ABSTRACTS S84 Abstracts Heart, Lung and Circulation 2008;17S:S1–S209 198 The Impact of Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 Supplementa- tion on Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Subjects with Subnormal Micronutrient Intake K.S. Woo 1,* , P. Chook 1 , L.L.T. Chan 1 , D.S. Celermajer 2 1 The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 2 The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Introduction: Folic acid (FA) supplementation improves atherogenic processes in coronary and asymptomatic sub- jects, but its impact on blood pressure and arterial stiffness remains unknown. Methods: 207 asymptomatic subjects (aged 45 ± 8 years) in rural northern China were randomised to take FA (5 mg/day), vitamin B12 (500 g/day), B12 + FA or placebo in double-blinded design for 6 months, followed by open-label B12 + FA for 6 more months. Radial artery aug- mentation index (AI) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were measured by SphygmoCor. Results: Blood B12 and folate levels were low at base- line, but significantly increased after FA, B12 and B12 + FA, and not after placebo treatment, while fasting homo- cysteine decreased significantly after FA and B12 + FA treatments (p < 0.001). Systolic (SBP) or diastolic pressures (DBP) decreased marginally (p < 0.05) during placebo and all three active treatment periods (p < 0.001). There was no significant change in AI or PWV. Placebo (n = 53) B12 (n = 52) FA (n = 51) B12 + FA (n = 51) 0 month 6 months 0 month 6 months 0 month 6 months 0 month 6 months FA (nmol/l) 10.4 ± 2.9 12.3 ± 7.5 10.4 ± 2.9 12.3 ± 7.5 10.7 ± 5.0 28.7 ± 19.2 *** 13.1 ± 8.3 25.3 ± 18.1 *** B12 (pg/l) 201 ± 113 173 ± 81 214 ± 109 305 ± 131 ** 182 ± 88 163 ± 86 188 ± 109 289 ± 170 *** SBP (mmHg) 128 ± 14 124 ± 17 * 131 ± 20 130 ± 20 126 ± 20 119 ± 19 ** 134 ± 20 126 ± 24 ** DBP (mmHg) 85 ± 8.5 82 ± 10 * 87 ± 12 82 ± 13 ** 83 ± 11 79 ± 10 ** 88 ± 9 81 ± 11 *** Compared with baseline: * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.001; *** p < 0.0001. Sustained decrease in SBP (p = 0.001) and DBP (p < 0.0001) were observed after open-label FA + B12 treatment, asso- ciated with a significant decrease in AI (135 ± 22% to 122 ± 21%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Long-term FA and B12 supplementation improves blood pressure and arterial stiffness in subjects with subnormal intake. doi:10.1016/j.hlc.2008.05.199 199 Coronary Heart Disease in New Zealand 2001–2003: Esti- mates of Incidence and Prevalence Based on Routinely Collected Data Martin Tobias 1 , Wing-Cheuk Chan 2 , Craig Wright 1 , Rod Jackson 2 , Stewart Mann 3,* , Li-Chia Yeh 1 1 Public Health Intelligence, Ministry of Health, Wellington, New Zealand; 2 Department of Public Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; 3 Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand Objective: We wished to estimate the incidence, preva- lence, survival and mortality of coronary heart disease (CHD) in New Zealand in 2001–2003 using routinely col- lected data. Method: We estimated incidence from the sum of first CHD hospital admissions and out-of-hospital CHD deaths without a hospital admission in the preceding 5 years. Mortality was calculated from the sum of deaths coded to CHD and to related causes but with prior hospitali- sation for CHD. We collated data from the New Zealand Health Information Service and carried out record linkage using the unique national identifier used throughout the New Zealand health care system. From these estimates, we built multi-state lifetables and thereby calculated esti- mates for prevalence, survival, lifetable risk, and median age at onset. Results: The lifetime risk of acquiring CHD was estimated at 35% for males and 28% for females, prevalence rising from around 2% for males and 0.5% for females at age 40–44 and to around 18% and 12%, respectively at age 85–89. Median age at onset of CHD was 67.5 years for males and 77.5 years for females. Median survival duration from the initial event was 9.5 years for males and 6.2 years for females. On average, males with CHD lost 6.9 years of life expectancy and females 5.7 years. Conclusion: We have developed an internally consistent picture of the descriptive epidemiology of CHD for the whole New Zealand population in 2001–2003 which has relevance to prioritisation and planning of relevant health care services. doi:10.1016/j.hlc.2008.05.200 200 Irukandji Syndrome, Cause for Troponin Leak and Stress Cardiomyopathy Keith Tiong 1,2,* , Sang-Won Jin 1,2 , Jamie Seymour 1,2 , Peter Pereira 1,2 1 Cairns Base Hospital, Cairns, Queensland, Australia; 2 James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia Introduction: Carukia Barseni (also known as Irukandji) is a type of box jelly fish unique to North Queensland. We present a case series of irukandji syndrome which presented to Cairns Base Hospital recently. Method/Design: Consents were obtained by all subjects. Regular observations were performed, baseline electro- cardiograms, serial serum troponins and differential white cell counts. Serial transthoracic echocardiograms were performed in cases of positive troponins.