Circulation最新文献

Background: The American Heart Association annually reports the most up-to-date statistics related to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular risk factors, including core health behaviors (smoking, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, and obesity) and health factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose control, and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome) that contribute to cardiovascular health. The 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update presents the latest data on a range of major clinical heart and circulatory disease conditions (including stroke, brain health, complications of pregnancy, kidney disease, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, sudden cardiac arrest, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, valvular disease, venous thromboembolism, and peripheral artery disease) and the associated outcomes (including quality of care, procedures, and economic costs).

Methods: The American Heart Association, through its Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee, continuously monitors and evaluates sources of data on heart disease and stroke in the United States and globally to provide the most current information available in the annual Statistics Update with review of published literature through the year before writing. The 2026 Statistics Update is the product of a full year's worth of effort in 2025 by dedicated volunteer clinicians and scientists, committed government professionals, and American Heart Association staff members. This year's edition includes a new chapter on cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, as well as an expanded chapter on tobacco and nicotine use and exposure.

Results: Each of the chapters in the Statistics Update focuses on a different topic related to heart disease and stroke statistics.

Conclusions: The Statistics Update represents a critical resource for the lay public, policymakers, media professionals, clinicians, health care administrators, researchers, health advocates, and others seeking the best available data on these factors and conditions.

Background: There is limited evidence of the relationship between aortic and iliac calcification and aortic events (aortic dissection or aneurysm rupture) and major adverse limb events (MALEs; peripheral revascularization and lower limb amputation). The aim of this population-based prospective cohort study was to investigate the association of aortic and iliac calcifications with aortic events and MALEs.

Methods: All participants from the DANCAVAS (Danish Cardiovascular Screening) trials who received a full thoracoabdominal aortic computed tomography scan with recorded measurements of aortic and iliac calcification were included. The aorta and iliac artery calcifications were measured in a 5-segment model and categorized into quartiles, apart from the ascending aorta, which was categorized into 4 exposure groups, as the majority of participants had no calcification in the ascending aorta. The participants were followed from inclusion in the DANCAVAS trial until aortic events, MALE, death, or end of follow-up on May 1, 2025. We used a competing risk hazard regression model adjusted for demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, aortic diameter, and ankle-brachial index.

Results: In total, 13 065 participants were included in this study (94% men; mean age, 67±4 years). Participants were followed for a mean of 8 years, during which 42 experienced an aortic event, and 311 experienced a MALE. The analyses of the aortic event outcome showed significantly increased subdistribution hazard rates (SHRs) when having calcification scores in the fourth group or quartile for the ascending and abdominal aorta (SHR, 3.06 [95% CI, 1.15-8.16]; SHR, 7.61 [95% CI, 1.44-40.22], respectively). Calcification scores in the fourth group or quartile were strongly associated with MALEs in all segments: ascending aorta (SHR, 2.20 (95% CI, 1.56-3.10]), aortic arch (SHR, 6.49 [95% CI, 3.10-13.56]), descending aorta (SHR, 2.43; [95% CI, 1.45-4.08]), abdominal aorta (SHR, 7.89 [2.95-21.15]), and iliac arteries (SHR, 13.52 [95% CI, 4.32-42.24]).

Conclusion: Severe aortic and iliac calcification was associated with significantly higher risk of aortic events and MALEs, suggesting that quantifying aortic calcification may provide valuable prognostic information and potentially improve the risk stratification in patients with aortic aneurysm or peripheral artery disease.