Visual impairment and risk of dementia in two population-based prospective cohorts: UK Biobank and EPIC-Norfolk

Abstract Visual impairment has emerged as a potential modifiable risk factor for dementia. However, there are a lack of large studies with objective measures of vison and with more than ten years of follow-up. We investigated whether visual impairment is associated with an increased risk of incident dementia in UK Biobank and EPIC-Norfolk. In both cohorts, visual acuity was measured using a “logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution” (LogMAR) chart and categorised as no (≤0.30 LogMAR), mild (>0.3 - ≤0.50 LogMAR), and moderate to severe (>0.50 LogMAR) impairment. Dementia was ascertained through linkage to electronic medical records. After restricting to those aged ≥60 years, without prevalent dementia and with eye measures available, the analytic samples consisted of 62,206 UK Biobank and 7,337 EPIC-Norfolk participants, respectively. In UK Biobank and EPIC-Norfolk. respectively, 1,113 and 517 participants developed dementia over 11 and 15 years of follow-up. Using multivariable cox proportional-hazards models, the hazard ratios for mild and moderate to severe visual impairment were 1.26 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.92-1.72) and 2.16 (95% CI 1.37-3.40), in UK Biobank, and 1.05 (95% CI 0.72-1.53) and 1.93 (95% CI 1.05-3.56) in EPIC-Norfolk, compared to no visual impairment. When excluding participants censored within 5 years of follow-up or with prevalent poor or fair self-reported health, the direction of the associations remained similar for moderate impairment but were not statistically significant. Our findings suggest visual impairment might be a promising target for dementia prevention, however the possibility of reverse causation cannot be excluded.

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Colours of fruit and vegetables and 10-year incidence of CHD

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114511001942 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 106 (10) ◽

pp. 1562-1569 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Linda M. Oude Griep ◽

W. M. Monique Verschuren ◽

Daan Kromhout ◽

Marga C. Ocké ◽

Johanna M. Geleijnse

Keyword(s):

Proportional Hazards ◽

Population Based ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Fruit And Vegetables ◽

Orange Yellow ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Orange Fruit ◽

Incident Cases

The colours of the edible part of fruit and vegetables indicate the presence of specific micronutrients and phytochemicals. The extent to which fruit and vegetable colour groups contribute to CHD protection is unknown. We therefore examined the associations between fruit and vegetables of different colours and their subgroups and 10-year CHD incidence. We used data from a prospective population-based cohort including 20 069 men and women aged 20–65 years who were enrolled between 1993 and 1997. Participants were free of CVD at baseline and completed a validated 178-item FFQ. Hazard ratios (HR) for the association between green, orange/yellow, red/purple, white fruit and vegetables and their subgroups with CHD were calculated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. During 10 years of follow-up, 245 incident cases of CHD were documented. For each 25 g/d increase in the intake of the sum of all four colours of fruit and vegetables, a borderline significant association with incident CHD was found (HR 0·98; 95 % CI 0·97, 1·01). No clear associations were found for the colour groups separately. However, each 25 g/d increase in the intake of deep orange fruit and vegetables was inversely associated with CHD (HR 0·74; 95 % CI 0·55, 1·00). Carrots, their largest contributor (60 %), were associated with a 32 % lower risk of CHD (HR 0·68; 95 % CI 0·48, 0·98). In conclusion, though no clear associations were found for the four colour groups with CHD, a higher intake of deep orange fruit and vegetables and especially carrots may protect against CHD.

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Use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and the subsequent risk of herpes zoster in older adults

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keab538 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiahui Qian ◽

Marissa Nichole Lassere ◽

Anita Elizabeth Heywood ◽

Bette Liu

Keyword(s):

Herpes Zoster ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Population Based ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Antiviral Therapies ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Using Data ◽

Subsequent Risk

Abstract Objectives To examine the association between DMARD use and subsequent risk of herpes zoster in a large, heterogeneous, and prospective population-based cohort. Methods Using data from a cohort of adults (45 and Up Study) recruited between 2006 and 2009 and linked to pharmaceutical, hospital and death data (2004–2015), the effect of DMARD use on zoster risk was analysed using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities and corticosteroid use. Results Among 254 065 eligible participants, over 1,826 311 person-years follow-up, there were 6295 new DMARD users and 17 024 incident herpes zoster events. Compared with non-users, the risk of zoster was higher in those who used bDMARDs, either alone or in combination with csDMARDs than in those who only used csDMARDs (adjusted hazard ratios, aHR 2.53 [95% confidence interval, CI 2.03–3.16]) for bDMARDs vs 1.48 [95%CI 1.33–1.66] for csDMARDs, p-heterogeneity < 0.001; reference: non-users). Among users of csDMARDs, compared with non-users, zoster risks were highest in those using exclusively cyclophosphamide (aHR 2.69 [95%CI 1.89–3.83]), more moderate in those using azathioprine (aHR 1.57 [95%CI 1.07–2.30]) and hydroxychloroquine (aHR 1.43 [95%CI 1.11–1.83]) and not elevated in users of methotrexate (aHR 1.24 [95%CI 0.98–1.57]), sulfasalazine (aHR 1.00 [95%CI 0.71–1.42]) and leflunomide (aHR 0.41 [95%CI 0.06–2.88]). Conclusions The risk of zoster was high among bDMARD and cyclophosphamide users. Also, the risk was increased in those using hydroxychloroquine alone and in combination with methotrexate but not methotrexate alone. Preventative strategies such as zoster vaccination or antiviral therapies should be considered in these populations if not contraindicated.

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The predictive role of sickness absence spell durations in associations with inpatient- and specialized outpatient care among a population-based Swedish twin sample

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-021-06310-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Annina Ropponen ◽

Mo Wang ◽

Jurgita Narusyte ◽

Sanna Kärkkäinen ◽

Victoria Blom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Care ◽

Sickness Absence ◽

Outpatient Care ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Population Based ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Predictive Role

Abstract Background The associations between a sickness absence spell duration and patient care have been rarely studied. An assumption is that associations would differ by spell duration and by the patient care type, inpatient- or specialized outpatient, due to severity of diseases and/or conditions. We aimed to investigate sickness absence spells in various spell durations as a predictor for subsequent inpatient- and specialized outpatient care separately, and to study if familial confounding plays a role in these associations. Methods We followed a population-based sample of Swedish twins born 1925–90 with national registers from 2001 for first incident sickness absence spell (days to calculate spell duration categorized into ≤30 days, 31–90 days, 91–180 days and ≥ 181 days), or no sickness absence, and for inpatient- and specialized outpatient care until 2013 (n = 24,975). Cox proportional hazards models were applied for hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) while accounting for covariates and familial confounding. Results First incident sickness absence spell across all duration categories was associated with an increased risk of inpatient- (age- and sex adjusted HR 1.28 to 6.05) or specialized outpatient care (HR 1.17–2.50), both in comparison to those without any sickness absence or the shortest sickness absence spell category (1–30 days). The associations remained statistically significant while controlling for covariates or familial confounding. Conclusions First incident sickness absence spell increases the risk of inpatient care or specialized outpatient care regardless of the duration of the sickness absence spell. Hence, incident sickness absence spells should be noted and targeted to actions at workplaces as well as in primary and occupational health care.

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Probable REM sleep behavior disorder and risk of stroke

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000003902 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 88 (19) ◽

pp. 1849-1855 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Chaoran Ma ◽

Milena Pavlova ◽

Yesong Liu ◽

Ying Liu ◽

Chunmei Huangfu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rem Sleep ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder ◽

Behavior Disorder ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Sleep Behavior ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Increased Risk

Objective:To examine whether probable REM sleep behavior disorder (pRBD) was associated with increased risk of developing stroke in a community-based cohort.Methods:The study included 12,003 participants (mean age 54.0 years) of the Kailuan Study, free of stroke, cancer, Parkinson disease, dementia, and head injury at baseline (2012). We determined pRBD using a validated REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) questionnaire in 2012. Incident stroke cases were confirmed by review of medical records. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of stroke according to pRBD status, adjusting for several sleep measures (i.e., insomnia, daytime sleepiness, sleep duration, snoring, and use of hypnotics) and other potential confounders.Results:During 3 years of follow-up, we documented 159 incident stroke cases. Relative to participants without pRBD at the baseline, those with pRBD had a 157% higher risk (95% CI 59%–313%) of developing stroke. Presence of pRBD was associated with increased risk of both stroke types—the adjusted HR was 1.93 (95% CI 1.07–3.46) for ischemic stroke and 6.61 (95% CI 2.27–19.27) for hemorrhagic stroke.Conclusions:Presence of pRBD was associated with a higher risk of developing stroke, including both ischemic and hemorrhagic types. Future studies with clinically confirmed RBD and a longer follow-up would be appropriate to further investigate this association.

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Sex-Specific Associations between Blood Pressure and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation Subtypes in the Tromsø Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10071514 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1514

Author(s):

Hilde Espnes ◽

Jocasta Ball ◽

Maja-Lisa Løchen ◽

Tom Wilsgaard ◽

Inger Njølstad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Pressure Management ◽

Reference Models ◽

Proportional Hazards Regression ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Increased Risk

The aim of this study was to explore sex-specific associations between systolic blood pressure (SBP), hypertension, and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) subtypes, including paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent AF, in a general population. A total of 13,137 women and 11,667 men who participated in the fourth survey of the Tromsø Study (1994–1995) were followed up for incident AF until the end of 2016. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted using fractional polynomials for SBP to provide sex- and AF-subtype-specific hazard ratios (HRs) for SBP. An SBP of 120 mmHg was used as the reference. Models were adjusted for other cardiovascular risk factors. Over a mean follow-up of 17.6 ± 6.6 years, incident AF occurred in 914 (7.0%) women (501 with paroxysmal/persistent AF and 413 with permanent AF) and 1104 (9.5%) men (606 with paroxysmal/persistent AF and 498 with permanent AF). In women, an SBP of 180 mmHg was associated with an HR of 2.10 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.60–2.76) for paroxysmal/persistent AF and an HR of 1.80 (95% CI 1.33–2.44) for permanent AF. In men, an SBP of 180 mmHg was associated with an HR of 1.90 (95% CI 1.46–2.46) for paroxysmal/persistent AF, while there was no association with the risk of permanent AF. In conclusion, increasing SBP was associated with an increased risk of both paroxysmal/persistent AF and permanent AF in women, but only paroxysmal/persistent AF in men. Our findings highlight the importance of sex-specific risk stratification and optimizing blood pressure management for the prevention of AF subtypes in clinical practice.

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Changes in Metabolic Syndrome Status and Breast Cancer Risk: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13051177 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 1177

Author(s):

In Young Choi ◽

Sohyun Chun ◽

Dong Wook Shin ◽

Kyungdo Han ◽

Keun Hye Jeon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Screening Program ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Health Screening Program ◽

Design And Methods

Objective: To our knowledge, no studies have yet looked at how the risk of developing breast cancer (BC) varies with changes in metabolic syndrome (MetS) status. This study aimed to investigate the association between changes in MetS and subsequent BC occurrence. Research Design and Methods: We enrolled 930,055 postmenopausal women aged 40–74 years who participated in a biennial National Health Screening Program in 2009–2010 and 2011–2012. Participants were categorized into four groups according to change in MetS status during the two-year interval screening: sustained non-MetS, transition to MetS, transition to non-MetS, and sustained MetS. We calculated multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for BC incidence using the Cox proportional hazards models. Results: At baseline, MetS was associated with a significantly increased risk of BC (aHR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06–1.17) and so were all of its components. The risk of BC increased as the number of the components increased (aHR 1.46, 95% CI 1.26–1.61 for women with all five components). Compared to the sustained non-MetS group, the aHR (95% CI) for BC was 1.11 (1.04–1.19) in the transition to MetS group, 1.05 (0.96–1.14) in the transition to non-MetS group, and 1.18 (1.12–1.25) in the sustained MetS group. Conclusions: Significantly increased BC risk was observed in the sustained MetS and transition to MetS groups. These findings are clinically meaningful in that efforts to recover from MetS may lead to reduced risk of BC.

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Association of poor sleep burden in middle age and older adults with risk for delirium during hospitalization

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glab272 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ma Cherrysse Ulsa ◽

Xi Zheng ◽

Peng Li ◽

Arlen Gaba ◽

Patricia M Wong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Time Lag ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Cardiovascular Risks ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Uk

Abstract Background Delirium is a distressing neurocognitive disorder recently linked to sleep disturbances. However, the longitudinal relationship between sleep and delirium remains unclear. This study assessed the associations of poor sleep burden, and its trajectory, with delirium risk during hospitalization. Methods 321,818 participants from the UK Biobank (mean age 58±8y[SD]; range 37-74y) reported (2006-2010) sleep traits (sleep duration, excessive daytime sleepiness, insomnia-type complaints, napping, and chronotype–a closely-related circadian measure for sleep timing), aggregated into a sleep burden score (0-9). New-onset delirium (n=4,775) was obtained from hospitalization records during 12y median follow-up. 42,291 (mean age 64±8; range 44-83y) had repeat sleep assessment on average 8y after their first. Results In the baseline cohort, Cox proportional hazards models showed that moderate (aggregate scores=4-5) and severe (scores=6-9) poor sleep burden groups were 18% (hazard ratio 1.18 [95% confidence interval 1.08-1.28], p<0.001) and 57% (1.57 [1.38-1.80], p<0.001), more likely to develop delirium respectively. The latter risk magnitude is equivalent to two additional cardiovascular risks. These findings appeared robust when restricted to postoperative delirium and after exclusion of underlying dementia. Higher sleep burden was also associated with delirium in the follow-up cohort. Worsening sleep burden (score increase ≥2 vs. no change) further increased the risk for delirium (1.79 [1.23-2.62], p=0.002) independent of their baseline sleep score and time-lag. The risk was highest in those under 65y at baseline (p for interaction <0.001). Conclusion Poor sleep burden and worsening trajectory were associated with increased risk for delirium; promotion of sleep health may be important for those at higher risk.

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Supper Timing and Cardiovascular Mortality: The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13103389 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 3389

Author(s):

Jingyun Tang ◽

Jia-Yi Dong ◽

Ehab S. Eshak ◽

Renzhe Cui ◽

Kokoro Shirai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hemorrhagic Stroke ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Stroke Mortality ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Risk Of Mortality ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Study Participants

Evidence on the role of supper timing in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is limited. In this study, we examined the associations between supper timing and risks of mortality from stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), and total CVD. A total of 28,625 males and 43,213 females, aged 40 to 79 years, free from CVD and cancers at baseline were involved in this study. Participants were divided into three groups: the early supper group (before 8:00 p.m.), the irregular supper group (time irregular), and the late supper group (after 8:00 p.m.). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for stroke, CHD, and total CVD according to the supper time groups. During the 19-year follow-up, we identified 4706 deaths from total CVD. Compared with the early supper group, the multivariable HR of hemorrhagic stroke mortality for the irregular supper group was 1.44 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.97). There was no significant association between supper timing and the risk of mortality from other types of stroke, CHD, and CVD. We found that adopting an irregular supper timing compared with having dinner before 8:00 p.m. was associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke mortality.

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Abstract WP218: Increased Systolic Blood Pressure Variability Among Diabetic Patients is Associated With Higher Risk of Incident Stroke: A Secondary Analysis of ACCORDION

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.51.suppl_1.wp218 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Adam H de Havenon ◽

Ka-Ho Wong ◽

Eva Mistry ◽

Mohammad Anadani ◽

Shadi Yaghi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Blood Pressure Variability ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Diabetic Patients ◽

Adjusted Risk ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards Models ◽

Increased Risk

Background: Increased blood pressure variability (BPV) has been associated with stroke risk, but never specifically in patients with diabetes. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Follow-On Study (ACCORDION), the long term follow-up extension of ACCORD. Visit-to-visit BPV was analyzed using all BP readings during the first 36 months. The primary outcome was incident ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke after 36 months. Differences in mean BPV was tested with Student’s t-test. We fit Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the adjusted risk of stroke across lowest vs. highest quintile of BPV and report hazard ratios along with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Our analysis included 9,241 patients, with a mean (SD) age of 62.7 (6.6) years and 61.7% were male. Mean (SD) follow-up was 5.7 (2.4) years and number of BP readings per patient was 12.0 (4.3). Systolic, but not diastolic, BPV was higher in patients who developed stroke (Table 1). The highest quintile of SBP SD was associated with increased risk of incident stroke, independent of mean blood pressure or other potential confounders. (Table 2, Figure 1). There was no interaction between SBP SD and treatment arm assignment, although the interaction for glucose approached significance (Table 2). Conclusion: Higher systolic BPV was associated with incident stroke in a large cohort of diabetic patients. Future trials of stroke prevention may benefit from interventions targeting BPV reduction.

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Relationship of lycopene intake and consumption of tomato products to incident CVD

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114512005417 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 110 (3) ◽

pp. 545-551 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Paul F. Jacques ◽

Asya Lyass ◽

Joseph M. Massaro ◽

Ramachandran S. Vasan ◽

Ralph B. D'Agostino Sr

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Proportional Hazards ◽

Cox Proportional Hazards ◽

Supporting Evidence ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Cvd Risk ◽

Stroke Incidence ◽

Hazard Ratios ◽

Increased Risk

Evidence for cardioprotective effects of lycopene is inconsistent. Studies of circulating lycopene generally report inverse associations with CVD risk, but studies based on lycopene intake do not. The failure of dietary studies to support the findings based on biomarkers may be due in part to misclassification of lycopene intakes. To address this potential misclassification, we used repeated measures of intake obtained over 10 years to characterise the relationship between lycopene intake and the incidence of CVD (n314), CHD (n171) and stroke (n99) in the Framingham Offspring Study. Hazard ratios (HR) for incident outcomes were derived from Cox proportional hazards regression models using logarithmically transformed lycopene intake adjusted for CVD risk factors and correlates of lycopene intake. HR were interpreted as the increased risk for a 2·7-fold difference in lycopene intake, a difference approximately equal to its interquartile range. Using an average of three intake measures with a 9-year follow-up, lycopene intake was inversely associated with CVD incidence (HR 0·83, 95 % CI 0·70, 0·98). Using an average of two intake measures and 11 years of follow-up, lycopene intake was inversely associated with CHD incidence (HR 0·74, 95 % CI 0·58, 0·94). Lycopene intake was unrelated to stroke incidence. The present study of lycopene intake and CVD provides supporting evidence for an inverse association between lycopene and CVD risk; however, additional research is needed to determine whether lycopene or other components of tomatoes, the major dietary source of lycopene, are responsible for the observed association.

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