Infections in early life may partly explain premature coronary heart disease in adulthood and may potentiate traditional cardiovascular risk factor effects.

Although cardiovascular care has improved in the last decade in the low-and middleincome countries (LMICs) in South-East Asia Region; these countries, particularly Indonesia, are still encountering a number of challenges in providing standardized healthcare systems. This article aimed to highlight the current state of cardiology practices in primary and secondary care, including the novel cardiovascular risk factors, recommendations for improving the quality of care, and future directions of cardiovascular research in limited settings in South-East Asia. We also provided the most recent evidence by addressing our latest findings on cardiovascular research in Indonesia, a region where infrastructure, human, and financial resources are largely limited. Improving healthcare policies to reduce a nations' exposure to CVD risk factors, providing affordable and accessible cardiovascular care both at primary and secondary levels, and increasing capacity building for clinical research should be warranted in the LMICs in South-East Asia.

ObjectiveTo provide a detailed description of characteristics at hospital admission and clinical outcomes at 30-day and 6-month follow-up in patients hospitalised with coronary artery disease (CAD) in a poor South-East Asian setting.DesignProspective observational cohort study.SettingFrom February 2013 to December 2014, in Makassar Cardiac Center, Indonesia.Participants477 patients with CAD (acute coronary syndrome and stable CAD).Outcome measuresAll-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).ResultsOut of 477 patients with CAD, the proportion of young age (<60 years) was 53.9% and 72.7% were male. At admission, 44.2% of patients were diagnosed with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 38.6% with diagnosis or signs of heart failure and 75.1% had previous hypertension. Out of 211 patients with STEMI, only 4.7% had been treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and 6.2% received thrombolysis. The time lapse from symptom onset to hospital admission was 26.8 (IQR 10.0–48.0) hours, and 19.1% of all patients had undergone either PCI or coronary artery bypass graft. The survival rate at 6 months was 78.9%. The rates of all-cause mortality at 30 days and 6 months were 13.4% and 7.3%, respectively; the rate of composite MACE at 30 days was 26.2% and 18.0% at 6 months.ConclusionsPatients with CAD from a poor South-East Asian setting present themselves with predominantly unstable conditions of premature CAD. These patients show relatively severe illness, have significant time delay from symptom onset to admission or intervention, and most do not receive the guidelines-recommended treatment. Awareness of symptoms, prompt initial management of acute CVD, well-established infrastructures and resources both in primary and secondary hospital for CVD should be improved to reduce the high rates of 30-day and 6-month mortality and adverse outcomes in this population.

ObjectiveTo measure medium-term outcomes and determine the predictors of mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) both during and after hospitalisation in a resource-limited South-East Asian setting.MethodsFrom February 2013 to December 2014, we conducted a prospective observational cohort study of 477 patients admitted to Makassar Cardiac Center, Indonesia, with acute coronary syndrome and stable CAD. We actively obtained data on clinical outcomes and after-discharge management until April 2017. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis was performed to examine predictors for our primary outcome, all-cause mortality.ResultsFrom hospital admission, patients were followed over a median of 18 (IQR 6–36) months; in total 154 (32.3%) patients died. More patients with acute myocardial infarction died in the hospital compared with patients with unstable and stable angina (p=0.002). Over the total follow-up, there was a difference in mortality between non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (n=41, 48.2%), ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (n=65, 30.8%), unstable angina (n=18, 26.5%) and stable coronary artery disease (n=30, 26.5%) groups (p=0.007). The independent predictors of all-cause mortality were hyperglycaemia on admission (HR 1.55 (95% CI 1.12 to 2.14), p=0.008), heart failure/Killip class ≥2 (HR 2.50 (95% CI 1.76 to 3.56), p<0.001), estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min (HR 1.77 (95% CI 1.26 to 2.50), p=0.001), no revascularisation (percutaneous coronary intervention/coronary artery bypass grafting) (HR 2.38 (95% CI 1.31 to 4.33), p=0.005) and poor adherence to after-discharge medications (HR 10.28 (95% CI 5.52 to 19.16), p<0.001). Poor medication adherence predicted postdischarge mortality and did so irrespective of underlying CAD diagnosis (p interaction=0.88).ConclusionsPatients with CAD in a poor South-East Asian setting experience high in-hospital and medium-term mortality. The initial severity of the disease, lack of access to guidelines-recommended therapy and poor adherence to after-discharge medications are the main drivers for excess mortality. Improved access to early and late hospital care and patient education should be prioritised for better survival.

Background The global burden of tuberculosis (TB) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is overt, and the prevalence of this double burden disease remains steadily rising, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This review aims to explore the association between latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and the development of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors. Furthermore, we elucidated the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that contribute to this relationship. Main body Approximately 25% of the global population carries a dormant form of tuberculosis (TB) infection. During this latent stage, certain subsets of mycobacteria actively reproduce, and recent research suggests that latent TB infection (LTBI) is connected to persistent, long-term low-grade inflammation that can potentially contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The presence of LTBI can be confirmed through a positive result on either a tuberculin skin test (TST) or an interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). Several plausible explanations for the association between LTBI and CVD include increased inflammation, autoimmunity related to heat shock proteins (HSP), and the presence of pathogens within the developing atherosclerotic plaque. The most commonly observed cardiovascular events and risk factors associated with LTBI are acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery stenosis, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Conclusions This article highlights the critical role of LTBI in perpetuating the tuberculosis disease cycle and its association with cardiovascular risk factors. Chronic and persistent low inflammation underlined the association. Identifying high-risk LTBI patients and providing targeted preventive medication are crucial strategies for global TB eradication and interrupting transmission chains.

In South-East Asian populations and particularly in Indonesia, access to coronary angiography (CAG) is limited. We aimed to assess the adherence for undergoing CAG for indicated patients, according to the guideline recommendations. We then examined whether this adherence would have an impact on patients’ short- and medium-term mortality and morbidity. We consecutively enrolled 474 patients with acute and stable coronary artery disease who had indication for CAG at Makassar Cardiac Center, Indonesia from February 2013 to December 2014. We found that adherence to CAG recommendation in poor South-East Asian setting is low. Of 474 recommended patients, only 273 (57.6%) underwent the procedure. Factors for not undergoing CAG were: older age, female gender, low educational and socio-economic status, and insurance type. While reasons for patients refusing CAG and subsequent intervention included fear, symptoms reduction, and lack of trust concerning the procedure benefit. During follow-up (median 19 (IQR 6–39.3) months), 155 (32.7%) patients died, and 259 (54.6%) experienced at least one adverse event. Adherence to CAG recommendation was associated with a significantly lower short- and medium-term mortality, independent of revascularization and other potential confounders. In sub-group analysis, adhered patients “with revascularization” had significantly better outcomes compared to the “non-revascularization” and “not adhere” groups.

Objective To investigate the association between complications during pregnancy and premature coronary heart disease in adult offspring. Methods We conducted a population-based casecontrol study of 153 Indonesian patients with a first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (age ≤55 years) and 153 age-matched and sex-matched controls. Data on complications during pregnancy (high blood pressure, preterm delivery) and maternal infections in pregnancy were obtained, together with sociodemographic data, clinical profiles, laboratory measurements and adulthood cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors at hospital admission or enrolment. Conditional logistic regression was performed to assess the association between overall pregnancy complications, and specific groupings of complications and premature ACS. Results Pregnancy-related hypertension and infection were more common in mothers of cases than controls. Pregnancy complications were associated with premature offspring ACS (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.4 to 6.0, p=0.004), and the association persisted in fully adjusted analyses (OR adjusted 4.5, 1.1 to 18.1, p=0.036). In subgroup analyses, pregnancy-related high blood pressure (OR adjusted 5.0, 1.0 to 24.7, p=0.050) and maternal infections (OR adjusted 5.2, 1.1 to 24.2, p=0.035) were associated with offspring ACS. Conclusions Offspring of mothers with complications during pregnancy have an increased risk for premature ACS in adulthood, which may be of particular relevance in populations in transition, where the incidence of both pregnancy-related morbidity and CVD are high.

Backgrounds The increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become a major challenge globally, including in Indonesia. Understanding the readiness of primary health care facilities is necessary to confront the challenge of providing access to quality CVD health care services. Our study aimed to provide information regarding readiness to deliver CVD health services in public primary health care namely Puskesmas. Methods The study questionnaire was adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO) Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA), modified based on the package of essentials for non-communicable disease (PEN) and the Indonesian Ministry of health regulation. Data were collected from all Puskesmas facilities (N = 47) located in Makassar city. We analysed relevant data following the WHO-SARA manual to assess the readiness of Puskesmas to deliver CVD services. Human resources, diagnostic capacity, supporting equipment, essential medication, infrastructure and guidelines, and ambulatory services domain were assessed based on the availability of each tracer item in a particular domain. The mean domain score was calculated based on the availability of tracer items within each domain. Furthermore, the means of all domains’ scores are expressed as an overall readiness index. Higher scores indicate greater readiness of Puskesmas to deliver CVD-related health care. Results Puskesmas delivers health promotion, disease prevention, and prompt diagnosis for cardiovascular-related diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke. Meanwhile, basic treatments were observed in the majority of the Puskesmas. Long-term care for hypertension and diabetes patients and rehabilitation for CHD and stroke were only observed in a few Puskesmas. The readiness score of Puskesmas to deliver CVD health care ranged from 60 to 86 for. Furthermore, there were 11 Puskesmas (23.4%) with a score below 75, indicating a sub-optimal readiness for delivering CVD health services. A shortage of essential medicines and a low capacity for diagnostic testing were the most noticeable shortcomings leading to suboptimal readiness for high-quality CVD health services. Conclusion Close cooperation with the government and other related stakeholders is required to tackle the identified shortcomings, especially the continuous monitoring of adequate supplies of medicines and diagnostic tools to achieve better CVD care for patients in Indonesia.