No symptoms -- no problem, says a new guideline to be published in the American Journal of Cardiology (July 17, 2006, Vol. 98:2, pp. 2-15).
The guideline recommends noninvasive screening with either CT or ultrasound of all asymptomatic men between ages 45 and 75, and women between ages 55 and 75 to look for coronary plaque buildup and assess carotid wall thickness. The group believes that coronary artery calcium (CAC) measured by CT and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and plaque measured by ultrasound are appropriate for screening.
Developed by the SHAPE (Screening for Heart Attack Prevention and Education) Task Force, a group of cardiologists and researchers organized by the Association for Eradication of Heart Attack, the guideline could prevent as many as 90,000 sudden cardiac deaths and save $21 billion annually, according to a statement by the organizations.
Other potential benefits include reducing the population with a history of heart attack by as much as 25%, and cost savings of $21.5 billion annually that would otherwise be spent on those at highest risk of heart attack. The application of traditional risk factors has been unreliable, according to the organizations.
Dr. Valentin Fuster, director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, wrote in an accompanying American College of Cardiology editorial that the SHAPE guideline "has the potential to transform the field of preventive cardiology" by going beyond traditional risk assessment, according to the press statement.
Other heart specialists, however, believe that a blanket screening recommendation is too broad.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
July 11, 2006
Related Reading
Early atherosclerosis linked to reduced myocardial function, July 7, 2006
IL-6, carotid plaques predict mortality in elderly, July 6, 2006
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