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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The obvious syntropy of obesity and type II (non-insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus has always suggested a causal inter-relationship between the two diseases. However, the actual pathophysiological connection still remains to be elucidated. Recent findings have suggested that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia might link glucose intolerance/type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipoproteinaemia in the context of a hypothetical 'syndrome X' characterized by an excessive risk constellation for the development of atherosclerosis. However, as to the practical consequences of the ('diabesity') syndrome of type II diabetes mellitus and structured programmes for effective therapy, very little new information has been gathered during the past 100 years.
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PMID:Risk of obesity in type II diabetes mellitus. 133 84

The primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases and, therefore, the therapy of hyperlipidemia is essential in strategies to lower morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD), the most relevant atherosclerosis-associated disease. These programs imply not only a medical but also an economic challenge to our health system. That is why all therapeutic measures have to be evaluated regarding their cost-effectiveness. A cost-effectiveness profile was calculated for all the therapies of hyperlipidemia (nutritional therapy, dietetic nutritionals, drugs and LDL-apheresis) with respect to the following parameters: total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. The daily costs of all interventional measures are compared to the success rate, whereby an index of daily therapy costs and 1% change per lipid parameter was calculated. Nutritional therapy is by far the cheapest, and LDL-apheresis the most expensive but also the most effective and reliable therapeutic measure. It has to be considered, however, that dietary intervention can be very successful in overnutrition while in rare cases of severe homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia there is no therapeutic alternative to LDL-apheresis. Life-style modifications, such as changing nutritional habits, may contribute towards reducing or removing one or more risk factor(s) (e.g. malnutrition is associated with overweight, hyperlipoproteinemia (HLP), hyperinsulinemia (syndrome X), hyperfibrinogenemia and hypertension). But neither health politicians nor the population seem to be conscious of the fact that life-style changes help to reduce medical expenditure. Considering the fact that nearly every medical service is getting more and more expensive, the need to introduce financial regulations is evident.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Economic aspects of therapy for lipid metabolism disorders]. 150 39

During the past decade, it has become clear that the vascular endothelium critically influences vascular permeability, controls vessel growth, modulates hemostasis, and regulates vasomotion. This latter role of the endothelium is mediated by the liberation of a number of potent vasoactive compounds, including endothelium-derived relaxing factors, one of which is either nitric oxide or a compound that releases nitric oxide, vasoactive prostaglandins, hyperpolarizing factors, and a number of constricting factors. This role of the endothelium is dramatically altered by several diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes. Abnormalities of endothelial regulation of vascular tone may contribute to a number of clinical syndromes, including variant angina, unstable angina, syndrome X, and perhaps many others. In this review, several aspects of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor will be considered, including recent concepts regarding its synthesis, its chemical identity, and alterations in atherosclerosis. Finally, its action in the coronary microcirculation as contrasted to that of nitroglycerin will be considered.
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PMID:Normal and pathophysiologic considerations of endothelial regulation of vascular tone and their relevance to nitrate therapy. 152 21

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) has long been recognized as being associated with a cluster of disorders including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerotic heart disease. It was only recently, however, that Reaven, DeFronzo, and Ferrannini with techniques to quantitate insulin resistance suggested that this represents a common factor in this group of disorders and that hyperinsulinemia resulting from insulin resistance could be the cause of the hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis. The names syndrome X or the insulin-resistance syndrome have been used to identify this pathological entity, and considerable investigations have been done and are in progress to establish whether or not these coexisting disorders represent an as yet unexplained association of cardiovascular risk factors or if, indeed, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinism represent the primary cause for most of the other disorders. To paraphrase a philosophical comment, if syndrome X did not exist, we probably would have had to invent it. In addition to the intellectual satisfaction of being able to "lump" these diverse ills under a single etiology, the main value of grouping these disorders as a syndrome is to continually remind physicians that the therapeutic goals are not only to correct hyperglycemia in NIDDM but also to manage the elevated blood pressure and dyslipidemia that cause cerebrovascular and cardiac morbidity as well as mortality in these patients. Having a syndrome X reduces the fragmentation of medical care among subspecialties and decreases the likelihood of prescribing drugs that correct hypertension but raise lipids or drugs that lower lipids but raise blood glucose. Finally, it encourages the selection of drugs that reduce hyperglycemia without increasing insulin secretion and to the development of new drugs for this purpose. Unfortunately, the concept of insulin resistance with hyperinsulinism being a cause of the other associated disorders is still unproved but continues to be open to experimental investigation. The remainder of this article reviewed the use of sulfonylureas in the management of NIDDM, discussed new molecular and cellular mechanisms by which they promote insulin secretion, and reviewed the controversy as to whether an extrapancreatic action contributes to their glucose-lowering effects in NIDDM. A closing section listed some other oral drugs that can lower blood glucose without stimulating the pancreatic beta cell. Their insulin-sparing hypoglycemic effect makes them potentially useful in NIDDM therapy, particularly if the fundamental premise of syndrome X is substantiated, which implicates hyperinsulinemia as contributing to the morbidity and mortality from atherosclerotic vascular disease.
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PMID:Type II diabetes and syndrome X. Pathogenesis and glycemic management. 161 69

Most ischemic heart disease in associated with severe coronary atherosclerosis. A small subset of patients, however, had angina pectoris despite angiographically normal coronary arteries and absence of inducible coronary spasm. Coronary microcirculation (i.e. arteries too small to be visualized by current angiographic techniques) has been identified as the weak point of these patients. Small coronary vessel involvement may be due to organic conditions (such as diabetes, vasculitis, systemic collagen-vascular diseases, infectious processes) that act through coronary thrombosis or embolism and related alteration in coronary vasomotion; alternatively, the vascular abnormality appears to be entirely functional (no ultrastructural myocardial changes) such as the case of hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and syndrome X. Whatever the cause(s) and mechanism(s) of the small coronary artery involvement, this leads to myocardial ischemia and to the related complications as in classic atherosclerotic heart disease. Syndrome X is characterized by effort-induced angina pectoris, ST-segment changes during exercise testing, negative ergonovine test and reduced coronary reserve. A pre-arteriolar hypersensitivity to vasoconstrictor influences (elicited by cold pressor test or ergonovine) and a reduced vasodilator capacity (unmasked by metabolic and pharmacological studies) have been proposed as potential pathogenetic substrate. This dynamic alteration in vasomotion would answer for both symptoms and signs of myocardial ischemia, that, however, appear to be contemporarily elicitable in a minority of patients. Treatment with beta-blockers and calcium-antagonists has been found to be effective. The long-term follow-up shows favorable outcome with a high survival rate and a low incidence of cardiovascular events.
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PMID:[Angina due to microvascular pathology]. 184 63

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hyperventilation (HV) and of ic nitroglycerin (NTG) on coronary diameters and hemodynamics in 32 patients with angina pectoris. Of these, 10 patients had stable angina and critical coronary artery disease (CAD, Group I), 12 patients with variant angina (VA) and no or minor coronary atherosclerosis (Group II), and 10 patients with angina and normal coronary arteries (syndrome X (SX), Group III). All patients underwent coronary angiography as well as right heart catheterization; measurements of left anterior descending coronary diameters (mid segment), great cardiac vein blood flow, aortic pressure and coronary resistance were performed on baseline, after HV and following NTG. HV caused coronary spasm in 4 patients with VA and significantly (p less than 0.001) reduced coronary diameters and regional blood flow both in Groups II and III, but not in Group I. NTG resulted in increased coronary diameters in all patients, however variations were greater in VA and SX (44 and 39%, respectively) than in Group I (18%; p less than 0.025). NTG induced an increase of coronary blood flow only in patients with CAD. We conclude that patients with VA and SX present a similar coronary response to vasomotor stimuli, either after HV or following NTG. Response is abnormal if compared to that of patients of group I, and it involves both epicardial and intramural coronary vessels. Thus, we suggest that SX and VA belong to a single pathogenetic entity with a spectrum of clinical manifestations.
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PMID:[Abnormal coronary response to vasomotor stimuli: analogies between variant angina and X syndrome]. 250 49

The effects of oral verapamil, 320 mg daily, propranolol, 120 to 160 mg daily, and placebo were compared in 16 patients presenting with transient myocardial ischemia without evidence of coronary atherosclerosis or vasospasm on angiography (syndrome X). Testing was done according to a randomized double-blind crossover placebo-controlled trial consisting of 3 consecutive 7-day treatment periods with verapamil or propranolol or placebo. Patients underwent continuous 48-hour electrocardiographic monitoring before therapy (run-in phase) and during the last 2 days of each treatment period. A total of 391 episodes of diagnostic (greater than or equal to 0.15 mV) ST depression was recorded during the trial. Of these, 23 were symptomatic. None of the episodes occurred while the patients were asleep, 25% during exercise, 35% during minimal physical activity and 40% at rest. Rest included activities demanding mental arousal (conversation, reading or watching television). Heart rate at the onset of ST depression was higher (greater than or equal to 10 beats/min) than that observed in the 5 minutes preceding ischemia in 95% of the episodes. In the group as a whole, the average number of ischemic episodes per 24 hours was significantly reduced during propranolol therapy compared with placebo (0.7 +/- 0.6 vs 3.9 +/- 1.8; p less than 0.0005). No significant differences were seen during verapamil treatment (3.4 +/- 1.7 vs 3.9 +/- 1.8). It is concluded that transient myocardial ischemia in syndrome X is mostly precipitated by an increase in oxygen consumption, presumably due to a heightened sympathetic activity. Accordingly, beta blockers may represent the first line of treatment.
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PMID:Comparison of verapamil versus propranolol therapy in syndrome X. 264 45

Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality, both in developed as well as in developing countries. The eyes, kidneys, and cardiovascular and neurological systems are predominantly affected by this chronic disease, leading to loss of employment and sometimes life. The most common setting is uncontrolled glycaemia after dietary restriction, exercise and oral hypoglycaemic drug therapy. Insulin may be needed for treating NIDDM some time during the course of the disease. Insulin therapy results in improved beta-cell function, a decrease in the hepatic glucose output and an improvement of the lipoprotein profile. Some of these beneficial effects are due to nullification of 'glucose toxicity'. Objective evidence of a link between tight metabolic control and chronic complications of NIDDM is still not established, despite the results of recent trials. Many insulin regimes have been tried. Recently, attention has been focused on combination therapy with sulphonylureas and insulin, using long-acting insulin at bedtime only. This regime improves the glycaemic profile (due to a reduction of hepatic glucose output), using lower doses of insulin and sulphonylureas. However, experience with this regime suggests that it is only suitable for a subset of NIDDM patients. Adverse effects of insulin therapy include weight gain and hypoglycaemia, which can usually be easily managed. It is hyperinsulinaemia, with its complex array of adverse metabolic effects, that has recently concerned physicians. Acceleration of atherosclerosis, hypertension and worsening of the lipoprotein profile have been cited as possible adverse effects. The presence of such dysregulation is included in the recently described syndrome X.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Insulin treatment in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. 763 12

Syndrome X is a constellation of abnormalities; it appears to be strongly linked to insulin resistance and the risk of atherosclerosis. It consists of hypertension, glucose intolerance, obesity, dyslipidemia and, observed more recently, coagulation abnormalities. It is possible that treating blood pressure levels alone while ignoring or worsening other strongly associated risk factors has resulted in minimal effects on the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). Syndrome X has raised the awareness of these associated risk factors and has further led to the consideration of hypertension as a metabolic disease. The epidemiologic evidence in support of the link between insulin resistance and hypertension is reviewed, and the public health implications of these data are outlined.
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PMID:Reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease by managing hypertension: implications of syndrome X. 780 51

Chronic vascular rejection (CVR)--transplant atherosclerosis--is a major problem in organ transplantation and a leading cause of late graft failure. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the impact of metabolic factors on the outcome of experimental and clinical transplantation. In an experimental model of CVR in rat cardiac allografts it was shown that the development of proliferative vascular lesions, characteristic of CVR, was accelerated 2-4 times by a cholesterol enriched diet. Renal transplant patients with manifest CVR had hyperlipoproteinaemia and atherogenic lipid patterns, the degree of which correlated with the histopathological severity of CVR and was only partially explained by renal dysfunction. The influence of pre-existing lipoprotein abnormalities on graft function was investigated prospectively in renal transplant recipients. It was found that patients with pretransplant hypercholesterolaemia had an increased number of acute rejection episodes, worse graft function and a higher degree of vascular intimal hyperplasia at six months posttransplantation and more graft losses during follow-up. Oxidatively modified LDL may be the link between hypercholesterolaemia and graft failure. Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), a major inhibitor of fibrinolysis and another risk factor for atherothrombosis, which is associated with features of the metabolic risk factor syndrome (Syndrome X) was also followed prospectively. Patients presenting with all features of this syndrome six months after transplantation were at increased risk of losing their graft during a three-year follow-up. Pretransplant hypercholesterolaemia was associated with a more than a two-fold increase in the risk of graft failure during the first two posttransplant years, and elevated PAI-1 levels before transplantation with a five-fold increase during the first three years. A chronic graft damage (CGD) score was constructed for glomerular, vascular and tubulointerstitial changes characteristic of CVR. The CGD score at six months was higher in patients with hypercholesterolaemia or elevated PAI-1 activity before transplantation. An elevated CGD score at six months predicted an eight-fold increase in the risk of renal allograft failure within three years following transplantation. It can be anticipated that intervention directed against lipid abnormalities or other metabolic risk factors may improve the long-term success rate in organ transplantation.
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PMID:Metabolic factors and outcome of organ transplantation. 781 59


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