title: High blood hemoglobin concentration as risk factor of major atherosclerotic cardiovascular events in 114,159 healthy men and women in the apolipoprotein mortality risk study (AMORIS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have tested differences in relationships between hemoglobin (Hb) and long-term risk of major cardiovascular diseases according to age and gender in healthy subjects as opposed to anemia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Such relationships were examined and risk-tested in relation to Hb values in the Apolipoprotein MOrtality RISk (AMORIS) Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from AMORIS and the Swedish hospital discharge and mortality registers, a prospective cohort study of 114,159 subjects with mean follow-up of 11.8 years, the association between Hb and risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), ischemic stroke (IS), and congestive heart failure (CHF) by Cox regression analysis according to age and gender was studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elevated Hb levels were associated to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (HR 1.10 (1.06-1.13) per SD change), mostly confined to men and younger subjects but with greater sex similarity trends for CHF. Slightly increased risks were seen for the lowest Hb levels in the elderly and in females. IS risk was positively and more linearly associated to Hb.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In AMORIS the highest AMI and CHF risks were found in the upper region of the distribution, but different shapes of relationships according to age and gender were found. IS associated positively with Hb. Key words:
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Cardiology, Centre of Preventive Medicine, Oslo University, Hospital, Ulleval, Oslo, Norway. ingar.holme@uus.no
authors.forename: Ingar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Holme
authors.forename: Are H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Aastveit
authors.forename: Niklas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hammar
authors.forename: Ingmar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jungner
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walldius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001053:Apolipoproteins; D006454:Hemoglobins