scholarly journals Birthweight, Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: Addressing the Barker Hypothesis with Mendelian randomization

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Zanetti ◽  
Emmi Tikkanen ◽  
Stefan Gustafsson ◽  
James Rush Priest ◽  
Stephen Burgess ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundLow birthweight (BW) has been associated with a higher risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in epidemiological studies. The Barker hypothesis posits that intrauterine growth restriction resulting in lower BW is causal for these diseases, but causality and mechanisms are difficult to infer from observational studies. Mendelian randomization (MR) is a new tool to address this important question.MethodsWe performed regression analyses to assess associations of self-reported BW with CVD and T2D in 237,631 individuals from the UK Biobank, a large population-based cohort study aged 40-69 years recruited across UK in 2006-2010. Further, we assessed the causal relationship of such associations using the two- sample MR approach, estimating the causal effect by contrasting the SNP effects on the exposure with the SNP effects on the outcome using independent publicly available genome-wide association datasets.ResultsIn the observational analyses, BW showed strong inverse associations with systolic and diastolic blood pressure (β, −0.83 and −0.26; per raw unit in outcomes and SD change in BW; 95% CI, −0.90, −0.75 and −0.31, −0.22, respectively), T2D (odds ratio [OR], 0.83; 95% CI, 0.79, 0.87), lipid-lowering treatment (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.81, 0.86) and CAD (hazard ratio [HR] 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78, 0.94); while the associations with adult body mass index (BMI) and body fat (β, 0.04 and 0.02; per SD change in outcomes and BW; 95% CI, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.01, 0.02, respectively) were positive. The MR analyses indicated inverse causal associations of BW with low density lipoprotein cholesterol, 2-hour glucose, CAD and T2D, and positive causal association with BMI; but no associations with blood pressure. Sensitivity analyses and robust MR methods provided consistent results and indicated no horizontal pleiotropy.ConclusionOur study indicates that lower BW is causally and directly related with increased susceptibility to CAD and T2D in adulthood. This causal relationship is not mediated by adult obesity or hypertension.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 660
Author(s):  
María Aguilar-Ballester ◽  
Gema Hurtado-Genovés ◽  
Alida Taberner-Cortés ◽  
Andrea Herrero-Cervera ◽  
Sergio Martínez-Hervás ◽  
...  

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and is the clinical manifestation of the atherosclerosis. Elevated LDL-cholesterol levels are the first line of therapy but the increasing prevalence in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has positioned the cardiometabolic risk as the most relevant parameter for treatment. Therefore, the control of this risk, characterized by dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance, has become a major goal in many experimental and clinical studies in the context of CVD. In the present review, we summarized experimental studies and clinical trials of recent anti-diabetic and lipid-lowering therapies targeted to reduce CVD. Specifically, incretin-based therapies, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, and proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 inactivating therapies are described. Moreover, the novel molecular mechanisms explaining the CVD protection of the drugs reviewed here indicate major effects on vascular cells, inflammatory cells, and cardiomyocytes, beyond their expected anti-diabetic and lipid-lowering control. The revealed key mechanism is a prevention of acute cardiovascular events by restraining atherosclerosis at early stages, with decreased leukocyte adhesion, recruitment, and foam cell formation, and increased plaque stability and diminished necrotic core in advanced plaques. These emergent cardiometabolic therapies have a promising future to reduce CVD burden.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henderikus E. Boersma ◽  
Robert P. van Waateringe ◽  
Melanie M. van der Klauw ◽  
Reindert Graaff ◽  
Andrew D. Paterson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Skin autofluorescence (SAF) is a non-invasive marker of tissue accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGE). Recently, we demonstrated in the general population that elevated SAF levels predict the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality. We evaluated whether elevated SAF may predict the development of CVD and mortality in individuals with T2D. Methods We included 2349 people with T2D, available baseline SAF measurements (measured with the AGE reader) and follow-up data from the Lifelines Cohort Study. Of them, 2071 had no clinical CVD at baseline. 60% were already diagnosed with diabetes (median duration 5, IQR 2–9 years), while 40% were detected during the baseline examination by elevated fasting blood glucose ≥7.0 mmol/l) and/or HbA1c ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol). Results Mean (±SD) age was 57 ± 12 yrs., BMI 30.2 ± 5.4 kg/m2. 11% of participants with known T2D were treated with diet, the others used oral glucose-lowering medication, with or without insulin; 6% was using insulin alone. Participants with known T2D had higher SAF than those with newly-detected T2D (SAF Z-score 0.56 ± 0.99 vs 0.34 ± 0.89 AU, p < 0.001), which reflects a longer duration of hyperglycaemia in the former group. Participants with existing CVD and T2D had the highest SAF Z-score: 0.78 ± 1.25 AU. During a median follow-up of 3.7 yrs., 195 (7.6%) developed an atherosclerotic CVD event, while 137 (5.4%) died. SAF was strongly associated with the combined outcome of a new CVD event or mortality (OR 2.59, 95% CI 2.10–3.20, p < 0.001), as well as incidence of CVD (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.61–2.61, p < 0.001) and death (OR 2.98, 2.25–3.94, p < 0.001) as a single outcome. In multivariable analysis for the combined endpoint, SAF retained its significance when sex, systolic blood pressure, HbA1c, total cholesterol, eGFR, as well as antihypertensive and statin medication were included. In a similar multivariable model, SAF was independently associated with mortality as a single outcome, but not with incident CVD. Conclusions Measuring SAF can assist in prediction of incident cardiovascular disease and mortality in individuals with T2D. SAF showed a stronger association with future CVD events and mortality than cholesterol or blood pressure levels.


BMC Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiu Lun Au Yeung ◽  
Jie V Zhao ◽  
C Mary Schooling

Abstract Background Observational studies suggest poorer glycemic traits and type 2 diabetes associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) risk although these findings could be confounded by socioeconomic position. We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization to clarify their role in COVID-19 risk and specific COVID-19 phenotypes (hospitalized and severe cases). Method We identified genetic instruments for fasting glucose (n = 133,010), 2 h glucose (n = 42,854), glycated hemoglobin (n = 123,665), and type 2 diabetes (74,124 cases and 824,006 controls) from genome wide association studies and applied them to COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative summary statistics (17,965 COVID-19 cases and 1,370,547 population controls). We used inverse variance weighting to obtain the causal estimates of glycemic traits and genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes in COVID-19 risk. Sensitivity analyses included MR-Egger and weighted median method. Results We found genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes was not associated with any COVID-19 phenotype (OR: 1.00 per unit increase in log odds of having diabetes, 95%CI 0.97 to 1.04 for overall COVID-19; OR: 1.02, 95%CI 0.95 to 1.09 for hospitalized COVID-19; and OR: 1.00, 95%CI 0.93 to 1.08 for severe COVID-19). There were no strong evidence for an association of glycemic traits in COVID-19 phenotypes, apart from a potential inverse association for fasting glucose albeit with wide confidence interval. Conclusion We provide some genetic evidence that poorer glycemic traits and predisposition to type 2 diabetes unlikely increase the risk of COVID-19. Although our study did not indicate glycemic traits increase severity of COVID-19, additional studies are needed to verify our findings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 1737-1744
Author(s):  
Maria Grazia Radaelli ◽  
Stefano Ciardullo ◽  
Silvia Perra ◽  
Rosa Cannistraci ◽  
Eleonora Bianconi ◽  
...  

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e020309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Axia Karlsson ◽  
Christel Hero ◽  
Ann-Marie Svensson ◽  
Stefan Franzén ◽  
Mervete Miftaraj ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo analyse the association between refill adherence to lipid-lowering medications, and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.DesignCohort study.SettingNational population-based cohort of Swedish patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Participants86 568 patients aged ≥18 years, registered with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Swedish National Diabetes Register, who filled at least one prescription for lipid-lowering medication use during 2007–2010, 87% for primary prevention.Exposure and outcome measuresRefill adherence of implementation was assessed using the medication possession ratio (MPR), representing the proportion of days with medications on hand during an 18-month exposure period. MPR was categorised by five levels (≤20%, 21%–40%, 41%–60%, 61%–80% and >80%). Patients without medications on hand for ≥180 days were defined as non-persistent. Risk of CVD (myocardial infarction, ischaemic heart disease, stroke and unstable angina) and mortality by level of MPR and persistence was analysed after the exposure period using Cox proportional hazards regression and Kaplan-Meier, adjusted for demographics, socioeconomic status, concurrent medications and clinical characteristics.ResultsThe hazard ratios for CVD ranged 1.33–2.36 in primary prevention patients and 1.19–1.58 in secondary prevention patients, for those with MPR ≤80% (p<0.0001). The mortality risk was similar regardless of MPR level. The CVD risk was 74% higher in primary prevention patients and 33% higher in secondary prevention patients, for those who were non-persistent (p<0.0001). The mortality risk was 6% higher in primary prevention patients and 18% higher in secondary prevention patients, for non-persistent patients (p<0.0001).ConclusionsHigher refill adherence to lipid-lowering medications was associated with lower risk of CVD in primary and secondary prevention patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A331-A331
Author(s):  
Matthew J Budoff ◽  
Timothy M E Davis ◽  
Alexandra G Palmer ◽  
Robert Frederich ◽  
David E Lawrence ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction: Ertugliflozin (ERTU), a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, is approved as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Aim: As a pre-specified sub-study of the Phase 3 VERTIS CV trial (NCT01986881), the efficacy and safety of ERTU were assessed in patients with T2DM and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) inadequately controlled with metformin and sulfonylurea (SU). Methods: Patients with T2DM, established ASCVD, and HbA1c 7.0–10.5% on stable metformin (≥1500 mg/day) and SU doses as defined per protocol were randomized to once-daily ERTU (5 mg or 15 mg) or placebo. The primary sub-study objectives were to assess the effect of ERTU on HbA1c compared with placebo and to evaluate safety and tolerability during 18-week follow-up. Key secondary endpoints included proportion of patients achieving HbA1c &lt;7%, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), body weight, and systolic blood pressure. Changes from baseline at Week 18 for continuous efficacy endpoints were assessed using a constrained longitudinal data analysis model. Results: Of the 8246 patients enrolled in the VERTIS CV trial, 330 patients were eligible for this sub-study (ERTU 5 mg, n=100; ERTU 15 mg, n=113; placebo, n=117). Patients had a mean (SD) age of 63.2 (8.4) years, T2DM duration 11.4 (7.4) years, estimated glomerular filtration rate 83.5 (17.8) mL/min/1.73 m2, and HbA1c 8.3% (1.0) (67.4 [10.6] mmol/mol). At Week 18, ERTU 5 mg and 15 mg were each associated with a significantly greater least squares mean (95% CI) HbA1c reduction from baseline versus placebo; the placebo-adjusted differences for ERTU 5 mg and 15 mg were –0.7% (–0.9, –0.4) and –0.8% (–1.0, –0.5), respectively (P&lt;0.001). A higher proportion of patients in each ERTU group achieved HbA1c &lt;7% relative to placebo (P&lt;0.001). ERTU significantly reduced FPG and body weight (P&lt;0.001, for each dose versus placebo), but not systolic blood pressure. Adverse events were reported in 48.0%, 54.9%, and 47.0% of patients in the ERTU 5 mg, 15 mg, and placebo groups, respectively. Genital mycotic infections were experienced by significantly higher proportions of male patients who received ERTU 5 mg and 15 mg (4.2% and 4.8%, respectively) versus placebo (0.0%; P≤0.05) and by a numerically, but not significantly, higher proportion of female patients who received ERTU 15 mg (10.3%) compared with placebo (3.8%) (P=0.36). The incidences of symptomatic hypoglycemia were 11.0% (5 mg), 12.4% (15 mg), and 7.7% (placebo), and of severe hypoglycemia 2.0% (5 mg), 1.8% (15 mg), and 0.9% (placebo). Conclusion: Among patients with T2DM and ASCVD, ERTU (5 mg and 15 mg) added to metformin and SU for 18 weeks improved glycemic control (HbA1c and FPG) and reduced body weight, and was generally well tolerated with a safety profile consistent with the SGLT2 inhibitor class.


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