- Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and smoking, were associated with the buildup of high risk plaque in the major coronary arteries.
- Having a greater number of modifiable risk factors was associated with a greater number of high risk, or vulnerable, plaques.
- High risk plaques are more likely to trigger adverse cardiac events such as heart attacks.
A new study has shed new light on how certain cardiovascular risk factors might alter a person’s risk of adverse cardiac events, such as heart attacks, by noting an association between modifiable risk factors and the buildup of plaques in the coronary arteries.
Researchers from Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute set out to investigate the association between both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors and the amount and types of plaques found across the three major coronary arteries.
Clinical practitioners have long been aware of factors that can influence people’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
These factors include modifiable ones, which people can change, such as high blood pressure, obesity, and cigarette smoking. They also include non-modifiable factors that people cannot alter, such as age, sex, and a family history of coronary artery disease.
While these risk factors are well-established, most research up until now has focused on looking at them individually, or within specific groups of patients.
The new study, published in JACC: Advances, took a different approach by looking at all of these risk factors together to see how the number of risk factors present might relate to plaque formation.
Team Health Accessible
Health & Wellness Editorial Team
HealthAccessible editorial team delivers trusted, accessible, and evidence-based health information for everyone.
