thesis
Subclinical Measures of Atherosclerosis: Genetics and Cardiovascular Risk Prediction
- Publication date
- 8 October 2013
- Publisher
- __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.