Subclinical Measures of Atherosclerosis: Genetics and Cardiovascular Risk Prediction

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a chronic, progressive, systematic condition with a long asymptomatic phase. Atherosclerosis develops gradually as a subclinical condition over the life course and eventually becomes clinically apparent as ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, or peripheral arterial disease. Subclinical atherosclerosis, or preclinical atherosclerosis, refers to the early stage of the atherosclerosis process when within the vascular walls “something has started to change”, yet the cardiovascular disease is not clinically evident. Detecting the forthcoming disease at this stage, before the clinical manifestations, has gained interest over the past decade. Coronary artery calcifi cation, carotid intima-media thickness, and ankle- brachial index are three measures of subclinical atherosclerosis burden that can be detected and quantifi ed non-invasively.