Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

It has been hypothesized that Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection may contribute to reduced stature, risk of hypertension or obesity. The aim was to evaluate body indices in Hp positive and negative persons. A total of 2436 subjects (4-100 years old) were tested for Hp status by 13 C-urea breath test. Data on height and weight were collected for 84%, and blood pressure for 80% of the study subjects. The prevalence of Hp infection was 41.6%. The odds ratio for a 10-year increase in age was 1.21 (95% CI 1.17-1.25, p-value <0.001). Statistically significant negative association of Hp positivity with body height was most pronounced in the younger age groups, while a positive association of Hp positivity with body mass index was only seen in those aged 15+ years. There was a negative effect of Hp positivity on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in subjects below 25 and a relatively strong positive effect on blood pressure in subjects over 65 years. Residual confounding by social characteristics as a possible explanation for the associations of Hp positivity with height and blood pressure cannot be excluded. Unmeasured factors related to social and family environment may cause the apparent association between Hp positivity and children's growth and blood pressure.

Atherosclerotic aortic aneurysm in a steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis)

“…St Leger (2003) reports several cases of acute aortic rupture in captive Antarctic penguins. In addition, the condition is of commercial importance in the poultry industry, particularly in growing turkeys, with mortalities ranging from 1 to 2 per cent up to 50 per cent in one case (Beaufrère and Wakamatsu 2015). Male birds between the ages of 7 and 24 weeks of age appear predisposed.…”