No abstract

UA is an independent determinant of ED irrespective of blood pressure control and questioning erectile function for hypertensive patients with increased UA levels may be recommended.

years (56% female). Persistent-permanent AF was found to be the most common type of non-valvular AF (78%). The most common comorbid disorder was hypertension (73%). It was found that oral anticoagulant therapy was used by 40% of all patients, 37% of whom had effective INR (2.0-3.0). Upon multivariate analysis, age was found to be the only independent predictor of stroke among the variables' effects on thromboembolic events that created CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc abbreviations (OR 1.026, p < 0.001). Conclusions: These results suggest that stroke risk scores should be thoroughly heeded based on guidelines, and that anticoagulation must be applied according to their guidance. (Cardiol J 2013; 20, 4: 447-452)

Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a frequent complaint of elderly subjects, and is closely associated with endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. Uric acid is also associated with endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease, raising the hypothesis that an increased serum uric acid might predict erectile dysfunction in patients who are at risk for coronary artery disease. Aim To evaluate the association of serum uric acid levels with presence and severity of ED in patients presenting with chest pain of presumed cardiac origin. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of 312 adult male patients with suspected coronary artery disease who underwent exercise stress test (EST) for workup of chest pain and completed a sexual health inventory for men (SHIM) survey form to determine the presence and severity of ED. Routine serum biochemistry (and uric acid levels) were measured. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess risk factors for ED. Main Outcome Measures The short version of the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) questionnaire diagnosed ED (cutoff score ≤21). Serum Uric acid levels were determined. Patients with chest pain of suspected cardiac origin underwent an exercise stress test. Results 149 of 312 (47.7%) male subjects had ED by survey criteria. Patients with ED were older and had more frequent CAD, hypertension, diabetes, and impaired renal function, and also had significantly higher levels of uric acid, fibrinogen, glucose, CRP, triglycerides compared with patients without ED. Uric acid levels were associated with ED by univariate analysis (OR = 1.36, p = 0.002); however, this association was not observed in multivariate analysis adjusted for eGFR. Conclusion Subjects presenting with chest pain of presumed cardiac origin are more likely to have ED if they have elevated uric acid levels.

It is of clinical importance to determine creatinine clearance and adjust doses of prescribed drugs accordingly in patients with heart failure to prevent untoward effects. There is a scarcity of studies in the literature investigating this issue particularly in patients with heart failure, in whom many have impaired kidney function. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of awareness of medication prescription as to creatinine clearance in patients hospitalized with heart failure. Patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of heart failure were retrospectively evaluated. Among screened charts, patients with left ventricular ejection fraction <40% and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of ≤50 mL/min were included in the analysis. The medications and respective doses prescribed at discharge were recorded. Medications requiring renal dose adjustment were determined and evaluated for appropriate dosing according to eGFR. A total of 388 patients with concomitant heart failure and renal dysfunction were included in the study. The total number of prescribed medications was 2808 and 48.3% (1357 medications) required renal dose adjustment. Of the 1357 medications, 12.6% (171 medications) were found to be inappropriately prescribed according to eGFR. The most common inappropriately prescribed medications were famotidine, metformin, perindopril, and ramipril. A significant portion of medications used in heart failure requires dose adjustment. Our results showed that in a typical cohort of patients with heart failure, many drugs are prescribed at inappropriately high doses according to creatinine clearance. Awareness should be increased among physicians caring for patients with heart failure to prevent adverse events related to medications.