The importance of functional tests in personalized medicine

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular medicine
• Vascular biology
• Preventive cardiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease is a leading global cause of death.
• Current screening methods are costly and minimally effective.
• There is a need for more personalized risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the limitations of current cardiovascular disease screening.
• To emphasize the importance of endothelial function testing.
• To advocate for integrated, individualized cardiovascular risk assessment.

Main Methods:

• Review of current cardiovascular disease screening practices.
• Discussion of the role of endothelial function testing in risk stratification.
• Proposal for combining functional vascular assessment with personalized testing.

Main Results:

• Standard screening methods have limited impact on disease burden and costs.
• Endothelial function testing is associated with cardiovascular disease progression and future events.
• Personalized testing combined with vascular fitness assessment can improve early risk identification.

Conclusions:

• Improved endothelial function testing is crucial for reducing cardiovascular event risk.
• Integrated, individualized assessment strategies are needed for early detection.
• Personalized approaches can help mitigate the global burden of cardiovascular disease.