Pulm Circ
April 2022
Whereas younger female patients were diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) in 1980s, it is now frequently encountered in elderly patients with cardiovascular comorbidities (CVCs) associated with increased risk for left heart disease. We present data until November 2019 regarding specific features and clinical outcomes of IPAH population from the Hellenic Pulmonary Hypertension Registry (HOPE). Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of ≥ or <3 CVCs, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, presence of coronary artery disease, or atrial fibrillation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHellenic J Cardiol
April 2022
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a heterogenous clinical entity with poor prognosis, despite recent major pharmacological advances. To increase awareness about the pathophysiology, epidemiology, and management of the disease, large national registries are required. The Hellenic pulmOnary hyPertension rEgistry (HOPE) was launched in early 2015 and enrolls patients from all pulmonary hypertension subgroups in Greece.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Several risk factors for contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been identified. The cumulative effect of these risk factors on renal function has been assessed with the development of risk score models in a number of studies. However, concerns were raised that estimates of the risk attributable to individual factors may be unreliable.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Assessment of circulating levels of collagen-derived peptides has been proposed as a useful tool to monitor indirectly myocardial collagen metabolism in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. The potential link between circulating concentrations of collagen metabolism biomarkers and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has not been adequately evaluated. With the present study, we investigated the association between serum levels of collagen-derived peptides and HRQOL.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Prev Cardiol
February 2012
Background: Altered myocardial extracellular matrix turnover has been proposed as a major determinant of myocardial remodelling. Carboxy-terminal telopeptide of collagen type-I (CITP) represents a collagen type-I degradation-derived serum peptide. In this study we examined the independent and additive prognostic value of serum concentrations of CITP compared with well-known mortality predictors such as the N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A new mechanism for clinical instability in coronary artery disease (CAD) has been proposed where erythrocytes could play an active role in atherosclerotic plaque growth and rupture. Clinical studies showed increased total cholesterol levels in the membrane of circulating erythrocytes (CEM) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients compared to patients with chronic stable angina (CSA). We investigated the independent and incremental discriminating value of CEM along with N-terminal propeptide of BNP (NT-proBNP), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs CRP), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) with regard to CAD clinical presentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNot all patients respond to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor equally. Genetic or other phenotypic variations might be useful in predicting the therapeutic efficacy of these drugs. With the present study we assessed the prognostic impact of ACE-inhibitor in chronic heart failure patients with different degrees of collagen metabolism as assessed by serum levels of a collagen type I degradation marker (CITP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: High cholesterol content of erythrocyte membranes (CEM) levels is present in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Intraplaque hemorrhage and erythrocyte lysis contribute to the deposition of cholesterol on the atherosclerotic plaque and to plaque rupture. With the present study we assessed the effect of statin therapy on CEM levels, a novel marker of coronary artery disease (CAD) instability during a 1-year follow-up in CAD patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Myocardial collagen content as a fundamental component of extracellular matrix, is altered in pathological states including heart failure (HF). Serum peptides related to myocardial collagen synthesis and degregation can be measured and may be used as indices of myocardial collagen turnover. The present study was undertaken to assess the hypothesis that resolution of acute decompensation of chronic HF is associated with changes in serum peptides related to collagen synthesis and degregation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chronic heart failure (CHF) induces peripheral vasoconstriction, endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness by activation of various neurohormonal pathways. The abnormal collagen turnover observed in CHF may be attributed not only to myocardial remodelling, but also to vascular remodelling. However, the effect of collagen metabolism on progressive large artery stiffening in the setting of CHF is understudied.
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