Cardio Round-Up: Obesity Linked to Myocardial Injury in COVID Patients; High BMI Linked to PAD; and More

How Obesity is Linked with Venous Thromboembolism and Myocardial Injury in COVID-19 Patients

A study shows that higher obesity classification is linked to enhanced inflammation and is a risk factor for blood clots and heart damage in patients with COVID-19. The results were published in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. In this retrospective cohort study, researchers assessed 609  hospitalized with COVID-19 at a single institution. According to the results of the study, patients with class I and III obesity had markedly higher risk-adjusted odds of VTE compared to patients without obesity (OR=2.54, 95% CI, 1.05–6.14 for class I obesity; and OR = 3.95, 95% CI: 1.40–11.14 for class III obesity).

Early Rhythm Control Therapy Conveys Clinical Benefit in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure

The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure (HF) increases with disease severity. AF is seen in about 5% of patients with mild HF and up to 50% of patients with severe HF. Patients with combined disease have an increased risk of cardiovascular complications that include HF hospitalization and death. The composite primary outcome of cardiovascular death, stroke, or hospitalization for worsening HF or acute coronary syndrome occurred significantly more in the usual care arm (7.9 per 100 patient-years) than the early rhythm control arm (5.7 per 100 patient-years; P=0.03). Based on these findings, it was concluded that early rhythm control therapy for all patients with HF is clinically beneficial, and either antiarrhythmic therapy and/or catheter ablation should be a therapeutic strategy offered to all patients with concomitant AF and all subtypes of HF.

Evaluating the Accuracy of Risk Assessment Models for Venous Thromboembolism

A study found that risk assessment models (RAMs) have weak predictive accuracy for venous thromboembolism (VTE). The results were published in BMJ Open. In this systematic search across five electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library) from inception to February 2021, researchers identified 6,355 records, including 51 studies, consisting of 24 unique validated RAMs. The researchers observed from their analysis that no one RAM notably outperformed the others.

Having a High BMI is Associated with the Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease

According to a recent study published in the International Journal of General Medicine, there is a correlation between high body mass index (BMI) and peripheral artery disease (PAD). In this cross-sectional study, researchers evaluated a total of 10,896 hypertensive patients (mean age, 64) from the Chinese H-type Hypertension Registry, a real-world observational registry developed to assess the prevalence, treatment, and prognostic factors of hypertension in China. According to the results, a high BMI was positively associated with the risk of PAD (adjusted OR=1.52; 95% CI, 1.52-1.93; P=0.001) in those with BMI ≥ 25.7 kg/m².