The challenge of blood pressure control in patients with ischaemic heart disease in Europe.

The goal of the paper is to summarize the current status of blood pressure management in patients with ischaemic heart disease. Recently published results from Europe and North America showed that about half of ischaemic heart disease patients have their blood pressure over 140/90 mmHg. Moreover, these data provide further evidence that poor hypertension management is common in a variety of healthcare settings.

Cerebral changes on MRI and cognitive function: the CASCADE study.

The aging, non-demented brain undergoes several physiological changes, some of which may affect cognitive function. The goal of the present study was to examine the associations between subcortical and periventricular white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), cortical and subcortical atrophy, and cognitive function (episodic memory, word fluency, attention, and perceptual, cognitive, and motor speed). This was done within a European collaborative study, Cardiovascular Determinants of Dementia (CASCADE), in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on community-dwelling individuals.

Determinants of poor hypertension management in patients with ischaemic heart disease.

Unlabelled: Not much is known about factors influencing hypertension management in patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess factors influencing hypertension management in patients hospitalized due to IHD. We reviewed hospital records of 1051 consecutive patients with a discharge diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI; n = 290), unstable angina (n = 247), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; n = 259) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG; n = 255) who were hospitalized at three university (n = 533) or three community (n = 518) cardiac departments.

Do lipids contribute to the lack of cardio-protective effect of binge drinking: alcohol consumption and lipids in three eastern European countries.

Aims: The cardio-protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption is partly mediated by HDL cholesterol. However, epidemiological studies suggest that binge drinking may not be associated with reduced risk of heart disease; a possible explanation is that the relationship of blood lipids with binge drinking is different from that with moderate intake. We investigated this hypothesis in a population study in three eastern European countries.

Body mass, depressive symptoms and menopausal status: an examination of the "Jolly Fat" hypothesis.

Purpose: Estrogens are linked with depression due to their ability to alter the function of the serotonin neural systems. We hypothesize that postmenopausal women should have a higher degree of depressive symptoms than premenopausal women. Further, because estrogen levels in postmenopausal women positively correlate with body fat, we hypothesize that there is an inverse relationship between body fat and depressive symptoms among postmenopausal women.

Body mass index and risk of death in middle-aged men and women in Poland. Results of POL-MONICA cohort study.

Background: Overweight and obesity have been considered to be the causes of serious health consequences. So far, there have been no studies in Poland to analyse the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and mortality.

Aim: To determine the relationship between BMI and the mortality risk due to all causes and due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the middle-aged population of Poland.

[Secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease in diabetics in clinical practice].

Background: Diabetes is an indication for particularly careful risk factors management in ischaemic heart disease patients.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the implementation of guidelines on secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease in diabetics.

Methods: We reviewed hospital records of 1051 consecutive patients at age < or = 70 years with discharge diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass surgery who were hospitalized in three university and in three community cardiac departments serving the area of the city.

The association between blood pressure, hypertension, and cerebral white matter lesions: cardiovascular determinants of dementia study.

Cerebral white matter lesions are frequently observed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in elderly people and are associated with stroke and dementia. Elevated blood pressure is presumed one of the main risk factors, although data are almost exclusively derived from cross-sectional studies. We assessed in 10 European cohorts the relation between concurrently and previously measured blood pressure levels, hypertension, its treatment, and severe cerebral white matter lesions.

Total cholesterol and mortality in China, Poland, Russia, and the US.

Purpose: To examine the relationships of total and cause-specific mortality to serum cholesterol in four diverse populations.

Methods: Chinese, Polish, Russian, and US population-based samples were studied. The relationship between cholesterol levels and mortality was assessed by Cox proportional hazard regression with restricted piecewise cubic splines.

[Psychosocial determinants of smoking].

Prevalence of smoking is high in the middle age Polish population despite of wide spread knowledge on health hazards. The goal of the paper was to assess the relation between smoking with awareness of smoking hazards and psychosocial factors related to increased risk of coronary heart disease. The studied group was a random sample of residents of Cracow aged between 45-64 years.

[Education and the quality of diet in women and men at age 45-64, in Cracow].

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess educational differences in nutrient intake in women and men, and to find out how national/WHO dietary recommendation are met in different educational groups. STUDIED GROUP AND METHODS: 2310 women and men at age 35-64, Cracow residents, participants of the HAPIEE project (Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors in East Europe). 24 hour food recall was used to assess the average energy, fats, P/S ratio, carbohydrates, refined sugar, antioxidant vitamins (vitamin C, E and beta-carotene), fibre and calcium intake in basic, secondary and university education groups.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in diabetes: the Cardiovascular Determinants of Dementia (CASCADE) Study.

Diabetic patients are at increased risk for stroke, but little is known about the presence of other brain lesions. We studied the association of magnetic resonance imaging-detected brain lesions to diabetes in 1,252 individuals aged 65-75 years who were randomly selected from eight European population registries or defined working populations. All scans were centrally read for brain abnormalities, including infarcts, white matter lesions, and atrophy.

[Depression and perceived general control, effort and reward at work, in men and women at age 45-64, residents of Cracow].

The aim of the study was to assess the relation between depression: effort and reward at work, perceived general control, control over life and over health. The studied sample were 3544 men and women aged 45-64 years, residents of Cracow. After adjustment for age, education, marital status, smoking and physical activity the increase of the effort coefficient by 1 standard deviation was related with an increase in the risk of depression by 31% in men and 43% in women.

Psychosocial factors at work and depression in three countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

Psychosocial factors at work have been found to predict a range of health outcomes but their effect on mental health outcomes has not been extensively studied. This paper explores the relationship between psychosocial factors at work and depression in three countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The data come from a cross-sectional study of working men (n = 645) and women (n = 523) aged 45-64 years, randomly selected from population registers in Novosibirsk (Russia), Krakow (Poland) and Karvina-Havirov (Czech Republic).

[Cracovian program for secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease. Secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease after discharge in 1997-98 and 1999-2000].

Introduction: Although most actions undertaken within the scope of the secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease should be initiated during hospitalization, obtaining maximal effects (quantified by cardiovascular risk reduction) depends largely on continuation and appropriate adjustment of these measures in the post-discharge period. The aim of this paper is to assess the implementation of guidelines on secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease in the period after discharge from the hospital in the years 1999/2000 as compared with 1997/98.

Material And Methods: In the first phase 515 subjects hospitalized in cardiac departments of university and general hospitals in Cracow were included.

[Cracovian program for secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease. Secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease during hospitalization in 1996-97 and 1998-99].

Introduction: Hospitalization for ischaemic heart disease is a convenient moment to initiate pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment as well as education of patients. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of medical care in the field of secondary prevention in patients hospitalized for ischaemic heart disease in cardiac departments of university and general hospitals in 1998/99 as compared with 1996/97.

Material: Consecutive patients were recruited on the basis of hospital records review of six cardiac departments (three in the university and three in general hospitals) in 1998/99.

[Cracovian program for secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease. Methods of intervention].

The Cracovian Program for Secondary Prevention of Ischaemic Heart Disease carried out in cooperation with the Cracow Branch of Polish Cardiac Society is the first and so far the only attempt in Poland to extensively assess the quality of care in terms of secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease, at the same time trying to influence both the physicians and patients. The results of the 1st stage of the Cracovian Program conducted in 1997-98 indicate that the recommendations for secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease are not implemented to a satisfactory degree during hospitalization in cardiology departments of university and general hospitals in Cracow, as well as in the post-discharge period. Because of this, measures were undertaken to improve the quality of secondary prevention.

Determinants of appropriate lipid management in patients with ischaemic heart disease. Cracovian Program for Secondary Prevention of Ischaemic Heart Disease.

Unlabelled: Although several randomised clinical trials have documented the efficacy of lipid-lowering therapy in improving clinical outcomes in hyperlipidemic subjects with ischaemic heart disease (IHD), such therapy is underutilized worldwide. Not much is known about the effects of the hospital setting (university vs. community) on lipid management in patients after hospitalization due to ischaemic heart disease.