Top in cardiology: Work stress linked to heart disease; anticoagulant meets endpoint early

A study of more than 6,000 white-collar workers found that psychosocial stressors at work raised men’s risk of coronary heart disease while having an inconclusive impact on women.

“We found that imbalances between effort and reward at work, along with high psychological demands and low job control, may have significant implications for heart health,” study author Mathilde Lavigne-Robichaud, RD, MSc, told Healio. “It's crucial to consider not only traditional risk factors but also the psychosocial aspects of a person's work environment.”

It was the top story in cardiology last week.

Another top story was about a phase 2 study that was stopped early because the study drug, a factor XI inhibitor called abelacimab, showed an “overwhelming reduction” in bleeding for patients with atrial fibrillation at high risk for stroke compared with a leading direct oral anticoagulant.

Read these and more top stories in cardiology below:

Psychosocial stressors at work may double heart disease risk for men

Data suggest psychosocial stressors at work, including job strain and effort-reward imbalance, independently raise CVD risk for men and could pose a risk for heart health in women, though that evidence remains inconclusive. Read more.

Abelacimab trial for AF stopped early due to ‘overwhelming’ reduction in bleeding

Anthos Therapeutics announced that the phase 2 AZALEA-TIMI 71 study was stopped early due to an “overwhelming reduction” in bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation at high risk for stroke taking abelacimab vs. rivaroxaban. Read more.

Statin initiation despite already low LDL tied to improved mortality after first stroke

Researchers in South Korea showed that statin therapy for treatment-naive patients with already low LDL hospitalized for first-time stroke may reduce risk for all-cause death in the following months. Read more.

Focused ultrasound cost-effective, improves athletes’ risk detection for cardiac death

Pre-participation screening for risk factors for sudden cardiac death with focused cardiac ultrasound was shown to improve diagnosis in athletes while remaining cost-effective, researchers reported. Read more.

Any substance use during pregnancy ups risk for acute heart events during delivery

Use of any substance during pregnancy, including alcohol and cannabis but especially methamphetamines, is associated with increased risk for acute cardiovascular outcomes during delivery hospitalization, according to a nationwide database analysis. Read more.