Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular Disease: The Facts 

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the #1 killer in the world. In 2004 cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of nearly 900,000 people in the USA alone. Of these, 650,000 lives were lost due to Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), the deadliest CVD. An estimated $431.8 billion was spent in direct and indirect CVD hospital costs in 2007.

Advances in treatments for cardiovascular disease (i.e. open heart surgery and catheterization procedures) have had a major impact on improving the length and quality of life for patients with cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, about 2/3 of unexpected cardiac deaths occur without prior recognition of cardiac disease.3

Cardiovascular disease is usually the result of a process which takes years, even decades, to form. This process is called subclinical atherosclerosis. As it becomes clinically overt, it is known as atherosclerosis. When the clinical manifestations become evident, CVD prevention becomes far more difficult. The challenge is to assess atherosclerotic disease while it is still considered subclinical and by that prevent cardiovascular disease.