whether it had predictive validity in addition to exercise testi...

In 1987, Framingham Heart Study pioneer Dr William B Kannel wrote, ‘Epidemiologic data on incidence and prognosis of cardiac failure in the general population are actually quite sparse.’ Dr Kannel proceeded to report risk factors for heart failure identified in Framingham that included hypertension, ECG LV hypertrophy, obesity, diabetes, radiographic cardiac enlargement and cigarette use. Over ...

OBJECTIVE The Framingham Coronary Heart Disease Risk Score is an important clinical tool. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare plasma homocysteine levels and polymorphism 677CT MTHFR with this score to determine the utility of these new biomarkers in clinical practice. METHODS Plasma homocysteine levels determined by chemiluminescence and polymorphism 677CT MTHFR, detected by ...

BACKGROUND Population-based screening for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, incorporating blood tests, is proposed in several countries. AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a simple approach to identifying individuals at high risk of CVD using routine data might be effective. DESIGN OF STUDY Prospective cohort study (EPIC-Norfolk). SETTING Norfolk area, UK. METHOD A total...

OBJECTIVE To compare clinical, laboratory, lifestyle, and sociodemographic parameters and cardiac risk in antipsychotic-treated patients with and without metabolic syndrome (MS). METHODS A multicenter cross-sectional study in which 117 psychiatrists recruited antipsychotic-treated outpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia, schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorder. MS was diagn...

BACKGROUND Exposure to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) can lead to important metabolic changes and increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Computerized clinical decision support systems have been advocated to improve the management of patients at risk for CHD but it is unclear whether such systems reduce patients' risk for CHD. METHODS We conducted a cluster trial within the...