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Updated: Aug 23, 2026
A Methodological Approach to Non-invasive Assessments of Vascular Function and Morphology
Published on: February 7, 2015
Multi-bed vascular disease and atherothrombosis: scope of the problem
William Lane Duvall1, David A Vorchheimer
1The Zena and Michael Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Insights
Atherosclerosis is a systemic disease affecting multiple vascular beds, not just the heart or brain. Early identification and treatment are crucial as it significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease death.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Systemic Pathology
Background:
- Atherosclerosis, traditionally categorized into coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), is increasingly recognized as a systemic condition.
- The global burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is substantial, impacting millions and causing significant mortality and economic costs, with projections indicating a rise in its global impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To emphasize that atherosclerosis is a systemic disease affecting multiple vascular beds simultaneously.
- To highlight the importance of identifying and treating patients with systemic atherosclerosis due to the high risk of co-existing cardiovascular disease.
Main Methods:
- Review of current understanding of atherosclerosis pathology.
- Analysis of epidemiological data on cardiovascular disease prevalence, mortality, and cost.
Main Results:
- Atherosclerosis involves the same pathological processes across different vascular beds.
- A significant number of patients have multi-bed atherosclerosis, often asymptomatic.
- Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death, particularly in patients with multi-bed atherosclerosis.
Conclusions:
- Atherosclerosis should be viewed as a systemic disease.
- Aggressive management of atherosclerosis and its risk factors is essential for reducing mortality, especially in patients with multi-bed involvement.
Abstract:
While atherosclerosis has traditionally been divided into three types of disease, coronary artery or coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular or peripheral arterial disease (PAD), it is now clear that atherosclerosis is a systemic disease caused by the same pathologic processes regardless of the vascular bed involved. The burden of disease is enormous both in the US and around the world with 61,800,000 Americans affected with one or more types of CVD, responsible for 958,775 deaths annually at a cost of approximately US 329.2 billion dollars annually. Despite trends of decreasing cardiovascular mortality, the global burden of cardiovascular disease is expected to rise, with CHD and stroke becoming the first and fourth most common causes of mortality and morbidity globally. Atherosclerosis is a multibed process with a substantial portion of patients afflicted with disease in more than one bed, although often assymptomatic. Now that there are multiple therapies available to modify and treat atherosclerosis and atherosclerotic risk factors, identification and treatment of these patients are important since their leading cause of death is from co-existing cardiovascular disease.
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