Position of the international forum of internal medicine on habits, lifestyle changes and a healthy environment for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), mainly ischemic heart disease and stroke, is the main cause of death worldwide and each year more people die from CVD than from any other cause. These data call for a paradigm shift, where health promotion and cardiovascular prevention will acquire a central role in health policies. From this perspective, dedicating time during the consultation to promoting the acquisition of heart-healthy habits would be indicated in all individuals, regardless of cardiovascular risk classification, the role of the internist being fundamental.

The diabetes care continuum in Venezuela: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses to evaluate engagement and retention in care.

The impact of the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela on care for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes is unknown. This study aims to document health system performance for diabetes management in Venezuela during the humanitarian crisis. This longitudinal study on NCDs is nationally representative at baseline (2014-2017) and has follow-up (2018-2020) data on 35% of participants.

Exploring the health of child protection workers: A call to action.

This exploratory study determined if a relationship exists between secondary traumatic stress (STS) related to health status, health outcomes, and health practices among child protection workers in a Southern state. This study used a cross-sectional survey research design that included a non-probability sample of child protection workers (N=196). Data were collected face-to-face and online between April 2018 and November 2019 from multiple county agencies.

[Position of the international forum of internal medicine on habits, lifestyle changes and a healthy environment for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases].

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), mainly ischemic heart disease and stroke, is the main cause of death worldwide and each year more people die from CVD than from any other cause. These data call for a paradigm shift, where health promotion and cardiovascular prevention will acquire a central role in health policies. From this perspective, dedicating time during the consultation to promoting the acquisition of heart-healthy habits would be indicated in all individuals, regardless of cardiovascular risk classification, the role of the internist being fundamental.

Impact of the complex humanitarian crisis on the epidemiology of the cardiometabolic risk factors in Venezuela.

Background: The complex humanitarian crisis (CHC) in Venezuela is characterized by food insecurity, hyperinflation, insufficient basic services, and the collapse of the healthcare system. The evolution of the epidemiology of cardiometabolic risk factors in this context is unknown.

Aim: To compile the last 20 years evidence on the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors in adults of Venezuela in the context of the CHC.

Latin American Consensus on management of residual cardiometabolic risk. A consensus paper prepared by the Latin American Academy for the Study of Lipids and Cardiometabolic Risk (ALALIP) endorsed by the Inter-American Society of Cardiology (IASC), the International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS), and the Pan-American College of Endothelium (PACE).

Background: Hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, overweight, obesity, and tobacco (smoking, chewing, and vaping), together with a pro-inflammatory and procoagulant state, are the main risk factors related to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Objective And Methods: A group of experts from the Americas, based on their clinical expertise in cardiology, cardiovascular prevention, and cardiometabolic (CM) diseases, joined together to develop these practical recommendations for the optimal evaluation and treatment of residual CM risk factors in Latin America, using a modified Delphi methodology (details in electronic TSI) to generate a comprehensive CM risk reduction guideline, and through personalized medicine and patient-centered decision, considering the cost-benefit ratio The process was well defined to avoid conflicts of interest that could bias the discussion and recommendations.

Results: Residual risk reduction should consider therapeutic options adapted to specific patient needs, based on five treatment objectives: triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, inflammation, impaired glucose metabolism, high blood pressure, and prothrombotic status.

[Optimal waist circumference cutoff values to predict cardiometabolic alterations in a Venezuela national representative sample. The EVESCAM study].

Objective:: Waist circumference (WC) value reflects abdominal adiposity, but the amount abdominal fat that is associated to cardiometabolic risk factors varies among ethnicities. Determination of metabolic abnormalities has not undergone a WC adaptation process in Venezuela. The aim of the study was (1) to determine the optimal WC cutoff value associated with ≥2 cardiometabolic alterations and (2) incorporating this new WC cutoff, to determine the prevalence of abdominal obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors related in Venezuela.

Dietary intake and cardiometabolic risk factors among Venezuelan adults: a nationally representative analysis.

Background: Increasing trends in global obesity have been attributed to a nutrition transition where healthy foods are replaced by ultra-processed foods. It remains unknown if this nutrition transition has occurred in Venezuela, a country undergoing a socio-political crisis with widespread food shortages.

Methods: We described dietary intake of Venezuelans from a nationally representative study conducted between 2014 and 2017.

Cardiometabolic risk factors in Venezuela. The EVESCAM study: a national cross-sectional survey in adults.

Background: No previous study in Venezuela and few in the Region of the Americas have reported national cardiometabolic health data.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and distribution of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) in adults of Venezuela.

Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional, and randomized cluster sampling national study was designed to recruit 4454 adults with 20 years or older from the eight regions of the country from July 2014 to January 2017.

Cardiovascular Health in a National Sample of Venezuelan Subjects Assessed According to the AHA Score: The EVESCAM.

Background: Cardiovascular health status of the Venezuelan population has not been evaluated. The American Heart Association recommends the Cardiovascular Health Score (CHS) to assess cardiovascular health.

Objectives: This study sought to determine the prevalence of CHS categories in a nationally representative sample of Venezuelan adults.

External validation of the Finnish diabetes risk score in Venezuela using a national sample: The EVESCAM.

Aims: To evaluate the performance of the Latin American Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (LA-FINDRISC) compared with the original O-FINDRISC in general population. To establish the best cut-off to detect unknown type 2 diabetes (uT2D) and prediabetes.

Methods: The EVESCAM was a national population-based, cross-sectional, randomized cluster sampling study, which assessed 3454 adults from July 2014 to January 2017.

Re-Classifying Hypertension in the Venezuelan EVESCAM Database Using 2017 AHA/ACC Criteria: High Prevalence, Poor Control, and Urgent Call for Action.

Background: In 2017 the American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Cardiology (ACC) changed the criteria to define hypertension (HTN).

Objective: To re-analyze Venezuelan data to update HTN prevalence rates and estimate the number of adults with uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) using AHA/ACC criteria.

Methods: The EVESCAM was a national population-based, cross-sectional, randomized cluster sampling study, which assessed 3,420 adults from July 2014 to January 2017, with a response rate of 77.

Diabetes and depression were not associated in Venezuelan adults: The EVESCAM study, a national cross-sectional sample.

Background: Evidence suggests that depression is more common in patients with diabetes than in the general population. However, contradictory results expose controversy in this association.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between diabetes and depression in a national sample of Venezuelan adults.

Cardio-Metabolic Health Venezuelan Study (EVESCAM): Design and Implementation.

The EVESCAM (EstudioVenezolano de Salud Cardio-Metabólica) is the first national, population survey in Venezuela, designed to examine the prevalence of diabetes and cardio-metabolic risk factors and its relationship with lifestyle. It is a cross-sectional, cluster sampling study, which recruited 4454 participants aged ≥ 20 years. The data were collected in community health-care centers by trained health professionals and medical students.