Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term that describes a disease of the heart of blood vessels. It encompasses various disorders such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, valvular heart diseases, and peripheral artery disease.
Atherosclerosis, or Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a specific type of cardiovascular disease where a substance called plaque builds up in the arteries. Inflammation contributes to the formation and growth of plaque [1].
Plaque Build-Up
Over time, the plaque hardens and narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through or even blocking blood flow entirely [2]:
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Heart attack: blocked blood flow to the heart
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Stroke: blocked blood flow to the brain
It's important to note that atherosclerosis is a chronic and progressive condition that often develops over years or even decades. Proper management and lifestyle changes can help prevent or slow down the progression of atherosclerosis and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Risk factors of ASCVD
Modifiable Risk Factors:
Inflammation
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
Smoking
Diabetes
Obesity
Unhealthy Diet
Physical Inactivity
Non-Modifiable Risk Factors:
Age
Gender
Family History
Genetics
Is your residual inflammatory risk being treated?
What is residual inflammatory risk?
Residual risk, is the risk of cardiac events (heart attacks, strokes etc.) that patients are still exposed to despite the lifestyle changes and medicines they are already taking to lower their cholesterol levels or blood pressure.
Residual inflammatory risk, is the risk of a heart attack or stroke patients are still exposed to due to untreated inflammation in the cardiovascular system.
It’s widely understood that inflammation increases cardiovascular (CV) risks, independently from high cholesterol [3]. Residual inflammatory risk is associated with a significant increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke, and all-cause mortality [4].
Almost half of all patients on aggressive statin therapy have residual inflammatory risk [5].
To treat coronary disease effectively, cardiologists must aggressively reduce inflammation and cholesterol.
References
[1] Libby P, Ridker PM, Hansson GK. Progress and challenges in translating the biology of atherosclerosis. Nature. 2011 May 19;473(7347):317-25. doi: 10.1038/nature10146. PMID: 21593864.
[2] What is atherosclerosis? American Heart Association. Published April 3, 2023. Accessed April 12, 2023. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/about-cholesterol/atherosclerosis
[3] Paul M Ridker, Deepak L Bhatt, Aruna D Pradhan, Steven E Nissen, et al. Inflammation and cholesterol as predictors of cardiovascular events among patients receiving statin therapy: a collaborative analysis of three randomised trials. The Lancet. Published online March 6, 2023. Vol. 401, issue 10384, P1293-1301, April 15, 2023. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00215-5.
[4] Everett B, et al. Residual Inflammatory Risk. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 May, 73 (19) 2410–2412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.02.056
[5] Ridker PM. How Common Is Residual Inflammatory Risk? Circ Res. 2017 Feb 17;120(4):617-619. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.310527. PMID: 28209792.