Cardiovascular Disease

The American Heart Association released a scientific statement detailing the many correlations between homelessness, low-quality housing and neighborhood environment with the prevalence of CVD and its risk factors.

Childhood physical, sexual or emotional abuse or emotional or physical neglect were each associated with greater risk for early-onset CVD and ischemic heart disease, researchers reported.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus demonstrated a 27% higher risk for nonfatal cardiovascular events compared with patients with diabetes, and twice the risk of the general population, according data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Patients with diabetes and increased CVD risk who also received one of several diabetes treatments were more likely to have certain “favorable” health outcomes, researchers reported.

Details of a trial evaluating how providing young, Black adults with CV-related health coaching may promote healthy lifestyles and reduce the risk for CVD was the top story in cardiology last week.

Culturally tailored health coaching may be an effective way to promote CV health and potentially reduce risk for CVD, although more data are needed to determine the best approach to do so.

Adults with type 2 diabetes and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease were no more likely to experience a CV event during 3.5 years of follow-up with the SGLT2 inhibitor ertugliflozin compared with placebo, study data show.

Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a dangerous, chronic disease that involves the repeated collapse of the upper airway during sleep. A report commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimates that OSA affects nearly 30 million American adults, with an estimated 23.5 million of them currently undiagnosed. Untreated OSA has been linked to an increased risk for numerous health problems, and it is extremely common in people who have CVD.

Management of lipids and residual CV risk has been a primary focus in cardiology for decades, and new data in this area are encouraging. Much emphasis has been placed on the use of therapies including PCSK9 inhibitors, statins and ezetimibe to achieve target LDL levels. But controlling LDL does not always control CVD risk, and because some patients are not able to achieve LDL and other targets on existing therapies, new options are needed.

More must be done across cardiology, endocrinology, obesity medicine and related specialties to build on a century of progress and one day prevent or even cure all types of diabetes, according to a speaker.