Abstract Background Evidence suggests an association between obesity and the risk for cardiomyopathy development, however robust evidence is still lacking. In this study we sought to explore the relationship of obesity with hypertrophic (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and possible interactions with sex using large scale epidemiological real-world data. Methods and Results We analyzed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) of U.S. hospitalizations for the years 2015-2019. There were a total of n=46,934 admissions with a diagnosis of HCM and n=170,924 with DCM. There was a significant interaction between cardiomyopathies’ diagnosis with sex and age subgroups; the rates of both DCM and HCM increased with age (p<0.001 for both); DCM diagnosis was significantly higher in males compared with females (0.85% vs. 0.35%, p<0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, race, and presence of arterial hypertension there was a significant stepwise positive association between obesity and the population rates of both cardiomyopathy subtypes. For hospitalized patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥30kg/m2 there was an odds ratio (OR) of 1.68 (95%CI: 1.55-1.81, p<0.001) for HCM andOR=1.82 (95%CI: 1.79-1.84, p<0.001) for DCM. More importantly, the positive relationship between a cardiomyopathy diagnosis (HCM or DCM) with increasing BMI was driven by the male sex (p<0.001 for both) and it was non-significant in females. Conclusions The findings from this nationwide observational analysis support a sexual dimorphism in the relationship between obesity and hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy, which should be further investigated.Cardiomyopathy-obesity
Relationship between obesity and hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy: The role of sex
SummaryEvidence suggests an association between obesity and the risk for cardiomyopathy development; however, robust evidence is still lacking. In this study we sought to explore the relationship of obesity with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and possible interactions with sex using large‐scale epidemiological real‐world data. We analysed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample of US hospitalisations for the years 2015–2019. There were a total of 46 934 admissions with diagnosis of HCM and 170 924 with DCM. There was a significant interaction between cardiomyopathies' diagnosis with sex and age subgroups; the rates of both DCM and HCM increased with age (p < .001 for both); DCM diagnosis was significantly higher in males compared with females (0.85% vs. 0.35%, p < .001). After adjustment for age, sex, race and presence of arterial hypertension there was a significant stepwise positive association between obesity and the population rates of both cardiomyopathy subtypes. For hospitalised patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 there was an odds ratio (OR) of 1.68 (95% CI: 1.55–1.81, p < .001) for HCM and OR = 1.82 (95% CI: 1.79–1.84, p < .001) for DCM. More importantly, the positive relationship between a cardiomyopathy diagnosis (HCM or DCM) with increasing BMI was driven by the male sex (p < .001 for both) and it was non‐significant in females. The findings from this nationwide observational analysis support a sexual dimorphism in the relationship between obesity and HCM or DCM, which should be further investigated.
Moderate Aortic Valve Stenosis Is Associated With Increased Mortality Rate and Lifetime Loss: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Reconstructed Time‐to‐Event Data of 409 680 Patients
Background The mortality risk attributable to moderate aortic stenosis (AS) remains incompletely characterized and has historically been underestimated. We aim to evaluate the association between moderate AS and all‐cause death, comparing it with no/mild AS (in a general referral population and in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction). Methods and Results A systematic review and pooled meta‐analysis of Kaplan–Meier‐derived reconstructed time‐to‐event data of studies published by June 2023 was conducted to evaluate survival outcomes among patients with moderate AS in comparison with individuals with no/mild AS. Ten studies were included, encompassing a total of 409 680 patients (11 527 with moderate AS and 398 153 with no/mild AS). In the overall population, the 15‐year overall survival rate was 23.3% (95% CI, 19.1%–28.3%) in patients with moderate AS and 58.9% (95% CI, 58.1%–59.7%) in patients with no/mild aortic stenosis (hazard ratio [HR], 2.55 [95% CI, 2.46–2.64]; P <0.001). In patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, the 10‐year overall survival rate was 15.5% (95% CI, 10.0%–24.0%) in patients with moderate AS and 37.3% (95% CI, 36.2%–38.5%) in patients with no/mild AS (HR, 1.83 [95% CI, 1.69–2.0]; P <0.001). In both populations (overall and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction), these differences correspond to significant lifetime loss associated with moderate AS during follow‐up (4.4 years, P <0.001; and 1.9 years, P <0.001, respectively). A consistent pattern of elevated mortality rate associated with moderate AS in sensitivity analyses of matched studies was observed. Conclusions Moderate AS was associated with higher risk of death and lifetime loss compared with patients with no/mild AS.
Sex‐Specific Associations of Oral Anticoagulant Use and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
Background Sex‐specific effectiveness of rivaroxaban ( RIVA ), dabigatran ( DABI ), and warfarin in reducing myocardial infarction ( MI ), heart failure ( HF ), and all‐cause mortality among patients with atrial fibrillation are not known. We assessed sex‐specific associations of RIVA , DABI , or warfarin use with the risk of MI , HF , and all‐cause mortality among patients with atrial fibrillation. Methods and Results Medicare beneficiaries (men: 65 734 [44.8%], women: 81 135 [55.2%]) with atrial fibrillation who initiated oral anticoagulants formed the study cohort. Inpatient admissions for MI , HF , and all‐cause mortality were compared between the 3 drugs separately for men and women using 3‐way propensity‐matched samples. In men, RIVA use was associated with a reduced risk of MI admissions compared with warfarin use (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval ( CI ): 0.59 [0.38–0.91]), with a trend towards reduced risk compared with DABI use (0.67 [0.44–1.01]). In women, there were no significant differences in the risk of MI admissions across all 3 anticoagulants. In both sexes, RIVA use and DABI use were associated with reduced risk of HF admissions (men: RIVA ; 0.75 [0.63–0.89], DABI ; 0.81 [0.69–0.96]) (women: RIVA ; 0.64 [0.56–0.74], DABI ; 0.73 [0.63–0.83]) and all‐cause mortality (men: RIVA ; 0.66 [0.53–0.81], DABI ; 0.75 [0.61–0.93]) (women: RIVA ; 0.76 [0.63–0.91], DABI ; 0.77 [0.64–0.93]) compared with warfarin use. Conclusions RIVA use and DABI use when compared with warfarin use was associated with a reduced risk of HF admissions and all‐cause mortality in both sexes. However, reduced risk of MI admissions noted with RIVA use appears to be limited to men.