Preclinical diagnosis and risk assessment of atherosclerosis - At birth? At event? When is best?

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial disease of polygenic inheritance and the interrelation with environmental and social factors adds to complexity of the disease. Atherosclerosis starts during childhood but manifests later during life. Early diagnosis is possible but the value of knowing is that you can take action. Different modalities of preclinical diagnosis of atherosclerosis include genotyping, non-invasive imaging techniques and traditional risk factors. This article highlights the value and limitation of each modality and elaborates on how to progress without being confronted by a patient having an unexpected heart attack when this can be anticipated and prevented. © TOUCH BRIEFINGS 2011.