More than half of the substantial CHD mortality decrease in Sweden between 1986 and 2002 was attributable to reductions in major risk factors, mainly a large decrease in total serum cholesterol. These findings emphasize the value of a comprehensive strategy that promotes primary prevention and evidence-based medical treatments, especially secondary prevention.

The incidence of IS in elderly people in Sweden is now decreasing, whereas the decline in IS incidence in the middle-aged people is much less steep. The increasing incidence of stroke in the young, particularly if carried forward to an older age, is concerning.

BackgroundThe individual physical activity level is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death, as well as a possible target for improving health outcome. However, today´s widely adopted risk score charts, typically do not include the level of physical activity. There is a need for a simple risk assessment tool, which includes a reliable assessment of the level of physical activity. The aim of this study was therefore, to analyse the association between the self-reported levels of physical activity, according to the Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale (SGPALS) question, and cardiovascular risk factors, specifically focusing on the group of individuals with the lowest level of self-reported PA.MethodsWe used cross sectional data from the Intergene study, a random sample of inhabitants from the western part of Sweden, totalling 3588 (1685 men and 1903 women, mean age 52 and 51). Metabolic measurements, including serum-cholesterol, serum-triglycerides, fasting plasma-glucose, waist circumference, blood pressure and resting heart rate, as well as smoking and self-reported stress were related to the self-reported physical activity level, according to the modernized version of the SGPALS 4-level scale.ResultsThere was a strong negative association between the self-reported physical activity level, and smoking, weight, waist circumference, resting heart rate, as well as to the levels of fasting plasma-glucose, serum-triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and self-reported stress and a positive association with the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL). The individuals reporting the lowest level of PA (SGPALS, level 1) had the highest odds-ratios (OR) for having pre-defined levels of abnormal risk factors, such as being overweight (men OR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.51-3.19; women OR 2.57, 95 % CI: 1.78-3.73), having an increased waist circumference (men OR 3.76, 95 % CI: 2.61-5.43; women OR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.94-4.35) and for reporting stress (men OR 3.59, 95 % CI: 2.34-5.49; women OR 1.25, 95% CI: 0.79-1.98), compared to the most active individuals, but also showed increased OR for most other risk factors analyzed above.ConclusionThe self-reported PA-level according to the modernized Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale, SGPALS, is associated with the presence of many cardiovascular risk factors, with the most inactive individuals having the highest risk factor profile, including self-reported stress. We propose that the present SGPALS may be used as an additional, simple tool in a routine risk assessment in e.g. primary care, to identify inactive individuals, with a higher risk profile.

Aims To investigate trends in absolute numbers and prevalence from 1990 to 2007 of patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) in Sweden. Methods and results National inpatient and cause‐specific death registers were used to calculate age‐ and sex‐specific trends in absolute numbers and prevalence from 1990 to 2007 of patients hospitalized with HF in Sweden. Absolute numbers increased from 105 449 in 1990 to 144 925 in 2007, with a 77% increase in patients aged 85–99 years. The overall age‐adjusted prevalence in 1990 was 1.73%, and this increased with an estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) of 4.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.6–4.9%] from 1990 to 1995, with no further significant change until 2002. The single year with the highest prevalence was 1998, when it peaked at 2.13%. The prevalence then declined slowly from 2002 (EAPC –1.1, 95% CI −1.5% to −0.6%) to 1.99% in 2007. The decrease in prevalence was not found in persons <65 years, where, instead, an increase was found throughout the period. Conclusion Fears of an impending HF ‘epidemic’ could not be confirmed in this analysis of trends in prevalence for the period 1990–2007 of patients hospitalized with HF in Sweden. An overall slight decrease in age‐adjusted prevalence was observed from 2002. The prevalence in patients <65 years increased markedly. In absolute numbers, there was a substantial increase among the very old, consistent with demographic changes.

Self-perceived permanent stress is an important long-term predictor of diagnosed diabetes, independently of socio-economic status, BMI and other conventional Type 2 diabetes risk factors.

Aims:Despite treatment recommended by guidelines, many patients with chronic heart failure remain symptomatic. Evidence is accumulating that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have beneficial psychological and physiological effects. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of MBI on symptoms and signs in patients with chronic heart failure in outpatient clinical settings.Methods:A prospective feasibility study. Fifty stable but symptomatic patients with chronic heart failure, despite optimized guideline-recommended treatment, were enrolled at baseline. In total, 40 participants (median age 76 years; New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification II−III) adhered to the study. Most patients (n=17) were randomized into MBI, a structured eight-week mindfulness-based educational and training programme, or controls with usual care (n=16). Primary outcome was self-reported fatigue on the Fatigue severity scale. Secondary outcomes were self-reported sleep quality, unsteadiness/dizziness, NYHA functional classification, walking distance in the six-minute walk test, and heart and respiratory rates. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyse median sum changes from baseline to follow-up (week 10±1).Results:Compared with usual care (zero change), MBI significantly reduced the self-reported impact of fatigue (effect size −8.0; p=0.0165), symptoms of unsteadiness/dizziness (p=0.0390) and breathlessness/tiredness related to physical functioning (NYHA class) (p=0.0087). No adverse effects were found.Conclusions:In stable but symptomatic outpatients with chronic heart failure, MBI alleviated self-reported symptoms in addition to conventional treatment. The sample size is small and further studies are needed, but findings support the role of MBI as a feasible complementary option, both clinically and as home-based treatment, which might contribute to reduction of the symptom burden in patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure.

OBJECTIVELow weight has been associated with increased mortality risks in type 1 diabetes. We aimed to investigate the importance of weight and weight gain/loss in the Swedish population diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSPatients with type 1 diabetes (n = 26,125; mean age 33.3 years; 45% women) registered in the Swedish National Diabetes Registry from 1998 to 2012 were followed from the first day of study entry. Cox regression was used to calculate risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD), major CVD events, hospitalizations for heart failure (HF), and total deaths. RESULTSPopulation mean BMI in patients with type 1 diabetes increased from 24.7 to 25.7 kg/m 2 from 1998 to 2012. Over a median follow-up of 10.9 years, there were 1,031 deaths (33.2% from CVD), 1,460 major CVD events, and 580 hospitalizations for HF. After exclusion of smokers, patients with poor metabolic control, and patients with a short follow-up time, there was no increased risk for mortality in those with BMI <25 kg/m 2 , while BMI >25 kg/m 2 was associated with a minor increase in risk of mortality, major CVD, and HF. In women, associations with BMI were largely absent. Weight gain implied an increased risk of mortality and HF, while weight loss was not associated with higher risk. CONCLUSIONSRisk of major CVD, HF, CVD death, and mortality increased with increasing BMI, with associations more apparent in men than in women. After exclusion of factors associated with reverse causality, there was no evidence of an obesity paradox.Recent studies suggest that insulin resistance in overweight or obese individuals with type 1 diabetes may be associated with an increased risk of vascular complications (1), but few studies have investigated the relationship between BMI in individuals with type 1 diabetes and mortality. Phenomena such as the obesity paradox, which suggests that there is an inverse association between BMI and risk of cardiovascular outcomes, have been debated intensely in the past decade (2). Also, the prevalence of obesity in the general Swedish population has increased steadily over past decades (3), and for patients with type 1 diabetes, weight gain is a potential side effect of intensive insulin therapy, which is the mainstay of modern management (4). Hence, to our

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