The study included information from 135 randomized trials — 55 with a placebo control and 80 with an active comparator — that included a total of 246,955 participants with or without cardiovascular disease. The study initially included trials of atorvastatin, fluvastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin (Crestor); trials of pitavastatin (Livalo) were added post hoc because the protocol was already being finalized at the time the drug was approved.
CHD
Afib Linked to Silent Stroke
MRI indicated silent cerebral ischemia lesions in 89% patients with paroxysmal Afib and 92% with persistent Afib compared with 46% of controls, which wasn’t significantly different between the two types of Afib but was for both versus controls (P<0.01).
The number of these lesions averaged 41 in persistent Afib, 33 in paroxysmal Afib, and 12 in controls, which was significantly different for all three groups.
The high prevalence of these lesions in the control group compared with what has been reported in the general population may have reflected the moderate to high cardiovascular risk among these patients referred for cardiovascular prevention or treatment, the researchers suggested.
The lesions can have either ischemic and embolic origins, but the peculiar “spotted” distribution of “small sharply demarcated lesions, often in cluster, with bilateral distribution, prevalently in the frontal lobe” seen in 50% and 67% of the paroxysmal and persistent Afib patients, respectively, strongly supported an embolic mechanism, they noted.
via Afib Linked to Silent Stroke.
If these findings are replicated in future studies, the question for underwriters is should any Afib risk be Standard mortality?
Cardiovascular Risk Factors in CKD Associate with Both ESRD and Mortality
Cardiovascular Risk Factors in CKD Associate with Both ESRD and Mortality.
Link above is to the JASN abstract. Link below is the AHA Life’s Simple 7 initiative.
PTSD May Raise Risk of Heart Disease
Through a median of 13 years of follow-up, twins who had PTSD at baseline had a significantly higher rate of incident coronary heart disease compared with those without PTSD (22.6% versus 8.9%), according to Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD, of Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues.
The difference was not due to established risk factors, since the association remained significant after adjustment for sociodemographic factors, service in Southeast Asia, lifestyle factors, coronary heart disease risk factors, major depression, and other psychiatric diagnoses (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-3.9), the researchers reported online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Length of LAD Coronary Artery Determines Prognosis
Interesting study. The link takes you to the abstract.
Researchers Suggest 2 Paths to get Patients Back on Statins
…statin discontinuation is common and has been linked to a greater risk of heart-related events and death in patients who have coronary artery disease, the study said.
via Researchers suggest 2 paths to get patients back on statins – amednews.com.
One out of every four Americans over the age of 45 are on a statin.
Coronary Calcium Score Predicts Cardiovascular Mortality in Diabetes
CONCLUSIONS: In T2DM, CAC predicts CVD mortality and meaningfully reclassifies participants, suggesting clinical utility as a risk stratification tool in a population already at increased CVD risk.
via Coronary Calcium Score Predicts Cardiovascular Mortality in Diabetes.
Whoa.
Red Meat’s Heart Risk Goes Beyond The Fat : NPR
Red Meat’s Heart Risk Goes Beyond The Fat : NPR.
Everything you need to know about L-carnitine and TMAO (Trimethylamine N-oxide).
Diastolic Dysfunction Common in RA
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased incidence of diastolic dysfunction, which may further raise their already high risk for congestive heart failure, a meta-analysis suggested.
Patients with RA have double the incidence of heart failure compared with the larger population, and this finding has prompted interest in determining the origins of heart failure in these patients.
Energy Drinks May Put Heart at Risk
Energy drinks may raise blood pressure and interfere with the heart’s electrical system, increasing the risk of sudden cardiac death, a meta-analysis found.
lifeunderwriter.net 
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