Cardio Round-up: Two Naps for Reduced CV Event Risk; Alirocumab Update; and More

This week’s edition brings great news for those who love to steak 40 winks here and there, and bad news for those with mental stress as far as endothelial dysfunction is concerned. Alirocumab in patients with a prior CABG procedure before an acute coronary syndrome were looked at in a substudy of ODYSSEY OUTCOMES, and more negative links between hypertension and cognitive decline.

Napping Twice Weekly Tied to Lower Cardiovascular Event Risk

If you enjoy stealing a nap here and there (and who doesn’t?), this study maybe be right up your alley. A research team publishing in BMJ Heart reports that napping once or twice weekly (but not more than that) was associated with a decrease in the risk for cardiovascular events. The study included more than 3,400 participants. “To our knowledge, this is the first population based cohort study investigating the effect of nap frequency and daily  duration over a week on fatal and non-fatal [cardiovascular disease] events,” the authors wrote.

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/cardiology-picks/napping-cardiovascular-event-risk/

Mental Stress-induced Endothelial Dysfunction Linked with MACE

Mental stress-induced endothelial dysfunction was associated with an increase risk of suffering a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), according to results published in this JAMA Cardiology paper. Over a three-year follow-up, 74 participants experienced MACE. According to the researchers, the presence of transient endothelial dysfunction with metal stress was associated with a 78% increase in the incidence of MACE. “In this study, transient endothelial dysfunction with mental stress was associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease,” the authors wrote. “Endothelial responses to stress represent a possible mechanism through which psychological stress may affect outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease.”

https://www.docwirenews.com/cardiology/endothelial-dysfunction-from-mental-stress-linked-with-mace/

Alirocumab Reduces Risk in ACS Patients with prior CABG

In this study of patients in the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial who had undergone a prior coronary artery bypass graft procedure (CABG) prior to experiencing an acute coronary syndrome, the research team looked at data on over 18,000 patients with acute coronary syndromes who were also on high-intensity statin therapy. “Among patients with recent ACS and elevated atherogenic lipoproteins despite intensive statin therapy, alirocumab was associated with large absolute reductions in MACE and death in those with CABG preceding the acute coronary syndrome event,” the authors concluded.

https://www.docwirenews.com/docwire-pick/cardiology-picks/cabg-alirocumab-cardiovascular-events/