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Radiologic heart volume and subsequent mortality
Insights
Radiologic heart volume, measured from chest X-rays, predicts cardiovascular disease mortality in men over 40. Higher heart volume indicates increased risk for both short-term and long-term death.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Radiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
- Accurate risk stratification tools are crucial for early intervention and prevention strategies.
- The prognostic value of radiologic heart volume in predicting long-term mortality requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between radiologic heart volume and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.
- To determine if radiologic heart volume is an independent predictor of mortality over different time intervals.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 12,630 men aged 40 and above from the London Civil Service Health Survey were included.
- Radiologic heart volume was calculated from chest X-rays (p.a. and lateral views).
- Mortality data was analyzed for subjects with calculable heart volume (n=1,390) over short-term (within 5 years) and long-term (beyond 5 years) follow-up periods.
Main Results:
- A stepwise increase in mortality was observed with increasing quintiles of heart volume for deaths within the first 5 years.
- Radiologic heart volume was found to predict death from cardiovascular disease within 5 years of examination.
- The predictive value of radiologic heart volume extended to deaths occurring more than 5 years after the initial examination.
Conclusions:
- Radiologic heart volume is a significant predictor of cardiovascular disease mortality in middle-aged and older men.
- Increased heart volume identified through chest radiography is associated with elevated risk of both short-term and long-term mortality.
- Radiologic heart volume can serve as a valuable, non-invasive biomarker for cardiovascular risk assessment.
Abstract:
In the London Civil Service Health Survey, both p.a. and lateral 100 mm chest films were taken on 12,630 men aged 40 and above. Radiologic heart volume was calculated on a 10 per cent sample and to the sample were added the films of all other subjects from the cohort who had died within 5 years of the survey, or more than 5 years afterwards. Radiologic heart volume could be calculated on 1,390 subjects of whom 233 had died within 5 years, and 47 after 5 years had elapsed. For deaths within the first 5 years there was a stepwise increase in mortality with increasing quintile of heart volume. Radiologic heart volume predicts death from cardiovascular disease both within 5 years of estimation and for deaths occurring more than 5 years after examination.