This study prospectively examined body-mass index in relation to the risk of death from any cause in more than 500,000 members of the AARP who were 50 to 71 years of age. The risk of death was increased for the highest and lowest categories of body-mass index in both men and women and among both overweight and obese men and women who were healthy and had never smoked. Excess body weight during midlife, including overweight, is associated with an increased risk of death.

This 12-year prospective Korean cohort study from the National Health Insurance Corporation indicates that the relationship between the risk of death from any cause and body-mass index is J-shaped — higher in underweight, overweight, and obese men and women than in those of normal weight. The association between body-mass index and mortality varies according to the cause of death and is modified by age, sex, and smoking history.

Aggressive arterial aneurysms, such as thoracic aortic aneurysms and aortic dissection, were found to be caused by mutations in the genes encoding the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) receptor I or II, which are characteristic of the Loeys–Dietz syndrome. Screening for these mutations in persons at risk may allow preventive measures to be taken.

In a cohort of patients with Chagas' heart disease, multivariate analysis was used to identify six risk factors for death: New York Heart Association class III or IV, cardiomegaly, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, low QRS voltage, and male sex. These variables were incorporated into a risk score that was validated in a second cohort of patients.