Background: Whether the combination of different blood pressure and arterial stiffness (AS) status is independently associated with diabetes has not been fully investigated so far. This study aimed at investigating the status of hypertension and AS in determining diabetes. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 11 156 participants from the Kailuan study. AS was measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. We compared the risk of diabetes between individuals with ideal vascular function (defined as normotension with normal AS), normotension with elevated AS, hypertension with normal AS, and hypertension with elevated AS. Results: After a median follow-up of 6.16 years, diabetes occurred in 768 participants. Compared with ideal vascular function group, the highest risk of diabetes was observed in hypertension with elevated AS group (hazard ratio, 2.42 [95% CI, 1.93–3.03]), followed by normotension with elevated AS group (hazard ratio, 2.11 [95% CI, 1.68–2.66]), hypertension with normal AS group exhibited the lowest risk of diabetes (hazard ratio, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.08–2.02]). Multiple sensitivity and subgroup analyses yielded similar results. Furthermore, the additional of AS to a conventional model including traditional risk factors had a higher incremental effect on the predictive value for diabetes than the addition of hypertension (the C statistics was 0.707 versus 0.695; the integrated discrimination improvement was 0.65% versus 0.28%; net reclassification improvement was 40.48% versus 34.59%). Conclusions: Diabetes is associated with not only hypertension but also AS. Additionally, AS shows a better predictive ability than hypertension in predicting diabetes.

Background The serum uric acid/serum creatinine ratio (SUA/SCr), which represents renal function‐normalized SUA, is associated with diverse adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between SUA/SCr and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and determine whether and to what extent this association is mediated by cardiometabolic factors. Methods and Results This prospective study enrolled 96 378 participants from the Kailuan study without stroke and myocardial infarction at baseline (2006). Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Mediation analyses were conducted to separately explore the mediating effects of cardiometabolic factors on the association between SUA/SCr and CVD. During median follow up of 11.01 years, 6315 (6.55%) individuals developed incident CVD. After adjustment for potential confounders, the highest quartile of SUA/SCr was associated with the highest risk of CVD (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.07–1.23), stroke (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07–1.26), ischemic stroke (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.02–1.22), and hemorrhagic stroke (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.11–1.65), but not with myocardial infarction (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.92–1.25). The association was consistent across different degrees of kidney function and glucose tolerance statuses. Additionally, the association between high SUA/SCr and CVD was partially mediated by triglycerides (30.74%), body mass index (BMI) (19.52%), total cholesterol (15.06%), hs‐CRP (high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein) (13.06%), diastolic blood pressure (11.75%), and blood glucose (−16.38%). Conclusions SUA/SCr and CVD were positively associated. Furthermore, this association was partially mediated through blood lipids, BMI, blood pressure, hs‐CRP, and blood glucose.

Background Cardiovascular health (CVH) status is associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, evidence for association of CVH change with risk of CVD is scarce. Methods and Results Seven metrics (smoking status, body mass index, physical activity, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose) were used to evaluate the CVH status. Having 0 to 2, 3 to 4, and 5 to 7 ideal cardiovascular metrics were categorized as low, moderate, and high CVH status, respectively. Change in CVH status was assessed from 2006/2007 to 2010/2011. We calculated lifetime risk of CVD using a modified Kaplan–Meier method, and life expectancy was evaluated via the multistate lifetable method. There were 82 349 participants included in our analysis. At 35 years index age, the age‐adjusted incident rate and lifetime risk of CVD were increased with decreasing number of ideal CVH metrics. The direction of change in status of CVH was consistently associated with age‐adjusted incident rate and lifetime risk of CVD. At 35 years index age, improvement from low to moderate (37.6% [95% CI, 32.8%–42.4%]) or to high status (24.4% [95% CI, 12.7%–36.0%]) had lower lifetime risk of CVD compared with consistently low status (44.6% [95% CI, 40.8%–48.5%]). The improvement in CVH could prolong the years of life free from CVD. The pattern of incident rate and lifetime risk across change in CVH status was similar at 45 and 55 years index age. Conclusions Higher number of CVH metrics was associated with lower lifetime risk of CVD. The improvement of CVH status could reduce the lifetime risk of CVD and prolonged the year of life free from CVD.

BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness (AS) was associated with heart failure (HF) in previous studies based on specific populations with small samples and the effects of age and blood pressure on AS were not taken into account. Whether AS was independently associated with new-onset HF in community dwellers has not been fully investigated to date. METHODS: Individuals who participated in health evaluations and underwent synchronized brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) screening in 2010 to 2019 were included. They were free of HF and atrial fibrillation at baseline. The participants were allocated to 3 groups according to their baPWV values. Normal AS was defined as baPWV <1400 cm/s, borderline AS was defined as 1400≤baPWV<1800 cm/s, and elevated AS was defined as baPWV ≥1800 cm/s. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to calculate hazard ratios with 95% CIs of new-onset HF across different AS groups. RESULTS: A total of 40 064 participants were enrolled with a mean age of 48.81±12.67 years. During a mean 5.53 years of follow-up, 411 participants developed HF. Compared with the normal AS group, the hazard ratio (95% CI) for incident HF was 1.97 (1.36–2.86) for the borderline AS group and 2.24 (1.49–3.38) for the elevated AS group in the multivariable-adjusted model. For each 1 SD (359 cm/s) increase in baPWV, the hazard ratio (95% CI) for new-onset HF was 1.10 (1.02–1.20). CONCLUSIONS: AS was positively associated with a higher risk of new-onset HF independently of traditional risk factors, with a dose-responsive effect.

BACKGROUND: Data are lacking regarding cardiovascular health (CVH) with Life’s Essential 8 approach and future stroke risk. We sought to elucidate whether the CVH score constructed by the Life’s Essential 8 metrics predicted stroke risk in 2 Chinese ongoing cohorts. METHODS: This included 41 043 participants of the Kailuan I study and 27 842 participants of the Kailuan II study who were free of cardiovascular disease or cancer in 2014. CVH score (ranged from 0 to 100) was assessed using the Life’s Essential 8 metrics (body mass index, cigarette smoking, diet quality, physical activity, sleep health, lipid, blood glucose, and blood pressure). A composite of incident stroke events (ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke) was identified via review of medical records. The follow-up period was calculated from the finishing date of the 2014 survey to either the date of stroke occurrence, death, loss to follow-up, or the end of follow-up (December 31, 2020). We also examined the longitudinal association between the CVH score and arterial stiffness status, as assessed by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, in 25 922 participants free of cardiovascular disease during the follow-up. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the association between CVH, based on the 2010 American Heart Association recommendation, and stroke integrating the results of current study and previous studies. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 5.65 years (interquartile range, 5.20–6.09), a total of 1750 incident stroke events were identified in the pooled Kailuan study. The pooled hazard ratios were 0.33 (95% CI, 0.20–0.54) for ideal versus poor health category of CVH ( P trend <0.0001). Higher CVH scores were also associated with lower brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity values at baseline and slower increments of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity during follow-up ( P trend ≤0.001 for both). Arterial stiffness mediated 9.07% (95% CI, 5.83%–15.0%) of the total association between CVH and incident stroke. The pooled hazard ratio comparing 2 extreme CVH categories for stroke was 0.45 (95% CI, 0.35–0.59) when including 10 published studies and the current study. CONCLUSIONS: The CVH score as assessed by the Life’s Essential 8 metrics significantly predicted future stroke risk and arterial stiffness status.

Background Limited studies have involved new‐onset hypertriglyceridemia, and this study was to evaluate the associations of hypertriglyceridemia onset age with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and all‐cause mortality. Methods and Results This population‐based prospective study enrolled 98 779 participants free of hypertriglyceridemia and CVD at baseline in the Kailuan study initiated in June 2006. All participants underwent health checkups biennially until December 2017, and a total of 13 832 participants developed new hypertriglyceridemia. A 1:1 age‐ (±1 year) and sex‐matched analysis was applied to select control subject of the same year for each new‐onset case. There were 13 056 case‐control pairs included. The total follow‐up time was 179 409 person‐years, with a median follow‐up time of 7.0 years. Primary outcomes were CVD and all‐cause mortality, and hazard ratios were estimated after adjustment for baseline characteristics. A total of 807 incident CVD events and 600 all‐cause mortality events were documented. After multivariable adjustment, participants with hypertriglyceridemia onset age <45 years had the highest risk compared with matched controls, with hazard ratios of 2.61 (95% CI, 1.59–4.27) for CVD, 4.69 (95% CI, 2.34–9.40) for all‐cause mortality, 2.23 (95% CI, 0.67–7.38) for myocardial infarction, and 2.68 (95% CI, 1.56–4.62) for stroke. The risk estimates gradually decreased with each decade increase in the onset age of hypertriglyceridemia. Conclusions Among Chinese adults, hypertriglyceridemia identified at an earlier onset age was associated with higher risks for CVD and all‐cause mortality.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) are thought to be associated with cognitive impairment. However, the correlations among hypertension, EPVS, and cognitive impairment have not been studied yet. We aimed to investigate the relationships between cumulative blood pressure (cBP) exposure with EPVS and cognitive impairment and whether EPVS may mediate the relationship between cBP and cognitive impairment. METHODS: A total of 1507 subjects from the Kailuan prospective cohort study were enrolled. cBP was calculated from 2006 to 2022. The effects of cBP, EPVS scores, and cognitive impairment were evaluated using a logistic regression model. The relationships among cBP, EPVS score, and cognitive impairment were analyzed using a mediation model. RESULTS: An increase in cBP was positively correlated with an increase in EPVS score. For every SD increase in cBP, the odds ratios (95% CI) of increased EPVS score of the centrum semiovale were 1.67 (1.43–1.95), 1.63 (1.4–1.9), and 1.35 (1.17–1.56), respectively; the odds ratios (95% CI) of increased EPVS score of the basal ganglia were 1.83 (1.56–2.15), 2.01 (1.7–2.36), and 1.31 (1.13–1.52), respectively; and the odds ratios (95% CI) of developing cognitive impairment were 1.28 (1.06–1.53), 1.13 (0.95–1.34), and 1.28 (1.07–1.5), respectively. Basal ganglia-EPVS score accounted for 10.46% to 18.32% of the mediating effects on the relationships of cBP/SD with cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: High cBP exposure was an independent risk factor for EPVS, and basal ganglia-EPVS score mediated the effects of cBP on cognitive impairment. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: ChiCTR-TNRC-11001489.

Background The multitrajectory model can identify joint longitudinal patterns of different lipids simultaneously, which might help better understand the heterogeneous risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and facilitate targeted prevention programs. This study aimed to investigate the associations between multitrajectories of lipids with premature CVD. Methods and Results The study enrolled 78 526 participants from the Kailuan study, a prospective cohort study in Tangshan, China. Five distinct multitrajectories of triglyceride, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol over 6‐year exposure were identified on the basis of Nagin's criteria, using group‐based multitrajectory modeling. During a median follow‐up of 6.75 years (507 645.94 person‐years), 665 (0.85%) premature CVDs occurred. After adjustment for confounders, the highest risk of premature CVD was observed in group 4 (the highest and increasing triglyceride, optimal and decreasing LDL‐C, low and decreasing high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol) (hazard ratio [HR], 2.13 [95% CI, 1.36–3.32]), followed by group 5 (high and decreasing triglyceride, optimal and increasing LDL‐C, low and decreasing high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol) (HR, 2.07 [95% CI, 1.45–2.98]), and group 3 (optimal and increasing triglyceride, borderline high and increasing LDL‐C, optimal and decreasing high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol) (HR, 1.90 [95% CI, 1.32–2.73]). Conclusions Our results showed that the residual risk of premature CVD caused by increasing triglyceride levels remained high despite the fact that LDL‐C levels were optimal or declining over time. These findings emphasized the importance of assessing the joint longitudinal patterns of lipids and undertaking potential interventions on triglyceride lowering to reduce the residual risk of premature CVD, even among individuals with optimal LDL‐C levels.