Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term that describes a disease of the heart of blood vessels.
​​
It includes various disorders such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, valvular heart diseases, and peripheral artery disease.
Inflammation in Cardiovascular Disease
Atherosclerosis, also known as Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries. This plaque is made up of fatty deposits and cholesterol that accumulate along the inner walls of the arteries.
Over time, the plaque hardens and narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through or even blocking blood flow entirely [2]:
​
Heart attack: blocked blood flow to the heart ​
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
High Blood Pressure
Inflammation
Smoking
Diabetes
High Cholesterol
Sedentary Lifestyle
Non-Modifiable Risk Factors
Age
Gender
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.