Subclinical Vascular Damage: Current Insights and Future Potential.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Preventive Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiovascular risk and prevention strategies evolve throughout a person's life.
• Aging and comorbidities dynamically alter individual cardiovascular risk.
• Lifestyle significantly impacts traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prevention in asymptomatic atherosclerosis.
• To examine emerging risk factors and sex-specific differences in CVD risk.
• To analyze the impact of the recent pandemic on lifestyle and cardiovascular risk.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of existing literature.
• Analysis of cardiovascular risk factors across the lifespan.
• Focus on primary prevention through lifestyle modification.

Main Results:

• Cardiovascular risk is dynamic, necessitating personalized, early diagnostic and preventive actions.
• Emerging evidence shows significant sex-based differences in cardiovascular risk factors, with women often underestimated.
• Lifestyle interventions are crucial for primary prevention of asymptomatic vascular disease.

Conclusions:

• Lifelong, personalized cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention are essential.
• Addressing sex-specific risk factors and improving prevention for women is critical.
• The long-term cardiovascular impact of pandemic-related lifestyle changes requires further investigation.