Imaging subclinical atherosclerosis in cardiovascular risk stratification

Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Young, Socioeconomically Vulnerable Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Black Adults

BACKGROUND

Non-Hispanic Black persons are at greater risk of cardiovascular (CV) events than other racial/ethnic groups; however, their differential vulnerability to early subclinical atherosclerosis is poorly understood.

OBJECTIVES

This work aims to study the impact of race/ethnicity on early subclinical atherosclerosis in young socioeconomically disadvantaged adults.

METHODS

Bilateral carotid and femoral 3-dimensional vascular ultrasound examinations were performed on 436 adults (parents/caregivers and staff) with a mean age of 38.0 ± 11.1 years, 82.3% female, 66% self-reported as Hispanic, 34% self-reported as non-Hispanic Black, and no history of CV disease recruited in the FAMILIA (Family-Based Approach in a Minority Community Integrating Systems-Biology for Promotion of Health) trial from 15 Head Start preschools in Harlem (neighborhood in New York, New York, USA). The 10-year Framingham CV risk score was calculated, and the relationship between race/ethnicity and the presence and extent of subclinical atherosclerosis was analyzed with multivariable logistic and linear regression models.

RESULTS

The mean 10-year Framingham CV risk was 4.0%, with no differences by racial/ethnic category. The overall prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis was significantly higher in the non-Hispanic Black (12.9%) than in the Hispanic subpopulation (6.6%). After adjusting for 10-year Framingham CV risk score, body mass index, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and employment status, non-Hispanic Black individuals were more likely than Hispanic individuals to have subclinical atherosclerosis (OR: 3.45; 95% CI: 1.44-8.29; P = 0.006) and multiterritorial disease (P = 0.026).

CONCLUSIONS

After adjustment for classic CV risk, lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors, non-Hispanic Black younger adults seem more vulnerable to early subclinical atherosclerosis than their Hispanic peers, suggesting that the existence of emerging or undiscovered CV factors underlying the residual excess risk (Family-Based Approach in a Minority Community Integrating Systems-Biology for Promotion of Health [FAMILIA (Project 2)]; NCT02481401).

Value of duplex ultrasound of carotid and lower extremity arteries in the restratification of cardiovascular risk and initiation of lipid-lowering therapy

Aim. To study the role of duplex ultrasound (DU) of carotid and lower extremity arteries in the restratification of cardiovascular risk (CVR) and changing the indications for lipid-lowering therapy.

Material and methods. The study included 291 patients aged 40-64 years without established atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. All patients underwent DU of carotid and.

Results. Carotid DU make it possible to restratify 140 (65,7%) patients with low/moderate CVR (out of 213) into the category of high/very high CVR. Lower extremity artery DU resulted in the restratification of 101 (47,4%) patients with low/moderate CVR (out of 213) into the category of high/very high CVR. The use of a multifocal ultrasound technique demonstrated the highest restratification power and allowed 161 (75,6%) patients (out of 213) to be assigned to the high/very high CVR group. The use of peripheral arterial DU led to an increase in the number of high-risk patients by 2,33-3,02 times. The proportion of persons with indications for lipid-lowering therapy increased from 50 (21,0%) patients to 170 (71,4%).

Conclusion. In patients aged 40-64 years without established atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, the use of DU of carotid and lower extremity arteries made it possible to classify 75,6% of patients with low/moderate CVR in the group of patients with high and very high CVR. According to CVR reclassification, the proportion of patients with indications for lipid-lowering therapy increased from 21,0 to 71,4% of patients.

Recent Advances in Atherosclerotic Disease Screening Using Pervasive Healthcare

Atherosclerosis screening helps the medical model transform from therapeutic medicine to preventive medicine by assessing degree of atherosclerosis prior to the occurrence of fatal vascular events. Pervasive screening emphasizes atherosclerotic monitoring with easy access, quick process, and advanced computing. In this work, we introduced five cutting-edge pervasive technologies including imaging photoplethysmography (iPPG), laser Doppler, radio frequency (RF), thermal imaging (TI), optical fiber sensing and piezoelectric sensor. IPPG measures physiological parameters by using video images that record the subtle skin color changes consistent with cardiac-synchronous blood volume changes in subcutaneous arteries and capillaries. Laser Doppler obtained the information on blood flow by analyzing the spectral components of backscattered light from the illuminated tissues surface. RF is based on Doppler shift caused by the periodic movement of the chest wall induced by respiration and heartbeat. TI measures vital signs by detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted by blood flow. The working principle of optical fiber sensor is to detect the change of light properties caused by the interaction between the measured physiological parameter and the entering light. Piezoelectric sensors are based on the piezoelectric effect of dielectrics. All these pervasive technologies are noninvasive, mobile, and can detect physiological parameters related to atherosclerosis screening.

Underperformance of clinical risk scores in identifying imaging-based high cardiovascular risk in psoriasis: results from two observational cohorts

AIMS

We aimed to evaluate whether traditional risk scores [short-term, 'psoriasis-modified' (multiplied by 1.5) and lifetime] were able to capture high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk as defined by the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in coronary, femoral, or carotid arteries in psoriasis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We used two prospectives obseravational cohorts. European cohort: femoral and carotid atherosclerotic plaques were evaluated by ultrasound in 73 psoriasis patients. Lifetime CVD risk (LTCVR) was evaluated with QRISK-LT; short-term CVD risk was evaluated with SCORE and psoriasis-modified SCORE. American cohort: 165 patients underwent coronary computed tomography angiography to assess presence of coronary plaques. LTCVR was evaluated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD-LT) lifetime; short-term CVD risk was evaluated with ASCVD and psoriasis-modified ASCVD. European cohort: subclinical atherosclerosis was present in 51% of patients. QRISK-LT identified 64% of patients with atherosclerosis missing a high proportion (35%) with atheroma plaque (P < 0.05). The percentage of patients with atherosclerosis identified by QRISK-LT was significantly higher than those detected by SCORE (0%) and modified SCORE (10%). American cohort: subclinical atherosclerosis was present in 54% of patients. ASCVD-LT captured 54% of patients with coronary plaques missing a high proportion (46%) with coronary plaque (P < 0.05). The percentage of patients with atheroma plaques detected with ASCVD and modified ASCVD were only 20% and 45%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Application of lifetime, short-term and 'psoriasis-modified' risk scores did not accurately capture psoriasis patients at high CVD risk.