Objective: Despite the increasing evidence that primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) contributes to greater risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, its exact role in the development of cardiovascular changes and its clinical significance are still controversial. Given the multiple influence of PHPT on the cardiovascular system, this study aimed to assess the effects of PHPT on blood pressure profile, and on features of the heart and arterial vessels in normotensive symptomless patients. Design: Twenty patients (8 males and 12 females) with a median age of 51.5 years (range 44 to 65 years) were evaluated and the results were compared with those of 20 controls matched for age, gender and body mass index. Patients' parathyroid hormone levels ranged from 172 to 454 pg/ml and Ca levels ranged from 11.4 to 13.5 mg/dl. Fasting levels of glucose, insulin, total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides were within the normal range in all subjects recruited. Methods: Twenty-four-hour blood pressure profile, left ventricle (LV) dimension and carotid artery anatomy were investigated, the latter two by ultrasonography. Results: No difference was found between the patients and controls in blood pressure profile, when the following parameters were considered: supine systolic/diastolic pressure, average 24-h systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure, day-time mean arterial pressure and fall in nocturnal blood pressure (217% and 2 18% respectively). Heart rate and all parameters of LV mass were similar in patients and controls. The only alteration found in patients was in significantly greater carotid intimal-medial thickness (IMT) ðP , 0:001Þ: Atherosclerotic plaques were more frequent in patients than in controls, with a difference reaching a trend (40% vs 10%, x 2 ¼ 4:8; P ¼ 0:091). Considering that the carotid IMT is considered to be a marker of systemic atherosclerosis, our finding suggests early atherosclerotic changes in PHPT. No correlation was found between the severity and cardiovascular manifestation of PHPT. Conclusions: Vascular changes may occur due to a combination of structural and functional impairments in PHPT patients, likely as a result of altered calcium metabolism and impaired equilibrium of other factors regulating vascular function. Both extent and duration of PHPT can play a relative role in the development of cardiovascular complications. Considering that PHPT is now recognized as a quite common and often symptomless endocrine disorder, the evidence of cardiovascular manifestation in normotensive patients, found by this morphological study, suggests a possible implication for the management of such patients. In this light, screening for abnormalities in cardiovascular system function should be recommended in all PHPT subjects.

Reoperation on the aortic valve is rarely necessary, even late after an ASO, but a significant number of patients do have late aortic regurgitation and continue to need observation.

BackgroundMalnutrition among children population of less developed countries is a major health problem. Inadequate food intake and infectious diseases are combined to increase further the prevalence. Malnourishment brings to muscle cells loss with development of cardiac complications, like arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy and sudden death. In developed countries, malnutrition has generally a different etiology, like chronic diseases. The aim of our study was to investigate the correlation between malnutrition and left ventricular mass in an African children population.Methods313 children were studied, in the region of Antsiranana, Madagascar, with age ranging from 4 to 16 years old (mean 7,8 ± 3 years). A clinical and echocardiographic evaluation was performed with annotation of anthropometric and left ventricle parameters. Malnutrition was defined as a body mass index (BMI) value age- and sex-specific of 16, 17 and 18,5 at the age of 18, or under the 15th percentile. Left ventricle mass was indexed by height2.7 (LVMI).ResultsWe identified a very high prevalence of children malnutrition: 124 children, according to BMI values, and 100 children under the 15th percentile. LVMI values have shown to be increased in proportion to BMI percentiles ranging from 29,8 ± 10,8 g/m2.7 in the malnutrition group to 45 ± 15,1 g/m2.7 in >95th percentile group. LVMI values in children < 15th BMI percentile were significantly lower compared to normal nutritional status (29,8 ± 10,8 g/m2,7 vs. 32,9 ± 12,1 g/m2,7, p = 0.02). Also with BMI values evaluation, malnourished children showed statistically lower values of LVMI (29,3 ± 10,1 g/m2,7 vs. 33,6 ± 12,5 g/m2,7, p = 0.001).ConclusionIn African children population, the malnourishment status is correlated with cardiac muscle mass decrease, which appears to be reduced in proportion to the decrease in body size.

Madagascar is a geographically isolated country considered a biodiversity hotspot with unique genomics. Both the low-income and the geographical isolation represent risk factors for the development of diabetes. During a humanitarian health campaign conducted in Ambanja, a rural city in the northern part of Madagascar, we identified 42 adult subjects with diabetes and compared their features to 24 randomly enrolled healthy controls. 42.9% (n = 18) of diabetic subjects showed HbA1c values ≥ 9.0%. Unexpectedly, waist circumference and BMI were similar in people with diabetes and controls. Different from the healthy controls, diabetic subjects showed a low prevalence of obesity (5.7% versus 30%, p = 0.02). Accordingly, we found a high prevalence of autoimmune diabetes as 12% of people with diabetes showed positivity for the autoantibody against glutamic acid decarboxylase. Diabetic subjects with positive autoantibody had higher HbA1c values (11.3 ± 4.1% versus 8.3 ± 2.6%, p = 0.03) compared to diabetic subjects with negative autoantibody. In conclusion, here we describe the presence of diabetes and its features in a rural area of Northern Madagascar, documenting poor glycaemic control and a high prevalence of autoimmune diabetes. These data highlight that the diabetes epidemic involves every corner of the world possibly with different patterns and features.

The patterns and prevalence of early repolarization pattern (ER in paediatric populations from different ethnic backgrounds other than Caucasian have not been determined. Methods We analyzed ECGs of black children (ages xx-yy) who were prospectively recruited in the northwest Madagascar and compared them to age & sex matched Caucasian ethnicity individuals. ERP was defined by ≥0.1 mV J-point elevation in at least two contiguous inferior and/or lateral ECG leads. Results A total of 616 children were included. There was a trend toward a higher frequency of ERP in the Africans compared to the Caucasians (23.3% vs 17.1% respectively, p=0.053). The subtype (slurred versus notched) and location of ERP (lateral, inferior or infero-lateral) were significantly different in the two groups (p<0.001 and p=0.020, respectively). There was no significant difference in the number of high-risk ECG features of ERP (i.e. horizontal/descendent pattern, inferior or infero-lateral location or J-waves ≥2 mm) between Malagasy and Caucasian children. On the multivariate analysis, Malagasy ethnicity and faster heart rate were independent predictive factors of ERP (OR 3.57, 95%CI 2.04-6.25, p<0.001 and 0.98, 95%CI 0.962-0.987, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusions African children have an increased risk of ER compared to Caucasian counterparts. Future studies should clarify the clinical and prognostic significance of ERP in the pediatric population, and whether ethnicity has an impact on the outcomes.