Prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy in Japan.

Background: There have been few large-scale nationwide studies investigating both the prognosis and the prognostic factors of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC). A predictive score that can be used in clinical practice has not been established.

Methods And Results: A nationwide epidemiological study of the prognosis of IDC was conducted in 1999 among randomly selected hospitals in Japan, and 147 departments participated in the present 5-year follow-up survey.

Effect of shift work on body mass index and metabolic parameters.

Objectives: The aim of this cohort study was to investigate the effects of shift work on changes in parameters related to metabolic disturbances.

Methods: The study population included 1529 male blue-collar workers, aged 19-49 years at baseline, working in a sash and zipper factory in Japan. The participants were divided into four groups according to the work schedule at baseline, the end point being workers doing fixed daytime work in both years (day-day), workers who changed from shift work to fixed daytime work (shift-day), workers who changed from fixed daytime work to shift work (day-shift), and workers doing shift work in both years (shift-shift).

Prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Japan: results from a nationwide study.

Objective: To investigate prognosis and prognostic factors in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in Japan.

Design: A nationwide epidemiological study.

Setting: Hospitals selected randomly from among all hospitals in Japan.

Relationship of alcohol consumption to 7-year blood pressure change in Japanese men.

Objective: To determine the association of alcohol consumption with years-long blood pressure (BP) change, as well as baseline BP, adjusted for potential confounders.

Design: A prospective cohort study.

Setting: A metal-products factory in Toyama, Japan.

Shift work and the risk of diabetes mellitus among Japanese male factory workers.

Objectives: This study investigated whether shift work is a risk factor for the development of diabetes mellitus.

Methods: The workers, 2860 men in a sash and zipper factory in the Toyama prefecture of Japan, were followed for 8 years, and the incidence rate of diabetes mellitus was determined. The cohort contained fixed daytime blue-collar workers, shift blue-collar workers, and white-collar workers.

Comparison of four blood pressure indexes for the prediction of 10-year stroke risk in middle-aged and older Asians.

Information has been sparse on the comparison of 4 blood pressure (BP) indexes (systolic BP [SBP], diastolic BP [DBP], pulse pressure [PP], and mean BP [MBP]) in relation to long-term stroke incidence, especially in middle-aged and older Asian people. A prospective cohort study was performed in 4989 Japanese (1523 men and 3466 women) aged 35 to 79 at baseline with 10 years of follow-up. End points included stroke incidence (total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic).

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and risk of stroke in Japanese men and women: the Oyabe Study.

Background And Purpose: Evidence of an inverse relationship between serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and the risk of stroke is sparse in Asians and in women. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship in a long-term cohort study of Japanese men and women among whom stroke occurrence is higher than in Western countries.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed involving 4989 participants (1523 men, 3466 women) 35 to 79 years of age at baseline with approximately 10 years of follow-up in a rural area of Japan.