scholarly journals An Overview of Vascular Dysfunction and Determinants: The Case of Children of African Ancestry

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edna N. Matjuda ◽  
Godwill Azeh Engwa ◽  
Constance R. Sewani-Rusike ◽  
Benedicta N. Nkeh-Chungag

The balance between dilatory and constrictive factors is important as it keeps blood vessels in a homeostatic state. However, altered physiological processes as a result of obesity, hypertension, oxidative stress, and other cardiovascular risk factors may lead to vascular damage, causing an imbalance of vasoactive factors. Over time, the sustained imbalance of these vasoactive factors may lead to vascular dysfunction, which can be assessed by non-invasive methods, such as flow-mediated dilation, pulse wave velocity, flow-mediated slowing, retinal vessel analysis, peripheral vascular reactivity, and carotid intima-media thickness assessment. Although there is increasing prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (obesity and hypertension) in children in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about how this may affect vascular function. This review focuses on vasoactive factors implicated in vascular (dys)function, highlighting the determinants and consequences of vascular dysfunction. It further describes the non-invasive methods used for vascular (dys)function assessments and, last, describes the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on vascular dysfunction in children of African ancestry.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
Edna N. Matjuda ◽  
Godwill A. Engwa ◽  
Samuel Nkeh Chungag Anye ◽  
Benedicta N. Nkeh-Chungag ◽  
Nandu Goswami

Vascular dysfunction is known to be an initiator of the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, there is paucity of information on the relationship of vascular dysfunction with cardiovascular risk factors in children of African ancestry. This study investigated the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and vascular function in South African children of African ancestry. A cross-sectional study on 6–9-year-old children in randomly selected rural and urban schools of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa was conducted. General anthropometric indices were measured, followed by blood pressure (BP) measurements. The pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured using a Vicorder. Albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), 8-hydroxy-2deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) were assayed in urine. Children from urban settings (10.8%) had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity than their rural counterparts (8.5%) while the prevalence of elevated/high blood pressure was higher in rural (23.2%) than urban children (19.0%). Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) increased with increasing PWV (p < 0.05). Body mass index (BMI), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) positively associated (p < 0.05) with PWV. Creatinine, albumin and ACR significantly (p < 0.005) increased with increasing ADMA. ADMA associated positively (p < 0.05) with creatinine and 8-OHdG. In conclusion, vascular dysfunction was associated with obesity, high blood pressure, oxidative stress and microalbuminuria in South African children of African ancestry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 392
Author(s):  
Benedicta N. Nkeh-Chungag ◽  
Nandu Goswami ◽  
Godwill A. Engwa ◽  
Constance R. Sewani-Rusike ◽  
Vuyolwethu Mbombela ◽  
...  

Limited information on the effect of antiretroviral treatment (ART) on vascular function in South Africans of African descent living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is available. The relationship between ART, vascular function and cardiovascular risk factors in South Africans of African ancestry with HIV was therefore studied. This cross-sectional study recruited 146 HIV-positive individuals on ART (HIV+ART+), 163 HIV-positive individuals not on ART (HIV+ART−) and 171 individuals without HIV (HIV−) in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) test was performed to assess endothelial function. Anthropometry and blood pressure parameters were measured. Lipid profile, glycaemic indices, serum creatinine as well as CD4 count and viral load were assayed in blood. Urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) was determined as a marker of cardiovascular risk. Obesity and albuminuria were positively associated with HIV, and HIV+ART+ participants had significantly higher HDL cholesterol. Dyslipidaemia markers were significantly higher in hypertensive HIV+ART+ participants compared with the controls (HIV+ART− and HIV− participants). FMD was not different between HIV+ART+ participants and the controls. Moreover, HIV+ART+ participants with higher FMD showed lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol comparable to that of HIV− and HIV+ART− participants. A positive relationship between FMD and CD4 count was observed in HIV+ART+ participants. In conclusion, antiretroviral treatment was associated with cardiovascular risk factors, particularly dyslipidaemia, in hypertensive South Africans of African ancestry with HIV. Although, ART was not associated with endothelial dysfunction, flow-mediated dilatation was positively associated with CD4 count in HIV-positive participants on ART.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleg Iris Hounkpatin ◽  
Salimanou Ariyoh Amidou ◽  
Yessito Corine Houehanou ◽  
Philippe Lacroix ◽  
Pierre Marie Preux ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Maternal mortality is a public health issue, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the region most affected worldwide by maternal mortality, and preeclampsia is one of the main causes. We performed a systematic review of observational studies to identify the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on preeclampsia in SSA with a more representative sample. Methods Databases: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched to identify published studies. Studies were included if they reported results on the link between at least one cardiovascular risk factor and preeclampsia. Relevant studies quality was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Odds ratios and relative risk (RR) were reported with their confidence intervals. Results Twelve articles (8 case-controls, 3 cohorts, 1 cross-sectional) were included in this review, with a total of 24,369 pregnant women. Cardiovascular risk factors such as chronic hypertension, overweight, obesity, diabetes and alcohol were significantly associated with a high risk of preeclampsia. Very few data were available concerning some risk factors. None of the articles reported tobacco consumption as a preeclampsia risk factor. There is a lack of data from French-speaking SSA countries. Conclusion Cardiovascular risk factors increase the risk of preeclampsia. Our results suggest the need for prospective cohort studies to ascertain this association in order to reduce maternal mortality due to preeclampsia.


Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany M Powell ◽  
Colby R Ayers ◽  
James A de Lemos ◽  
Amit Khera ◽  
Susan G Lakoski ◽  
...  

Background: Concerning trends in weight gain from 2000-2009 exist in the Dallas Heart Study (DHS), a probability-based sample of Dallas County residents aged 30-65. However, the impact of significant weight gain (≥ 5% increase in body weight) on cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in this contemporary, multi-ethnic population is not known. Methods: We measured weight, LDL-c, blood pressure (SBP and DBP), and fasting glucose (FG) in 2,022 DHS participants (58% female) at study entry in 2000 and in 2009. Using logistic regression stratified by sex and race/ethnicity, we determined the age-adjusted odds of worsening CVRF (any increase in LDL-c, SBP, DBP or FG) for people who gained significant weight compared to those who did not. Results: Among women, 43% (N=500) gained significant weight, compared to 42% of men (N=355). Despite similar average weight gain (9.7±5.8 kg for women vs. 10±5.6 kg for men, p=0.4), women who gained significant weight had almost twice as large an increase in LDL-c (14±34 vs. 8±39 mg/dl, p=0.01) and SBP (12±18 vs. 6±19 mmHg, p<0.001) compared with men who gained significant weight. Increases in DBP (5±10 vs. 4±11 mmHg, p=0.05) and FG (4±29 vs. 2±32 mg/dl, p=0.30) were not significantly different between men and women. Among those with significant weight gain who were not on medications, SBP and LDL-c increases were higher in women compared with men (p<0.05). Differences in the amount of weight gained stratified by race and sex were modest (Table). Black women who gained significant weight were likely to have a worsening of all CVRF, while Hispanic women had the highest likelihood of having an increase in SBP associated with weight gain. In contrast, significant weight gain among men was not associated with worsening CVRF. Conclusions: Significant weight gain was associated with a deleterious impact on CVRF among women but not men. Disparate effects of weight gain between men and women highlight the importance of targeting aggressive weight control interventions toward women to help prevent adverse cardiac outcomes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (06) ◽  
pp. 1085-1089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Politou ◽  
Christoforos Komporozos ◽  
Demosthenes Panagiotakos ◽  
Chrisoula Belessi ◽  
Anthi Travlou ◽  
...  

SummaryThere are limited and controversial data regarding the impact of factor XIII (FXIII) Val34Leu polymorphism in the pathogenesis of premature myocardial infarction (MI). We examined whether FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism is associated with the development of early MI.We recruited 159 consecutive patients who had survived their first acute MI under the age of 36 years (mean age=32.1 ± 3.6 years, 138 were men). The control group consisted of 121 healthy individuals matched with cases for age and sex, without a family history of premature coronary heart disease (CHD). FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism was tested with polymerase chain reaction and reverse hybridization. There was a lower prevalence of carriers of the Leu34 allele in patients than in controls (30.2 vs. 47.1%, p=0.006). FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism was associated with lower risk for acute MI after adjusting for major cardiovascular risk factors (odds ratio [OR] = 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27–0.95, p=0.03). Subgroup analysis according to angiographic findings (“normal” coronary arteries [n=29] or significant CHD [n=130]) showed that only patients with MI and significant CHD had lower prevalence of carriers of the Leu34 allele compared to controls after adjusting for major cardiovascular risk factors (OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.22–0.83, p=0.01). Our data indicate that FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism has a protective effect against the development of MI under the age of 36 years, particularly in the setting of significant CHD.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 616-620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Davenport ◽  
Nadira Hamid ◽  
Eoin P. O'Sullivan ◽  
Padraig Daly ◽  
Ponnusamy Mohan ◽  
...  

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