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BackgroundThe majority of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are unaware of their kidney disease. Assessing the clinical significance of increasing CKD awareness has critical public health and healthcare delivery implications. Whether CKD awareness among persons with CKD is associated with longitudinal health behaviors, disease management, and health outcomes is unknown.MethodsWe analyzed data from participants with CKD in the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study, a national, longitudinal, population-based cohort. Our predictor was participant CKD awareness. Outcomes were (1) health behaviors (smoking avoidance, exercise, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use); (2) CKD management indicators (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker use, statin use, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, and body mass index); (3) change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR); and (4) health outcomes (incident end-stage kidney disease [ESKD], coronary heart disease [CHD], stroke, and death). Logistic and linear regressions were used to examine the association of baseline CKD awareness with outcomes of interest, adjusted for CKD stage and participant demographic and clinical factors.ResultsOf 6,529 participants with baseline CKD, 285 (4.4%) were aware of their CKD. Among the 3,586 participants who survived until follow-up (median 9.5 years), baseline awareness was not associated with subsequent odds of health behaviors, CKD management indicators, or changes in eGFR and UACR in adjusted analyses. Baseline CKD awareness was associated with increased risk of ESKD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.44; 95% CI 1.08-1.92) and death (aHR 1.18; 95% CI 1.00-1.39), but not with subsequent CHD or stroke, in adjusted models.ConclusionsIndividuals aware of their CKD were more likely to experience ESKD and death, suggesting that CKD awareness reflects disease severity. Most persons with CKD, including those that are high-risk, remain unaware of their CKD. There was no evidence of associations between baseline CKD awareness and longitudinal health behaviors, CKD management indicators, or eGFR decline and albuminuria.

BackgroundPrior studies have consistently demonstrated that blacks have an approximate 2-fold higher incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) than whites; however, these analyses have lacked individual-level sociodemographic, medical comorbidity, and behavioral health data.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to evaluate whether racial differences in SCD incidence are attributable to differences in the prevalence of risk factors or rather to underlying susceptibility to fatal arrhythmias.MethodsThe Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study is a prospective, population-based cohort of adults from across the United States. Associations between race and SCD defined per National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria were assessed.ResultsAmong 22,507 participants (9,416 blacks and 13,091 whites) without a history of clinical cardiovascular disease, there were 174 SCD events (67 whites and 107 blacks) over a median follow-up of 6.1 years (interquartile range: 4.6 to 7.3 years). The age-adjusted SCD incidence rate (per 1,000 person-years) was higher in blacks (1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4 to 2.2) compared with whites (0.7; 95% CI: 0.6 to 0.9), with an unadjusted hazard ratio of 2.35; 95% CI: 1.74 to 3.20. The association of black race with SCD risk remained significant after adjustment for sociodemographics, comorbidities, behavioral measures of health, intervening cardiovascular events, and competing risks of non-SCD mortality (hazard ratio: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.39 to 2.77).ConclusionsIn a large biracial population of adults without a history of cardiovascular disease, SCD rates were significantly higher in blacks as compared with whites. These racial differences were not fully explained by demographics, adverse socioeconomic measures, cardiovascular risk factors, and behavioral measures of health.

Each year, the American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases, and their risk factors and presents them in its Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. The Statistical Update is a critical resource for researchers, clinicians, healthcare policy makers, media professionals, the lay public, and many others who seek the best available national data on heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality and the risks, quality of care, use of medical procedures and operations, and costs associated with the management of these diseases in a single document. Indeed, since 1999, the Statistical Update has been cited >10 500 times in the literature, based on citations of all annual versions. In 2012 alone, the various Statistical Updates were cited ≈3500 times (data from Google Scholar). In recent years, the Statistical Update has undergone some major changes with the addition of new chapters and major updates across multiple areas, as well as increasing the number of ways to access and use the information assembled. For this year's edition, the Statistics Committee, which produces the document for the AHA, updated all of the current chapters with the most recent nationally representative data and inclusion of relevant articles from the literature over the past year. This year's edition includes a new chapter on peripheral artery disease, as well as new data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, with additional new focus on evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors, implementation strategies, and implications of the AHA's 2020 Impact Goals. Below are a few highlights from this year's Update. © 2013 American Heart Association, Inc.

Each year, the American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases, and their risk factors and presents them in its Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update. The Statistical Update is a critical resource for researchers, clinicians, healthcare policy makers, media professionals, the lay public, and many others who seek the best available national data on heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality and the risks, quality of care, use of medical procedures and operations, and costs associated with the management of these diseases in a single document. Indeed, since 1999, the Statistical Update has been cited >10 500 times in the literature, based on citations of all annual versions. In 2012 alone, the various Statistical Updates were cited ≈3500 times (data from Google Scholar). In recent years, the Statistical Update has undergone some major changes with the addition of new chapters and major updates across multiple areas, as well as increasing the number of ways to access and use the information assembled. For this year's edition, the Statistics Committee, which produces the document for the AHA, updated all of the current chapters with the most recent nationally representative data and inclusion of relevant articles from the literature over the past year. This year's edition includes a new chapter on peripheral artery disease, as well as new data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, with additional new focus on evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors, implementation strategies, and implications of the AHA's 2020 Impact Goals. Below are a few highlights from this year's Update. © 2013 American Heart Association, Inc.

Purpose: We previously described the magnitude of rural‐urban differences in the prevalence of stroke risk factors and stroke mortality. In this report, we sought to extend the understanding of rural‐urban differences in the prevalence of stroke risk factors by using an enhanced definition of rural‐urban status and assessing the impact of neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) on risk factor differences. Methods: This analysis included 28,242 participants without a history of stroke from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort. Participants were categorized into the 6‐level ordinal National Center for Health Statistics Urban‐Rural Classification Scheme. The prevalence of stroke risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, smoking, atrial fibrillation, left ventricular hypertrophy, and heart disease) was assessed across the rural‐urban scale with adjustment for demographic characteristics and further adjustment for nSES score. Findings: Hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease were more prevalent in rural than urban regions. Higher odds were observed for these risk factors in the most rural compared to the most urban areas (odds ratios [95% CI]: 1.25 [1.11‐1.42] for hypertension, 1.15 [0.99‐1.33] for diabetes, and 1.19 [1.02‐1.39] for heart disease). Adjustment for nSES score partially attenuated the odds of hypertension and heart disease with rurality, completely attenuated the odds of diabetes, and unmasked an association of current smoking. Conclusions: Some of the higher stroke mortality in rural areas may be due to the higher burden of stroke risk factors in rural areas. Lower nSES contributed most notably to rural‐urban differences for diabetes and smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Black adults experience more type 2 diabetes mellitus and higher inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), than White adults. Inflammatory markers are associated with risk of incident diabetes but the impact of inflammation on racial differences in incident diabetes is unknown. Objective: We assessed whether CRP mediated the Black-White incident diabetes disparity. Methods: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study enrolled 30 239 US Black and White adults aged ≥45 years in 2003-2007 with a second visit approximately 10 years later. Among participants without baseline diabetes, adjusted sex- and race-stratified risk ratios for incident diabetes at the second visit by CRP level were calculated using modified Poisson regression. Inverse odds weighting estimated the percent mediation of the racial disparity by CRP. Results: Of 11 073 participants without baseline diabetes (33% Black, 67% White), 1389 (12.5%) developed diabetes. Black participants had higher CRP at baseline and greater incident diabetes than White participants. Relative to CRP < 3 mg/L, CRP ≥ 3 mg/L was associated with greater risk of diabetes in all race-sex strata. Black participants had higher risk of diabetes at CRP < 3 mg/L, but not at CRP ≥ 3 mg/L. In women, CRP mediated 10.0% of the racial difference in incident diabetes. This mediation was not seen in men. Conclusion: Higher CRP is a risk factor for incident diabetes, but the excess burden of diabetes in Black adults was only seen in those with lower CRP, suggesting that inflammation is unlikely to be the main driver of this racial disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Neurotensin, a neuropeptide with direct cardiac effects, has been associated with prospective risk of hypertension-related conditions through measurement of its precursor, pro-neurotensin/neuromedin N (pro-NT/NMN). Its association with incident hypertension has not been evaluated. Methods From 2003 to 2007, the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study enrolled 30,239 Black or White adults age ≥45. Pro-NT/NMN was measured in 1,692 participants without baseline hypertension (self-reported antihypertensive use or blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg) who underwent follow-up assessment in 2013–2016. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using a lower threshold (≥130/80 mm Hg) to define hypertension. Three robust Poisson regression models were fitted to risk of incident hypertension, adding demographics, cardiometabolic risk factors, and dietary covariates. Results Six hundred and fourteen participants developed hypertension over 9.4 years of follow-up. Pro-NT/NMN ranged from 14 to 1,246 pmol/l, with median [interquartile range] 154 [112, 206] pmol/l. Pro-NT/NMN was not associated with hypertension overall (fully adjusted incidence rate ratio per SD increment log pro-NT/NMN 1.03, 95% confidence interval 0.95–1.11). Results of sensitivity analysis did not differ substantially. Conclusions Baseline pro-NT/NMN was not associated with incident hypertension. This may be a result of neurotensin's long-term interactions with other molecular regulators of blood pressure, such as the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated the association between income-education groups and incident coronary heart disease (CHD) in a national prospective cohort study.Methods: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke study recruited 30,239 black and white community-dwelling adults between 2003 and 2007 and collected participant-reported and in-home physiologic variables at baseline, with expert adjudicated CHD endpoints during follow-up. Mutually exclusive income-education groups were: low income (annual household income <$35,000)/low education (< high school), low income/high education, high income/low education, and high income/high education. Cox models estimated hazard ratios (HR) for incident CHD for each exposure group, examining differences by age group.Results: At baseline, 24,461 participants free of CHD experienced 809 incident CHD events through December 31, 2011 (median follow-up 6.0 years; interquartile range 4.5-7.3 years). Those with low income/low education had the highest incidence of CHD (10.1 [95% CI 8.4-12.1]/1000 person-years). After full adjustment, those with low income/low education had higher risk of incident CHD (HR 1.42 [95% CI: 1.14-1.76]) than those with high income/high education, but findings varied by age. Among those aged <65 years, compared with those reporting high income/high education, risk of incident CHD was significantly higher for those reporting low income/low education and low income/high education (adjusted HR 2.07 [95% CI 1.42-3.01] and 1.69 [95% CI 1.30-2.20], respectively). Those aged ≥ 65 years, risk of incident CHD was similar across income-education groups after full adjustment.Conclusion: For younger individuals, low income, regardless of education, was associated with higher risk of CHD, but not observed for ≥ 65 years. Findings suggest that for younger participants, education attainment may not overcome the disadvantage conferred by low income in terms of CHD risk, whereas among those ≥ 65 years, the independent effects of income and education are less pronounced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We investigated the association between family history of stroke (FHS) and Life's Simple 7 (LS7), a public health metric defined by the American Heart Association. Methods Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke is a national population-based cohort of 30,239 blacks and whites, aged 45 years or older, sampled from the US population between 2003 and 2007. Data were collected by telephone, mail questionnaires, and in-home examinations. FHS was defined as any first-degree relative with stroke. Levels of the LS7 components (total cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose, physical activity, diet, smoking, and body mass index) were each coded as poor (0 points), intermediate (1 point), or ideal (2 points) health. Ordinal logistic regression was used to model the data. Results Among 20,567 subjects with complete LS7 and FHS data, there were 7702 (37%) participants with an FHS. The mean age of the participants was 64 years. The mean (± standard deviation) overall LS7 score was lower for blacks (6.5 ± 2.0) than that of whites (7.6 ± 2.1). FHS was associated with poorer levels of physiological factors, particularly high blood pressure (odds ratio [OR], 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.19) and inversely associated with behaviors such as smoking (OR, .92; 95% CI, .85-.99). Conclusions Our results suggest that screening for FHS can provide an opportunity for earlier detection and management of modifiable risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stroke symptoms are common among people without a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack; however, it is unknown if particular attention should be focused on specific symptoms for subgroups of patients. Methods: Using baseline data from 26,792 REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) participants without a history of transient ischemic attack or stroke, we assessed the association between age, sex, race, current smoking, hypertension, and diabetes and the 6 stroke symptoms in the Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke-Free Status. Results: The mean age of participants was 64.4 ± 9.4 years, 40.7% were black, and 55.2% were women. After multivariable adjustment, older persons more often reported an inability to understand (odds ratio [OR] 1.16 per 10 years older age; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.25) and unilateral vision loss (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.01-1.18) and less often reported numbness (OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.79-0.87) and weakness (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.80-0.90). Women reported difficulty communicating more often than men (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.19-1.56). The OR for blacks compared to whites for each of the 6 stroke symptoms was increased, markedly so for unilateral numbness (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.81-2.16), unilateral weakness (OR 1.96; 95% CI 1.76-2.18), and inability to understand (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.61-2.18). Current smoking, hypertension, and diabetes were associated with higher ORs for each stroke symptom. Conclusions: The association of risk factors with 6 individual stroke symptoms studied was not uniform, suggesting the need to emphasize individual stroke symptoms in stroke awareness campaigns when targeting populations defined by risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Life's Simple 7 (LSS) metric is being used by AHA to track the cardiovascular health of the United States population and move toward a 2020 impact goal for improvement. Levels of LSS are associated with mortality risk but there are limited data on whether this association differs by race or sex. Hypothesis: There will be sex and race differences in the association of LSS with mortality in the REGARDS cohort study. Methods: We studied 29,692 REGARDS participants; a population sample of black and white men and women aged 45-98 from across the US, enrolled in 2003-7. Extensive baseline risk factor data were measured in participants' homes. The 7 LSS components (blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, body-mass index, smoking, physical activity, diet) were each scored in AHA-defined categories of poor (0 points), intermediate (1 point) and ideal (2 points), and were summed to yield scores ranging from poor for all (0) to ideal for all (14). With 6.4 years follow up there were 3709 deaths. Results: The LSS score was normally distributed with mean (SD) of 7.9 (2.0) in whites and 6.9 (2.0) in blacks. The age, region, income and education adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of death for a 1-unit worse LSS score, stratified by race and sex, are shown in the table. Race and sex interactions were tested individually in separate models. While better scores for LSS were strongly associated with lower mortality, associations differed by race and sex, being weaker in blacks than whites and in men than women. Conclusion: There were large associations of LSS with mortality risk in the REGARDS national sample; 1 point difference in score, corresponding to movement from poor to intermediate or intermediate to ideal for 1 of the 7 factors, was associated with a 16% lower risk of death in white women, 14% lower risk in white men or black women, but only an 11% lower risk in black men. Observed differences in the association of LSS with mortality by race and sex should be considered in efforts to gauge the impact of LSS interventions on health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between TV/video viewing, as a measure of sedentary behavior, and risk of incident stroke in a large prospective cohort of men and women.Methods: This analysis involved 22,257 participants from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study who reported at baseline the amount of time spent watching TV/video daily. Suspected stroke events were identified at six-monthly telephone calls and were physician-adjudicated. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine risk of stroke at follow-up.Results: During 7.1years of follow-up, 727 incident strokes occurred. After adjusting for demographic factors, watching TV/video ≥4h/day (30% of the sample) was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.37 increased risk of all stroke (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10-1.71) and incident ischemic stroke (hazard ratio 1.35, CI 1.06-1.72). This association was attenuated by socioeconomic factors such as employment status, education and income.Conclusions: These results suggest that while TV/video viewing is associated with increased stroke risk, the effect of TV/video viewing on stroke risk may be explained through other risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This statement summarizes evidence that adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) such as hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preterm delivery, gestational diabetes, small-for-gestational-age delivery, placental abruption, and pregnancy loss increase a woman's risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and of developing subsequent CVD (including fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and heart failure). This statement highlights the importance of recognizing APOs when CVD risk is evaluated in women, although their value in reclassifying risk may not be established. A history of APOs is a prompt for more vigorous primordial prevention of CVD risk factors and primary prevention of CVD. Adopting a heart-healthy diet and increasing physical activity among women with APOs, starting in the postpartum setting and continuing across the life span, are important lifestyle interventions to decrease CVD risk. Lactation and breastfeeding may lower a woman's later cardiometabolic risk. Black and Asian women experience a higher proportion APOs, with more severe clinical presentation and worse outcomes, than White women. More studies on APOs and CVD in non-White women are needed to better understand and address these health disparities. Future studies of aspirin, statins, and metformin may better inform our recommendations for pharmacotherapy in primary CVD prevention among women who have had an APO. Several opportunities exist for health care systems to improve transitions of care for women with APOs and to implement strategies to reduce their long-term CVD risk. One proposed strategy includes incorporation of the concept of a fourth trimester into clinical recommendations and health care policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each year, the American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies, brings together in a single document the most up-to-date statistics related to heart disease, stroke, and the factors in the AHA's Life's Simple 7 (Figure1), which include core health behaviors (smoking, physical activity [PA], diet, and weight) and health factors (cholesterol, blood pressure [BP], and glucose control) that contribute to cardiovascular health. The Statistical Update represents a critical resource for the lay public, policy makers, media professionals, clinicians, healthcare administrators, researchers, health advocates, and others seeking the best available data on these factors and conditions. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke produce immense health and economic burdens in the United States and globally. The Update also presents the latest data on a range of major clinical heart and circulatory disease conditions (including stroke, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure (HF), valvular disease, venous disease, and peripheral arterial disease) and the associated outcomes (including quality of care, procedures, and economic costs). Since 2006, the annual versions of the Statistical Update have been cited >20 000 times in the literature. In 2015 alone, the various Statistical Updates were cited ≈4000 times. Each annual version of the Statistical Update undergoes revisions to include the newest nationally representative data, add additional relevant published scientific findings, remove older information, add new sections or chapters, and increase the number of ways to access and use the assembled information. This year-long process, which begins as soon as the previous Statistical Update is published, is performed by the AHA Statistics Committee faculty volunteers and staff and government agency partners. This year's edition includes new data on the monitoring and benefits of cardiovascular health in the population, new metrics to assess and monitor healthy diets, a new chapter on venous disease and pulmonary hypertension (PH), new information on stroke in young adults, an enhanced focus on underserved and minority populations, a substantively expanded focus and chapter on the global burden of CVD, and further evidence-based approaches to changing behaviors, implementation strategies, and implications of the AHA's 2020 Impact Goals. Below are a few highlights from this year's Update. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a summary of the updates made to the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update in 2016 which is developed by the nonprofit organization American Heart Association (AHA). Updates include the status of the U.S. Cardiovascular Health, the development of effective approaches that promotes cardiovascular health improvement and the health behaviors of Americans.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common condition driven by the obesity epidemic. It is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors including diabetes, obesity, and hyperlipidemia, but also cardiovascular disease events, independent of these factors. No prospective studies have investigated the association of NAFLD with stroke risk. Hypothesis: NAFLD is associated with the risk of stroke in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) case-cohort study. Methods: The REGARDS study recruited 30,239 participants from the contiguous U.S., in order to study the reasons for regional and racial differences in stroke mortality. The REGARDS case-cohort study consists of 569 cases of incident stroke with 5.4 years follow up and a cohort random sample of 1,104. The Fatty Liver Index (FLI) was used a surrogate marker for NAFLD. It is calculated as ex/(1 + ex) × 100, where x = 0.953*log(triglycerides) + 0.139BMI + 0.718log(?- glutamyltransferase) + 0.053waist circumference - 15.745. An FLI >60 is considered a positive score, 20-60 an intermediate score, and <20 a negative score. After excluding 68 participants who reported heavy alcohol consumption and 87 with baseline stroke, Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of stroke for FLI category, adjusting for age, race, sex, and the Framingham stroke risk factors and stratified by body mass index (BMI). Results: In the cohort sample, 44% of participants had NAFLD based on the FLI and 19% had a negative score. Compared to those without NAFLD, individuals with a positive score were more likely to be male (51% vs. 28%), have hypertension (69% vs. 40%), dyslipidemia (68% vs. 37%) diabetes (35% vs. 8%), and higher BMI (mean 33.7 vs. 23.0 kg/m² ; all p<0.001). No participant with BMI < 20 kg/m² had NAFLD by FLI. NAFLD was not associated with risk of stroke in a model adjusted for age, race and sex; HR 1.00 (95% CI 0.69-1.46), or a model further adjusted for Framingham stroke risk factors; HR 0.71 (95% CI 0.45-1.11). Stratifying by BMI group (20-30 kg/m²), there was no association between NAFLD and stroke risk in those with BMI 20-<25 or 25-30 kg/m². We were unable to analyze NAFLD in the BMI >30 group, due to low number of negative scores. When analyzed as a continuous variable among those with BMI 30 kg/m², the HRs for a 10 unit higher FLI score were 0.92 (95% CI 0.84-1.01) and 1.17 (95% CI 0.97-1.42), respectively, adjusted for age, sex, race, and stroke risk factors. Discussion: NAFLD, as determined by a positive FLI score, was not associated with risk of stroke although FLI score was borderline associated with stroke risk in those with a BMI >30. Results raise the possibility that NAFLD represents end organ damage from an adverse metabolic profile, and is not a mediator of stroke risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]