The socio-colonial history of Surinamese surnames applied to a validated surname list to identify ancestry in health research.

Around half of the population of Suriname, who are mainly of African and South Asian descent, migrated to the Netherlands at the end of the previous century, where they face higher perinatal and maternal mortality and up to 5 years lower life expectancy than European-Dutch. Analyses by ancestry are needed to address these inequalities, but the law prohibits registration by ancestry. Therefore, a list of Surinamese surnames was compiled and validated to identify the largest groups, African-Surinamese or South Asian-Surinamese ancestry in health research.

Cardiometabolic Risk and Cardiovascular Disease in Young Women With Uterine Fibroids.

Uterine fibroids are associated with hypertension and cardiometabolic risk factors, yet the onset and severity of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women with fibroids remain understudied. We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess the association between uterine fibroids, cardiometabolic risk, and CVD (ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and stroke). Among 5,552 women aged 20-54 years in our sample.

Health Professionals' Perceptions of Disparities in Hypertension Control: A Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Health professionals' commitment is needed to address disparities in hypertension control by ancestry, but their perceptions regarding these disparities are understudied.

Methods: Cross-sectional mixed methods study in a universal healthcare setting in the Netherlands. Snowball sampling was used to include professionals practicing in a large multicity conglomerate including the capital city.

Initial combination therapy for hypertension in patients of African ancestry: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: We systematically reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that consider the effect of initial dual antihypertensive combination treatment on blood pressure (BP), morbidity, or mortality in hypertensive African ancestry adults, using the methodology of the Cochrane Collaboration. Main outcomes were difference in means (continuous data) and risk ratio (dichotomous data).We retrieved 1728 reports yielding 13 RCTs of 4 weeks to 3 years duration (median 8 weeks) in 3843 patients.

African Ancestry vs. Creatine Kinase to Predict Hypertension Control: Time for a Change?

Background: African ancestry patients are considered separately in hypertension guidelines because of more severe hypertension that is presumably harder to control. However, despite the perceived benefit in reducing health disparities, racial profiling in medicine is increasingly criticized for its potential of bias and stereotyping. Therefore, we studied whether creatine kinase (CK), an ATP-regenerating enzyme that enhances vascular contractility and sodium retention, could serve as a more proximate causal parameter of therapy failure than race/ancestry.

CK (Creatine Kinase) Is Associated With Cardiovascular Hemodynamics: The HELIUS Study.

The ATP-regenerating enzyme CK (creatine kinase) is strongly associated with blood pressure, which lowers upon experimental CK inhibition. The enzyme is thought to affect cardiovascular hemodynamics through enhanced systemic vascular resistance, stroke volume, and cardiac contractility, but data on these parameters are lacking. We hereby report hemodynamics by CK levels in the multiethnic, cross-sectional HELIUS study (Healthy Life in an Urban Setting).

Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in Surinamese living in Suriname and The Netherlands: the HELISUR and HELIUS studies.

We studied hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control among persons living in a middle-income country compared with those of similar ethnicity living in a high-income country. Data from the cross-sectional HELISUR and HELIUS studies were used among 1000 Surinamese and 6971 Surinamese migrants living in The Netherlands (18-70 years), respectively. Groups were formed based on country and self-defined ethnicity, and stratified by sex.

Aortic pulse wave velocity in individuals of Asian and African ancestry: the HELISUR study.

Aortic pulse wave velocity has emerged as an important predictor of cardiovascular events, but data on ethnic differences in pulse wave velocity remain scarce. We explored differences in pulse wave velocity between people of Asian and African ancestry. Data were used from the cross-sectional Healthy Life in Suriname (HELISUR) study.

Chronic kidney disease and kidney health care status: the healthy life in Suriname (HeliSur) study.

The high cardiovascular risk burden in low- and middle-income countries is expected to lead to an explosive increase in chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, population data on CKD from these countries are scarce. Therefore, we assessed kidney health in Suriname.

The risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease in women with uterine fibroids.

Women with fibroids have a notably high hypertension risk. However, adjusted data regarding other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are scarce. In this cross-sectional study, CVD risk factors, hemodynamic parameters, and asymptomatic organ damage were analyzed between women with uterine fibroids and controls in a multi-ethnic population.

Creatine kinase and renal sodium excretion in African and European men on a high sodium diet.

Creatine kinase (CK) rapidly regenerates ATP for Na /K -ATPase driven sodium retention throughout the kidney. Therefore, we assessed whether resting plasma CK is associated with sodium retention after a high sodium diet. Sixty healthy men (29 European and 31 African ancestry) with a mean age of 37.

Hypertension and Cardiovascular Risk Profile in a Middle-Income Setting: The HELISUR Study.

Background: Hypertension is the leading risk factor responsible for premature death worldwide, but its burden has shifted to low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, we studied hypertension and cardiovascular risk in the population of Suriname, a middle-income country with a predominantly urban population of African and Asian ancestry.

Methods: A random sample of 1,800 noninstitutionalized men and women aged 18-70 years was selected to be interviewed at home and examined at the local hospital for cardiovascular risk factors, asymptomatic organ damage, and cardiovascular disease.

The acute effect of beta-guanidinopropionic acid versus creatine or placebo in healthy men (ABC-Trial): A randomized controlled first-in-human trial.

Aims: Increasing evidence indicates that the ATP-generating enzyme creatine kinase (CK) is involved in hypertension. CK rapidly regenerates ATP from creatine phosphate and ADP. Recently, it has been shown that beta-guanidinopropionic acid (GPA), a kidney-synthesized creatine analogue and competitive CK inhibitor, reduced blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Assessing the feasibility of the Healthy Life in Suriname Study: using advanced hemodynamics to evaluate cardiovascular risk.

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of assessing population cardiovascular risk with advanced hemodynamics in the Healthy Life in Suriname (HELISUR) study.

Methods: This was a preliminary study conducted in May - June 2012 using the Technical-Economic-Legal-Operational-Scheduling (TELOS) method to assess the feasibility of the HELISUR-a large-scale, cross-sectional population study of cardiovascular risk factors and disease in Suriname. Suriname, a middle-income country in South America with a population of mostly African and Asian ethnicity, has a high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Health literacy in Suriname.

Background: Low health literacy is an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. However, data on health literacy in low- and middle-income countries are scarce. Therefore, we assessed the level of health literacy in Suriname, a middle-income country with a high cardiovascular mortality.

Sodium Restriction in Patients With CKD: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Self-management Support.

Background: To evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of self-managed sodium restriction in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Study Design: Open randomized controlled trial.

Setting & Participants: Patients with moderately decreased kidney function from 4 hospitals in the Netherlands.

Creatine kinase as a marker of obesity in a multi-ethnic population.

Objective: Creatine kinase (CK), the central regulatory enzyme of energy metabolism, is particularly high in type II skeletal muscle fibers, which are associated with insulin resistance and obesity. As resting plasma CK is mainly derived from skeletal muscle, we assessed whether plasma CK is associated with markers of obesity.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed a random sample of the multi-ethnic population of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, consisting of 1444 subjects aged 34-60 years.

Systematic review: antihypertensive drug therapy in patients of African and South Asian ethnicity.

Despite the large differences in the epidemiology of hypertension across Europe, treatment strategies are similar for national populations of white European descent. However, hypertensive patients of African or South Asian ethnicity may require ethnic-specific approaches, as these population subgroups tend to have higher blood pressure at an earlier age that is more difficult to control, a higher occurrence of diabetes, and more target organ damage with earlier cardiovascular mortality. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the evidence on antihypertensive drug treatment in South Asian and African ethnicity patients.