Background People living with HIV ( PLWH ) experience higher risk of myocardial infarction ( MI ) and heart failure ( HF ) compared with uninfected individuals. Risk of other cardiovascular diseases ( CVD s) in PLWH has received less attention. Methods and Results We studied 19 798 PLWH and 59 302 age‐ and sex‐matched uninfected individuals identified from the MarketScan Commercial and Medicare databases in the period 2009 to 2015. Incidence of CVD s, including MI , HF , atrial fibrillation, peripheral artery disease, stroke and any CVD ‐related hospitalization, were identified using validated algorithms. We used adjusted Cox models to estimate hazard ratios and 95% CI s of CVD end points and performed probabilistic bias analysis to control for unmeasured confounding by race. After a mean follow‐up of 20 months, patients experienced 154 MI s, 223 HF , 93 stroke, 397 atrial fibrillation, 98 peripheral artery disease, and 935 CVD hospitalizations (rates per 1000 person‐years: 1.2, 1.7, 0.7, 3.0, 0.8, and 7.1, respectively). Hazard ratios (95% CI ) comparing PLWH with uninfected controls were 1.3 (0.9–1.9) for MI , 3.2 (2.4–4.2) for HF , 2.7 (1.7–4.0) for stroke, 1.2 (1.0–1.5) for atrial fibrillation, 1.1 (0.7–1.7) for peripheral artery disease, and 1.7 (1.5–2.0) for any CVD hospitalization. Adjustment for unmeasured confounding led to similar associations (1.2 [0.8–1.8] for MI , 2.8 [2.0–3.8] for HF , 2.3 [1.5–3.6] for stroke, 1.3 [1.0–1.7] for atrial fibrillation, 0.9 [0.5–1.4] for peripheral artery disease, and 1.6 [1.3–1.9] for CVD hospitalization). Conclusions In a large health insurance database, PLWH have an elevated risk of CVD , particularly HF and stroke. With the aging of the HIV population, developing interventions for cardiovascular health promotion and CVD prevention is imperative.

Background and Purpose— Sepsis has been identified as a trigger for stroke, but the underlying mechanisms and risk factors that predispose patients with sepsis to increased stroke risk remain unclear. We sought to identify predictors of stroke after sepsis and bloodstream infections. Methods— The 2007–2009 California State Inpatient Database from the Health Care Utilization Project was used to identify patients over the age of 18 years and hospitalized with sepsis or bloodstream infection defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. Patients who died during their sepsis hospitalization were excluded. The primary outcome was a primary diagnosis of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke on a subsequent hospitalization within 1 year. Associations between risk factors, also defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes, and stroke were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. A composite risk score was generated to predict stroke risk. Results— Of 121 947 patients with sepsis, 0.5% (n=613) had a primary diagnosis of stroke within a year of their sepsis hospitalization. Significant predictors for stroke were identified. A score was generated from these risk factors with points assigned based on regression coefficients: valvular heart diseases (1 point), congestive heart failure (1), renal failure (1), lymphoma (2), peripheral vascular diseases (2), pulmonary circulation disorders (2), and coagulopathy (3). The C statistic for the receiver operating characteristic curve for the score was 0.68. The risk of stroke increased 43% (odds ratio, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.37–1.48) per-point increase in the score. The effect of increase in score was greater among younger patients. Conclusions— Risk factors and a composite risk score for stroke may help identify a subpopulation of sepsis patients that could be targeted to reduce the short-term risk of stroke after serious infections.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and total and regional brain volumes among participants in the community-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive study (ARIC-NCS). A total of 1,930 participants (130 with AF) with a mean age of 76.3 ± 5.2, who underwent 3T brain MRI scans in 2011 to 2013 were included. Prevalent AF was ascertained from study ECGs and hospital discharge codes. Brain volumes were measured using FreeSurfer image analysis software. Markers of subclinical cerebrovascular disease included lobar microhemorrhages, subcortical microhemorrhages, cortical infarcts, subcortical infarcts, lacunar infarcts, and volume of white matter hyperintensities. Linear regression models were used to assess the associations between AF status and brain volumes. In adjusted analyses, AF was not associated with markers of subclinical cerebrovascular disease. However, AF was associated with smaller regional brain volumes (including temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes; deep gray matter; Alzheimer disease signature region; and hippocampus [all p <0.05]) after controlling for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, prevalent cardiovascular disease, and markers of subclinical cerebrovascular disease. Subgroup analysis revealed a significant interaction between AF and total brain volume with respect to age (p = 0.02), with

Background and Purpose— Evidence suggests that atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, even in the absence of stroke. White matter disease (WMD) is a potential mechanism linking AF to cognitive impairment. In this study, we explored the association between prevalent AF and WMD. Methods— We performed a cross-sectional analysis of participants attending the ARIC-NCS (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities–Neurocognitive Study) in 2011 to 2013 who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging. AF was ascertained from study visit electrocardiograms or prior hospitalization codes. Extent of WMD was defined by measures of white matter (WM) microstructural integrity and WM hyperintensity volume. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the association between AF and WMD. Results— Among 1899 participants (mean age, 76 years; 28% black; 60% women), 133 (7%) had prevalent AF. After multivariable adjustment, differences between participants with and without AF were −0.001 (95% CI, −0.006 to 0.004) for global WM fractional anisotropy, 0.031×10 −4 mm 2 /s (95% CI, −0.075 to 0.137) for global WM mean diffusivity, and 0.08 mm 3 (95% CI, −0.14 to 0.30) for WM hyperintensity volume. Conclusions— The results suggest that there is no association between prevalent AF and WMD.