A Retrospective Analysis of Risk Factors for Severe Clostridium Difficile Infection In Acute Leukemia and Aggressive Lymphoma.

Abstract Abstract 3797 Introduction and Goals. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is increasing in frequency and severity. Risk factors for severity of illness and treatment recommendations for patients with concurrent aggressive hematologic malignancies have not been investigated, despite data showing that this population experiences a high rate of CDI. The goal of this study was to assess mortality associated from CDI as well as risk factors for severe CDI in a population of patients with acute hematologic malignancies. Methods. Ninety-three cases of CDI among 78 patients with active acute leukemia or aggressive lymphoma at the University of Virginia (UVa) Health System from 2004–2009 were studied retrospectively. Rates of all-cause mortality, attributable mortality secondary to CDI (defined as CDI with at least one of the following: active diarrhea, toxic megacolon, or pseudomembranes on colonoscopy at time of death), and a composite outcome (defined as at least one of the following: attributable mortality, ICU stay from CDI, pseudomembranous colitis, toxic megacolon, or colectomy) were assessed as adverse outcomes. The following potential risk factors for severe CDI were investigated, adjusting for age: onset and duration of neutropenia, exposure to high dose cytarabine, number of antimicrobials given, exposure to fluoroquinolone prophylaxis for neutropenic fever, and a designation of severe CDI as previously described (at least two of the following: white blood count >15,000 cells/mL, age >60 years, albumin <2.5 g/dL, temperature >38.3° C, or one of the following: ICU stay or pseudomembranous colitis). Results. All-cause mortality was 21.7%. CDI-attributable mortality was 14.1%. The rate of the composite outcome was 20.3%. All-cause mortality was higher in patients with leukemia and lymphoma than for all other patients hospitalized at this institution with CDI in 2008 (12.5% all-cause mortality, 76/610, p=0.015, 95% CI [13.2, 32.6]). Duration of neutropenic episode >14 days and neutropenia at diagnosis of CDI were associated with increased risk of attributable mortality (OR 3.12, 95% CI [0.82, 11.92], p=0.09; OR 3.39, 95% CI [0.57, 20.05], p=0.11). Cumulative duration of neutropenia >21 days was not associated with increased risk in adverse outcomes. Designation of severe CDI predicted an increase in all-cause mortality (OR 6.7, 95% CI [2.1, 21.5], p <0.001), attributable mortality (OR 11.5, 95% CI [2.3, 57.5], p <0.001), and the composite outcome, (OR 19.3, 95% CI [5.5, 74.7], p <0.001). Fluoroquinolone prophylaxis for neutropenic fever, high dose cytarabine, induction chemotherapy, or receipt of more than 2 concurrent antimicrobials were not associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality, attributable mortality or the composite outcome. Discussion. Patients with acute hematologic malignancies and concurrent CDI were at increased risk of all-cause and CDI-attributable mortality compared with similar data from UVa of all hospitalized patients. Prolonged neutropenia at time of CDI diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of CDI-attributable mortality, although this result was not statistically significant. Established criteria for diagnosing severe CDI were helpful at predicting poor outcomes in this population. Seven of the 10 neutropenic patients who died in this study did not receive oral vancomycin. Neutropenic patients with CDI may benefit from initial treatment with oral vancomycin instead of metronidazole, especially if other criteria for severe illness are present. Future research may assess effectiveness of oral vancomycin as initial treatment for CDI in neutropenic patients. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Concomitant infections in patients with cancer and COVID-19: A COVID-19 and Cancer Consortium (CCC19) study.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.6561 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. 6561-6561

Author(s):

Kyle T. Enriquez ◽

Gowri Satyanarayana ◽

Maheen Abidi ◽

Shailesh M Advani ◽

Pamela Egan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Immune Modulation ◽

Hematologic Malignancies ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Patients With Cancer ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

History Of ◽

History Of Cancer

6561 Background: COVID-19 has been associated with immune modulation that may predispose infected patients to bacterial, viral, or fungal co-infections. Due to critical illness, > 70% of patients with severe COVID-19 receive empiric antibacterial or antifungal therapy, along with standard anti-COVID-19 treatments. However, the frequency of proven or probable secondary infections is < 10%. To our knowledge, there are no studies evaluating co-infections in patients with cancer and COVID-19, a vulnerable group with multiple risk factors for co-infections. We aim to describe the prevalence of bacterial, viral, and fungal co-infections, identify risk factors for coinfection, and investigate the potential impact of co-infections on mortality, in patients with a history of cancer and COVID-19. Methods: The CCC19 registry (NCT04354701) includes patients with active or prior hematologic or invasive solid malignancies reported across academic and community sites. We captured bacterial, fungal, or viral co-infections diagnosed within ±2 weeks from diagnosis of COVID-19, identified factors associated with an increased risk of having a co-infection, and evaluated the association of co-infections with 30-day all-cause mortality. Results: We examined 6732 patients with a history of cancer and a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 reported to CCC19 by 82 sites between March 17, 2020 and February 3, 2021, with complete data on coinfection status. Median age was 65 (interquartile range: 55-75) years with 48% male, 52% non-Hispanic white, 19% non-Hispanic black, and 16% Hispanic. 5448 (81%) had solid tumors and 1466 (22%) had hematologic malignancies. Bacterial infections were reported in 823 patients (12%), including 296 Gram+ and 245 Gram- bacterial events. Documented viral (176 patients, 3%) and fungal (59 patients, 0.9%) co-infections were rare. The risk for co-infections increased with age, and they were more frequent among men, older patients, and those with diabetes, pulmonary or renal comorbid conditions, active progressive cancer, or hematologic malignancies (unadjusted P< 0.01). The frequency of reported co-infections decreased over the study period (divided into quartiles, Mantel-Haenszel P< 0.01). All-cause mortality rates were higher among those with bacterial (24% vs. 10%), viral (22% vs. 12%), and fungal (37% vs. 12%) coinfections compared to those without (unadjusted P< 0.01). Conclusions: The frequency of bacterial infections in patients with cancer and COVID-19 is relatively low. Viral and fungal co-infections are uncommon. Co-infections are associated with higher mortality rates. Several patient and tumor factors can be used for risk stratification and guide early empiric antimicrobial agent selection, which may improve clinical outcomes. These data could inform antimicrobial stewardship interventions in this tenuous patient population.

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Association of inflammatory disease and long-term outcomes among young adults with myocardial infarction: the Partners YOUNG-MI registry

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.1305 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽

Author(s):

B Weber ◽

D.W Biery ◽

A Singh ◽

S Divakaran ◽

A.N Berman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Inflammatory Disease ◽

Inflammatory Arthritis ◽

Young Age ◽

Funding Source ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Systemic Inflammatory Disease ◽

All Cause Mortality

Abstract Background Autoimmune systemic inflammatory diseases are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly myocardial infarction (MI). However, there are limited data on the prevalence and effects of inflammatory disease among U.S. adults who experience an MI at a young age. Purpose We sought to determine the prevalence and prognostic value of inflammatory disease in U.S. adults who experience an MI at a young age. Methods The YOUNG-MI registry is a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients who experienced a Type 1 MI at or below the age of 50 years from 2000 to 2016 at two large medical centers. A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis (PsO), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or inflammatory arthritis was determined through physician review of electronic medical records (EMR). Demographic information, presence of cardiovascular (CV) risk-factors, medical procedures, and medications upon discharge were also ascertained from the EMR. Incidence of death was determined using a combination of EMR and national databases. Cox proportional hazard modeling was performed on a sub-sample following Mahalanobis Distance matching on age, sex, and CV risk factors. Results The cohort consisted of 2097 individuals (median age 45 years, 19% female, 53% ST-elevation MI). Among these, 53 (2.5%) individuals possessed a diagnosis of systemic inflammatory disease at or before their index MI (23% SLE, 9% RA, 64% PsO, 4% inflammatory arthritis). When compared to the remainder of the cohort, patients with a diagnosis of systemic inflammatory disease were more likely to be female (36% vs 19%, p=0.004) and be diagnosed with hypertension (62% vs 46%, p=0.025). There was, however, no significant difference in the prevalence of other CV risk factors – diabetes, smoking, dyslipidemia – or a family history of premature coronary artery disease. Despite these similarities, patients with inflammatory disease were less likely to be prescribed aspirin (88% vs 95%, p=0.049) or a statin (76% vs 89%, p=0.008) upon discharge. Over a median follow-up of 11.2 years, patients with inflammatory disease experienced an increased risk of all-cause mortality when compared with the full-cohort (Figure). Compared to the matched sample (n=138), patients with systemic inflammatory disease exhibited an increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR=2.68, CI [1.18 to 6.07], p=0.018), which remained significant after multivariable adjustment for length of stay and GFR (HR=2.38, CI [1.02 to 5.54], p=0.045). Conclusions Among individuals who experienced an MI at a young age, approximately 2.5% had evidence of a systemic inflammatory disease at or before their MI. When compared with a population of individuals with similar cardiovascular risk profiles, those with inflammatory disease had higher rates of all-cause mortality. Our findings suggest that the presence of a systemic inflammatory disorder is independently associated with worse long-term outcomes. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): 1. 5T32 HL094301 NIH T32 Training Grant, “Noninvasive Cardiovascular Imaging Research Training Program”

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Workload-indexed blood pressure response is superior to peak systolic blood pressure in predicting all-cause mortality

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology ◽

10.1177/2047487319877268 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 27 (9) ◽

pp. 978-987 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kristofer Hedman ◽

Nicholas Cauwenberghs ◽

Jeffrey W Christle ◽

Tatiana Kuznetsova ◽

Francois Haddad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Blood Pressure ◽

Systolic Blood Pressure ◽

Exercise Testing ◽

Lower Risk ◽

Metabolic Equivalents ◽

Risk Of Mortality ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Clinical Exercise Testing

Aims The association between peak systolic blood pressure (SBP) during exercise testing and outcome remains controversial, possibly due to the confounding effect of external workload (metabolic equivalents of task (METs)) on peak SBP as well as on survival. Indexing the increase in SBP to the increase in workload (SBP/MET-slope) could provide a more clinically relevant measure of the SBP response to exercise. We aimed to characterize the SBP/MET-slope in a large cohort referred for clinical exercise testing and to determine its relation to all-cause mortality. Methods and results Survival status for male Veterans who underwent a maximal treadmill exercise test between the years 1987 and 2007 were retrieved in 2018. We defined a subgroup of non-smoking 10-year survivors with fewer risk factors as a lower-risk reference group. Survival analyses for all-cause mortality were performed using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs (95% confidence interval)) adjusted for baseline age, test year, cardiovascular risk factors, medications and comorbidities. A total of 7542 subjects were followed over 18.4 (interquartile range 16.3) years. In lower-risk subjects ( n = 709), the median (95th percentile) of the SBP/MET-slope was 4.9 (10.0) mmHg/MET. Lower peak SBP (<210 mmHg) and higher SBP/MET-slope (>10 mmHg/MET) were both associated with 20% higher mortality (adjusted HRs 1.20 (1.08–1.32) and 1.20 (1.10–1.31), respectively). In subjects with high fitness, a SBP/MET-slope > 6.2 mmHg/MET was associated with a 27% higher risk of mortality (adjusted HR 1.27 (1.12–1.45)). Conclusion In contrast to peak SBP, having a higher SBP/MET-slope was associated with increased risk of mortality. This simple, novel metric can be considered in clinical exercise testing reports.

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Risk factors for invasive aspergillosis in neutropenic patients with hematologic malignancies

Leukemia ◽

10.1038/sj.leu.2403674 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 545-550 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

K Mühlemann ◽

C Wenger ◽

R Zenhäusern ◽

M G Täuber

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Invasive Aspergillosis ◽

Hematologic Malignancies ◽

Neutropenic Patients

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Stroke in hemodialysis patients randomized to different intravenous iron strategies: a prespecified analysis from the PIVOTAL trial

Kidney360 ◽

10.34067/kid.0004272021 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 10.34067/KID.0004272021

Author(s):

Patrick B. Mark ◽

Pardeep S. Jhund ◽

Matthew R. Walters ◽

Mark C. Petrie ◽

Albert Power ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Stroke Risk ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intravenous Iron ◽

Hemodialysis Patients ◽

High Dose ◽

Pivotal Trial ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Iv Iron

Background: People with kidney failure treated with hemodialysis (HD) are at increased risk of stroke compared to similarly aged people with normal kidney function. One concern is that treatment of renal anemia might increase stroke risk. We studied risk factors for stroke in a prespecified secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of intravenous iron treatment strategies in HD. Methods: We analyzed data from the Proactive IV IrOn Therapy in HaemodiALysis Patients (PIVOTAL) trial focusing on variables associated with risk of stroke. The trial randomized 2,141 adults, who had started hemodialysis <12 months earlier and who were receiving an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA), to high-dose IV iron administered proactively or low-dose IV iron administered reactively in a 1:1 ratio. Possible stroke events were independently adjudicated. We performed analyses to identify variables associated with stroke during follow-up and assessed survival following stroke. Results: During a median 2.1 years follow-up, 69 (3.2%) patients experienced a first post randomization stroke. 57 (82.6%) were ischemic strokes and 12 (17.4%) hemorrhagic strokes. There were 34 post randomization strokes in the proactive arm and 35 in the reactive arm (hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.90 (0.56, 1.44), p=0.66). In multivariable models, female gender, diabetes, history of prior stroke at baseline, higher baseline systolic blood pressure, lower serum albumin and higher C-reactive protein were independently associated with stroke events during follow up. Hemoglobin, total iron or ESA dose were not associated with risk of stroke. 58% of patients with a stroke event died during follow-up, compared to 23% without a stroke. Conclusions: In hemodialysis patients, stroke risk is broadly associated with risk factors previously described to increase cardiovascular risk in this population. Proactive intravenous iron does not increase stroke risk.

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Risk for Cardiovascular Disease and One-Year Mortality in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Overlap Syndrome

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2021.767982 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Manyun Tang ◽

Yidan Wang ◽

Mengjie Wang ◽

Rui Tong ◽

Tao Shi

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Heart Failure ◽

Cardiovascular Diseases ◽

Overlap Syndrome ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Obstructive Sleep ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Independent Risk Factors

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS) overlap syndrome (OS) are thought to be at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases.Objective: To evaluate the burden of cardiovascular diseases and long-term outcomes in patients with OS.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and 1-year mortality were compared among patients diagnosed with OS (OS group), COPD alone (COPD group) and OSAS alone (OSAS group), and Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess independent risk factors for all-cause mortality.Results: Overall, patients with OS were at higher risk for pulmonary hypertension (PH), heart failure and all-cause mortality than patients with COPD or OSAS (all p < 0.05). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.273 (1.050–1.543); p = 0.014], hypertension [aHR: 2.006 (1.005–4.004); p = 0.048], pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) [aHR: 4.774 (1.335–17.079); p = 0.016] and heart failure [aHR: 3.067 (1.521–6.185); p = 0.002] were found to be independent risk factors for 1-year all-cause mortality.Conclusion: Patients with OS had an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases and 1-year mortality. More efforts are needed to identify the causal relationship between OS and cardiovascular diseases, promoting risk stratification and the management of these patients.

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Association of Body Weight Variability with Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Pre-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13103381 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 3381

Author(s):

Sang Heon Suh ◽

Tae Ryom Oh ◽

Hong Sang Choi ◽

Chang Seong Kim ◽

Eun Hui Bae ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Kidney Disease ◽

Body Weight ◽

Kidney Disease ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

Absolute Difference ◽

Composite Outcome ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality

To investigate the association of body weight variability (BWV) with adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in patient with pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD), a total of 1867 participants with pre-dialysis CKD from Korean Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD) were analyzed. BWV was defined as the average absolute difference between successive values. The primary outcome was a composite of non-fatal CV events and all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were fatal and non-fatal CV events and all-cause mortality. High BWV was associated with increased risk of the composite outcome (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.745, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.065 to 2.847) as well as fatal and non-fatal CV events (adjusted HR 1.845, 95% CI 1.136 to 2.996) and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 1.861, 95% CI 1.101 to 3.145). High BWV was associated with increased risk of fatal and non-fatal CV events, even in subjects without significant body weight gain or loss during follow-up periods (adjusted HR 2.755, 95% CI 1.114 to 6.813). In conclusion, high BWV is associated with adverse CV outcomes in patients with pre-dialysis CKD.

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Metabolome-defined obesity and the risk of future diabetes and mortality

10.1101/2021.11.03.21265744 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Filip Ottosson ◽

Einar Smith ◽

Ulrika Ericson ◽

Salvatore Di Somma ◽

Paola Antonini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

High Risk ◽

Population Based ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Plasma Metabolites ◽

Italian Population ◽

Related Risk ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Future Diabetes

Background Obesity is a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes, however, up to 20% of patients are normal weight. Our aim was to identify metabolite patterns reproducibly predictive of BMI, and subsequently to test if lean individuals who carry an obese metabolome are at hidden high risk of obesity related diseases, such as diabetes. Methods We measured 109 metabolites in fasted plasma samples of 7663 individuals from two Swedish and one Italian population-based cohort. Ridge regression models were used to predict BMI using the plasma metabolites. Individuals with a predicted BMI either more than 5 kg/m2 higher (overestimated) or lower (underestimated) than their actual BMI were characterized as outliers and further investigated for obesity related risk factors and future risk of diabetes and mortality. Results The plasma metabolome could predict BMI in all cohorts (r2 = 0.48, 0.26 and 0.19). The overestimated group had a BMI similar to individuals correctly predicted as normal weight, similar waist circumference, were not more likely to change weight over time but had a 2 times higher risk of future diabetes and an 80 % increased risk of all-cause mortality. These associations remained after adjustments for obesity-related risk factors and lifestyle parameters. Conclusions We found that lean individuals with an obese metabolome, have an increased risk for diabetes and all-cause mortality compared to lean individuals with a healthy metabolome. Metabolomics may be used to identify hidden high-risk individuals, in order to initiate lifestyle and pharmacological interventions.

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Abstract 14541: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Heart Failure in Patients With Graves’ Disease

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.142.suppl_3.14541 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽

Author(s):

Jwan A Naser ◽

Sorin Pislaru ◽

Marius N Stan ◽

Grace Lin

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Heart Failure ◽

Cardiovascular Events ◽

De Novo ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Left Ventricular Ejection ◽

Graves Disease ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Overt Hyperthyroidism

Background: Graves’ disease (GD) can both aggravate pre-existing cardiac disease and cause de novo heart failure (HF). Due to the rarity of thyrotoxic HF, population-based studies are lacking, and data from smaller studies are widely variable. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 1371 consecutive patients with GD evaluated at our clinic between 2009 and 2019. HF was defined according to Framingham criteria. GD-related HFrEF was defined by left ventricular ejection fraction of <50%, while HFpEF was defined according to the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology. Outcomes of major cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and cardiac hospitalizations were analyzed with adjustments for age, gender, and history of coronary artery disease (CAD). 1:1 matching with controls (age, gender, and CAD) was additionally done. Results: HF occurred in 74 patients (31 HFrEF; 43 HFpEF). Incidence of GD-related HF, HFrEF, and HFpEF was 5.4%, 2.3%, and 3.1%, respectively. In HFrEF, atrial fibrillation (AF) (RR 10.05, p <0.001) and thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAb) level (RR 1.05 per unit, p=0.005) were independent predisposing factors. In HFpEF, independent risk factors were COPD (RR 5.78, p < 0.001), older age (RR 1.48 per 10 years, p = 0.003), overt hyperthyroidism (RR 5.37, p = 0.021), higher BMI (1.06 per unit, p = 0.003), and HTN (RR 3.03, p = 0.011). Rates of cardiac hospitalizations were higher in HFrEF (41.9% vs 3.2%, p <0.001) and HFpEF (44.2% vs 4.7%, p < 0.001) compared to controls. Furthermore, while both increased risk of strokes (HFrEF: RR 4.12, p = 0.027; HFpEF: RR 4.64, p = 0.009), only HFrEF increased risk of all-cause mortality (RR 3.78, p = 0.045). Conclusion: De novo HF occurs in 5.4% of patients with GD and increases the rate of cardiovascular events. HF occurs more frequently in GD patients with AF, higher TRAb, higher BMI, and overt hyperthyroidism, suggesting that these may be targets for treatment to prevent cardiovascular complications, especially in older multimorbid patients.

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Lower serum retinoic acid level for prediction of higher risk of mortality in ischemic stroke

Neurology ◽

10.1212/wnl.0000000000007261 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 92 (15) ◽

pp. e1678-e1687 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Wen-Jun Tu ◽

Han-Cheng Qiu ◽

Yiqun Zhang ◽

Jian-lei Cao ◽

Hong Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Retinoic Acid ◽

Prognostic Significance ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Net Reclassification Improvement ◽

Risk Of Mortality ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Cvd Mortality

ObjectiveTo explore the association between serum retinoic acid (RA) level in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and mortality risk in the 6 months after admission.MethodsFrom January 2015 through December 2016, patients admitted to 3 stroke centers in China for first-ever AIS were screened. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality or cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the 6 months after admission. The significance of serum RA level, NIH Stroke Scale score, and established risk factors in predicting mortality were determined. The integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and net reclassification improvement (NRI) statistics were applied in statistical analysis.ResultsOf the 1,530 patients enrolled, 325 died within 6 months of admission, with an all-cause mortality of 21.2% and CVD-related mortality of 13.1%. In multivariable analysis, RA levels were expressed as quartiles with the clinical variables. The results of the second to fourth quartiles (Q2–Q4) were compared with the first quartile (Q1); RA levels showed prognostic significance, with decreased all-cause and CVD mortality of 55% and 63%, respectively. After RA was added to the existing risk factors, all-cause mortality could be better reclassified, in association with only the NRI statistic (p = 0.005); CVD mortality could be better reclassified with significance, in association with both the IDI and NRI statistics (p < 0.01).ConclusionsLow circulating levels of RA were associated with increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in a cohort of patients with first-incidence AIS, indicating that RA level could be a predictor independent of established conventional risk factors.

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