Update in Cardiovascular Prevention: From Risk Scores to Imaging

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Preventive Medicine
• Biomarkers and Diagnostics

Background:

• Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a primary global health concern, causing significant morbidity and mortality.
• Current prevention strategies are being enhanced by novel risk assessment tools.
• The need for more precise and equitable risk stratification in ASCVD is paramount.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the latest evidence on nontraditional biomarkers for ASCVD prevention.
• To evaluate the role of advanced cardiovascular risk scores and imaging modalities.
• To guide primary care clinicians in identifying and managing at-risk patients.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent studies on ASCVD prevention.
• Analysis of nontraditional biomarkers and their clinical utility.
• Examination of cardiovascular risk scores (e.g., PREVENT, MESA-CHD) and imaging techniques (e.g., coronary artery calcium scoring, cardiac MRI).

Main Results:

• Nontraditional biomarkers offer complementary information to traditional risk factors.
• Advanced risk scores provide more precise and equitable ASCVD risk assessment.
• Cardiovascular imaging modalities enhance the identification of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Conclusions:

• Integrating novel biomarkers and advanced imaging improves ASCVD risk stratification.
• Enhanced risk assessment enables earlier and more effective preventive interventions.
• These advancements empower primary care clinicians to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.