Background: Substantial differences exist between United States counties with regards to premature (<65 years of age) cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Whether underlying social vulnerabilities of counties influence premature CVD mortality is uncertain. Methods: In this cross-sectional study (2014–2018), we linked county-level CDC/ATSDR SVI (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Social Vulnerability Index) data with county-level CDC WONDER (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiological Research) mortality data. We calculated scores for overall SVI and its 4 subcomponents (ie, socioeconomic status; household composition and disability; minority status and language; and housing type and transportation) using 15 social attributes. Scores were presented as percentile rankings by county, further classified as quartiles on the basis of their distribution among all US counties (1st [least vulnerable] = 0 to 0.25; 4th [most vulnerable = 0.75 to 1.00]). We grouped age-adjusted mortality rates per 100 000 person-years for overall CVD and its subtypes (ischemic heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and heart failure) for nonelderly (<65 years of age) adults across SVI quartiles. Results: Overall, the age-adjusted CVD mortality rate per 100 000 person-years was 47.0 (ischemic heart disease, 28.3; stroke, 7.9; hypertension, 8.4; and heart failure, 2.4). The largest concentration of counties with more social vulnerabilities and CVD mortality were clustered across the southwestern and southeastern parts of the United States. The age-adjusted CVD mortality rates increased in a stepwise manner from 1st to 4th SVI quartiles. Counties in the 4th SVI quartile had significantly higher mortality for CVD (rate ratio, 1.84 [95% CI, 1.43–2.36]), ischemic heart disease (1.52 [1.09–2.13]), stroke (2.03 [1.12–3.70]), hypertension (2.71 [1.54–4.75]), and heart failure (3.38 [1.32–8.61]) than those in the 1st SVI quartile. The relative risks varied considerably by demographic characteristics. For example, among all ethnicities/races, non-Hispanic Black adults in the 4th SVI quartile versus the 1st SVI quartile exclusively had significantly higher relative risks of stroke (1.65 [1.07–2.54]) and heart failure (2.42 [1.29–4.55]) mortality. Rural counties with more social vulnerabilities had 2- to 5-fold higher mortality attributable to CVD and subtypes. Conclusions: In this analysis, US counties with more social vulnerabilities had higher premature CVD mortality, varied by demographic characteristics and rurality. Focused public health interventions should address the socioeconomic disparities faced by underserved communities to curb the growing burden of premature CVD.

Background: Evaluating premature (<65 years of age) mortality because of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by demographic and regional characteristics may inform public health interventions. Methods and Results: We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WONDER (Wide‐Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) death certificate database to examine premature (90th percentile were distributed in the Southern states, and those with mortality <10th percentile were clustered in the Western and Northeastern states. After an initial decline between 1999 and 2011 (−4.3 per year [95% CI, −4.6 to −4.1]), the average annual percentage change showed deceleration in mortality since 2011 (−2.1 per year [95% CI, −2.4 to −1.8]). These trends were consistent across both sexes, all ethnicities and races, and urban/rural counties. Conclusions: During the past 20 years, decline in premature AMI mortality has slowed down in the United States since 2011, with considerable heterogeneity across demographic groups, states, and urbanicity. Systemic efforts are mandated to address cardiovascular health disparities and outcomes among nonelderly adults.

Cardiotoxicity associated with anthracycline-based chemotherapies has limited their use in patients with preexisting cardiomyopathy or heart failure. Dexrazoxane protects against the cardiotoxic effects of anthracyclines, but in the USA and some European countries, its use had been restricted to adults with advanced breast cancer receiving a cumulative doxorubicin (an anthracycline) dose > 300 mg/m2. We evaluated the off-label use of dexrazoxane as a cardioprotectant in adult patients with preexisting cardiomyopathy, undergoing anthracycline chemotherapy. Between July 2015 and June 2017, five consecutive patients, with preexisting, asymptomatic, systolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction who required anthracycline-based chemotherapy, were concomitantly treated with off-label dexrazoxane, administered 30 min before each anthracycline dose, regardless of cancer type or stage. Demographic, cardiovascular, and cancer-related outcomes were compared to those of three consecutive patients with asymptomatic cardiomyopathy treated earlier at the same hospital without dexrazoxane. Mean age of the five dexrazoxane-treated patients and three patients treated without dexrazoxane was 70.6 and 72.6 years, respectively. All five dexrazoxane-treated patients successfully completed their planned chemotherapy (doxorubicin, 280 to 300 mg/m2). With dexrazoxane therapy, changes in LV systolic function were minimal with mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreasing from 39% at baseline to 34% after chemotherapy. None of the dexrazoxane-treated patients experienced symptomatic heart failure or elevated biomarkers (cardiac troponin I or brain natriuretic peptide). Of the three patients treated without dexrazoxane, two received doxorubicin (mean dose, 210 mg/m2), and one received daunorubicin (540 mg/m2). Anthracycline therapy resulted in a marked reduction in LVEF from 42.5% at baseline to 18%. All three developed symptomatic heart failure requiring hospitalization and intravenous diuretic therapy. Two of them died from cardiogenic shock and multi-organ failure. The concomitant administration of dexrazoxane in patients with preexisting cardiomyopathy permitted successful delivery of anthracycline-based chemotherapy without cardiac decompensation. Larger prospective trials are warranted to examine the use of dexrazoxane as a cardioprotectant in patients with preexisting cardiomyopathy who require anthracyclines.

Background: While the impacts of social and environmental exposure on cardiovascular risks are often reported individually, the combined effect is poorly understood. Methods and Results: Using the 2022 Environmental Justice Index, socio‐environmental justice index and environmental burden module ranks of census tracts were divided into quartiles (quartile 1, the least vulnerable census tracts; quartile 4, the most vulnerable census tracts). Age‐adjusted rate ratios (RRs) of coronary artery disease, strokes, and various health measures reported in the Prevention Population‐Level Analysis and Community Estimates data were compared between quartiles using multivariable Poisson regression. The quartile 4 Environmental Justice Index was associated with a higher rate of coronary artery disease (RR, 1.684 [95% CI, 1.660–1.708]) and stroke (RR, 2.112 [95% CI, 2.078–2.147]) compared with the quartile 1 Environmental Justice Index. Similarly, coronary artery disease 1.057 [95% CI,1.043‐1.0716] and stroke (RR, 1.118 [95% CI, 1.102–1.135]) were significantly higher in the quartile 4 than in the quartile 1 environmental burden module. Similar results were observed for chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, lack of health insurance, sleep 14 days. Conclusions: The prevalence of CVD and its risk factors is highly associated with increased social and environmental adversities, and environmental exposure plays an important role independent of social factors.

Background: Life expectancy has been higher for Hispanic versus non‐Hispanic White (NHW) individuals; however, data are limited on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Method and Results: Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide‐Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research death certificate database (1999–2018), we compared age‐adjusted mortality rates for total CVD and its subtypes (ischemic heart disease, stroke, heart failure, hypertensive heart disease, other CVD), and average annual percentage changes among Hispanic and NHW adults. The age‐adjusted mortality rate per 100 000 was lower for Hispanic than NHW adults for total CVD (186.4 versus 254.6; P <0.001) and its subtypes. Between 1999 and 2018, mortality decline was higher in Hispanic than NHW adults for total CVD (average annual percentage change [AAPC], −2.90 versus −2.41) and ischemic heart disease (AAPC: −4.44 versus −3.82) ( P <0.001). In contrast, stroke mortality decline was slower in Hispanic versus NHW adults (AAPC: −2.05 versus −2.60; P <0.05). Stroke mortality increased in Hispanic but stalled in NHW adults since 2011 (AAPC: 0.79 versus −0.09). For ischemic heart disease (AAPC: −0.80 versus −1.85) and stroke (AAPC: −1.32 versus −1.43) mortality decline decelerated more for Hispanic than NHW adults aged <45 years ( P <0.05). For heart failure, Hispanic adults aged <45 (3.55 versus 2.16) and 45 to 64 (1.88 versus 1.54) showed greater rise in age‐adjusted mortality rate than NHW individuals ( P <0.05). Age‐adjusted heart failure mortality rate also accelerated in Hispanic versus NHW men (1.00 versus 0.67; P <0.001). Conclusions: Disaggregating data by CVD subtype and demographics unmasked heterogeneities in CVD mortality between Hispanic and NHW adults. NHW adults had greater CVD mortality rates and slower decline than Hispanic adults, whereas marked demographic differences in mortality signaled concerning trends among the Hispanic versus NHW population.