Publications by authors named "Anne Kerola"
Article Synopsis
- Type 2 diabetes is linked to higher mortality rates after myocardial infarction (MI), with patients showing increased risk at 30 days, 1 year, and 15 years post-MI compared to those without diabetes.
- A study of over 13,000 MI patients with diabetes revealed that factors like age, sex, cardiovascular issues, and lack of revascularization influenced mortality rates.
- While there was some improvement in one-year outcomes for diabetic patients over the years, the overall mortality gap compared to non-diabetic patients remained unchanged.
Objectives: RA patients have an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, including atrial fibrillation (AF), but the impact of RA on ischaemic stroke risk in the context of AF remains unknown. We explored whether the risk of ischaemic stroke after diagnosis of AF is further increased among patients with RA compared with non-RA patients.
Methods: In the nationwide Norwegian Cardio-Rheuma Register, we evaluated cumulative incidence and hazard rate of ischaemic stroke after the first AF diagnosis (2750 individuals with RA and 158 879 without RA between 2010 and 2017) by using a competing risk model with a 3-month delayed entry.
Background: Necrotizing myopathies and muscle necrosis can be caused by immune-mediated mechanisms, drugs, ischemia, and infections, and differential diagnosis may be challenging.
Case Presentation: We describe a case of diabetic myonecrosis complicated by pyomyositis and abscess caused by Escherichia coli. A white woman in her late forties was admitted to the hospital with a 1.
Article Synopsis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, prompting a study to evaluate traditional cardiovascular risk factors in SLE patients worldwide between 2015 and 2020.
- The study included 3,401 SLE patients from 24 countries, predominantly women, revealing high rates of hypertension (35.6%), obesity (23.7%), and hyperlipidaemia (19.8%), with poor control of these risk factors across the board.
- Notably, patients with antiphospholipid syndrome had higher prevalence of cardiovascular risks but showed better control of blood pressure and lipid levels compared to those without, highlighting international discrepancies in risk factor management.
Article Synopsis
- Rheumatic diseases significantly affect reproductive health, leading to increased rates of childlessness and fewer children, particularly observed in conditions like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
- A nationwide study evaluated over 5 million Finnish citizens, comparing individuals with 19 immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) against matched controls on reproductive health metrics, including adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.
- The findings highlighted that patients with rheumatic diseases face higher risks for complications such as pre-eclampsia and preterm delivery, with SLE and Sjögren's syndrome showing the largest increases in adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Objectives: To elucidate the risk and temporal relationship of cardiovascular (CV) comorbidities in rheumatic diseases.
Methods: Patients in the FinnGen study diagnosed between 2000 and 2014 with seropositive (n = 2368) or seronegative (n = 916) rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS, n = 715), psoriatic arthritis (PsA, n = 923), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, n = 190), primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS, n = 412) or gout (n = 2034) were identified from healthcare registries. Each patient was matched based on age, sex, and birth region with twenty controls without any rheumatic conditions.
Background: Both hyperuricaemia and chronic kidney disease are known mortality risk factors. This study examined the modifying effect of renal function on hyperuricaemia-associated mortality risk, which is an issue that has not been studied before.
Methods: Data on levels of serum uric acid (SUA), creatinine, cystatin C and other variables of persons aged 52-76 years were collected.
Objective: To establish the prevalence of hyperuricaemia in an elderly Finnish cohort and to assess its association with comorbidities and mortality.
Design: Prospective cohort study.
Setting: Good Ageing in Lahti Region study, Finland 2002-2012 (mortality data analysed until 2018).
Background And Aims: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are at a high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). This implies a need for meticulous CVD risk factor recording and control.
Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the international prevalence of ASCVD in RA patients and to audit the prevalence and control of CVD risk factors.
Objective: To describe the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to evaluate the proportion of patients with AF receiving guideline-recommended anticoagulation for prevention of stroke, based on data from a large international audit.
Methods: The cohort was derived from the international audit rvey of cardiovascular disease isk actors in patients with heumatoid rthritis (SURF-RA) which collected data from 17 countries during 2014-2019. We evaluated the prevalence of AF across world regions and explored factors associated with the presence of AF with multivariable logistic regression models.
Background: To explore long-term cardiovascular prognosis after myocardial infarction (MI) among patients with type 1 diabetes.
Methods: Patients with type 1 diabetes surviving 90 days after MI (n = 1508; 60% male, mean age = 62.1 years) or without any type of diabetes (n = 62,785) in Finland during 2005-2018 were retrospectively studied using multiple national registries.
Objective: Type 1 diabetes is a risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). We aimed to evaluate the case fatality in patients with type 1 diabetes after MI.
Research Design And Methods: Consecutive patients experiencing MI with type 1 diabetes (n = 1,935; 41% female; mean age 62.
Article Synopsis
- The study aims to investigate mortality rates and causes of death among Norwegian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) compared to the general population using a nationwide registry from 2008 to 2017.
- Researchers found that RA and axSpA are linked to higher all-cause mortality, while women with PsA also experience slightly increased mortality rates.
- The leading causes of death for all groups were cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, and respiratory diseases, highlighting the need for better management of associated health issues among these patients despite modern treatments.
Aims: Female sex has previously been associated with poorer outcomes after myocardial infarction (MI), although evidence is scarce among young patients. We studied sex differences in cardiovascular outcomes after MI in young patients <55 years old.
Methods And Results: Consecutive young (18-54 years) all-comer patients with out-of-hospital MI admitted to 20 Finnish hospitals (n = 8934, 17.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess inflammatory signals in the sacroiliac joints and aorta of patients with axial spondyloarthritis before and after treatment with either sulfasalazine (SSZ) or adalimumab (ADA) using PET/CT imaging.
- Patients with significant disease activity were treated for different durations with SSZ or ADA, and their inflammatory markers were evaluated before and after treatment.
- Results indicated a significant reduction in inflammation in the SI joints among SSZ patients, while ADA showed no significant change, suggesting that SSZ may be effective in reducing detectable inflammation in these areas.
Background Evidence on the impact of sex on prognoses after myocardial infarction (MI) among older adults is limited. We evaluated sex differences in long-term cardiovascular outcomes after MI in older adults. Methods and Results All patients with MI ≥70 years admitted to 20 Finnish hospitals during a 10-year period and discharged alive were studied retrospectively using a combination of national registries (n=31 578, 51% men, mean age 79).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To evaluate nationwide incidence, sociodemographic associations and treatment penetration of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in Norway.
Methods: The study combined data from nationwide registries on the total Norwegian adult population (age ≥ 18). From the Norwegian Patient Registry, incident RA and PsA cases during 2011-2015 were identified with records of first and second healthcare episodes listing RA/PsA diagnostic codes, and ≥ 1 episode in an internal medicine or rheumatology unit with RA/PsA code during the two-year period after the first episode.
Aim: The objective was to examine the prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and its risk factors among patients with RA with diabetes mellitus (RA-DM) and patients with RA without diabetes mellitus (RAwoDM), and to evaluate lipid and blood pressure (BP) goal attainment in RA-DM and RAwoDM in primary and secondary prevention.
Methods: The cohort was derived from the Survey of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis from 53 centres/19 countries/3 continents during 2014-2019. We evaluated the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among RA-DM and RAwoDM.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at approximately 1.5-fold risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population, a phenomenon resulting from combined effects of traditional CVD risk factors and systemic inflammation. Rheumatoid synovitis and unstable atherosclerotic plaques share common inflammatory mechanisms, such as expression of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To investigate the long-term outcomes of patients with RA after myocardial infarction (MI).
Methods: All-comer, real-life MI patients with RA (n = 1614, mean age 74 years) were retrospectively compared with propensity score (1:5) matched MI patients without RA (n = 8070) in a multicentre, nationwide, cohort register study in Finland. The impact of RA duration and the usage of corticosteroids and antirheumatic drugs on RA patients' outcomes were also studied.
Background: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke, but challenging to detect with routine short-term monitoring methods. In this pilot study, we present a novel method for prolonged ECG and screening for pAF in patients with a recent embolic stroke of unknown source (ESUS).
Methods: Fifteen patients aged ≥ 50 years with a recent ESUS were assigned to wear an external electrode belt-based 1-lead ECG device (Beat2Phone) continuously for 2 weeks (wear time).
Continuous 4-week ECG monitoring with adhesive electrodes reveals AF in patients with recent embolic stroke of undetermined source.
Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol
September 2019
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently escapes routine stroke workup due to its unpredictable and often asymptomatic nature, leaving a significant portion of patients at high risk of recurrent stroke. Recent trials emphasized continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring in the detection of occult AF. We screened AF in patients meeting the embolic stroke of unknown source (ESUS) criteria using an external miniaturized recorder with an adhesive electrode.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To assess cardiovascular (CV) mortality in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the impact of RA medications on CV mortality.
Methods: We identified all incident RA patients over 18 years of age diagnosed between 2000 and 2007 in Finland. Causes of death were analysed until the end of the year 2008.