Cardiovascular disease and bridging the diagnostic gap

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Preventative Medicine
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of mortality worldwide, presenting a significant global health challenge.
• Coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common form of CVD, is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women.
• Current preventative strategies heavily rely on risk stratification and early disease detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive review of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.
• To evaluate existing risk assessment and screening tools for early CVD detection.
• To highlight the emerging role of coronary artery calcium (CAC) in improving cardiovascular event prediction.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of CVD risk factors, assessment tools, and screening modalities.
• Analysis of established risk calculators (e.g., Framingham Heart Score, PROCAM, SCORE).
• Examination of non-invasive imaging techniques, specifically coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring.

Main Results:

• Traditional risk assessment tools provide multi-factorial absolute risk estimations for CVD.
• Coronary artery calcium (CAC) has emerged as a promising non-invasive method for enhancing the prediction of future cardiovascular events.
• The review synthesizes current knowledge on risk stratification and screening for early CVD detection.

Conclusions:

• Accurate and sensitive risk assessment and screening tools are crucial for bridging the diagnostic gap in CVD.
• Early detection of CVD through improved risk stratification and screening can facilitate timely intervention.
• The ultimate goal is to reduce CVD incidence through early detection, risk factor modification, and prevention strategies.