Premature atherosclerosis: An analysis over 39 years in the Netherlands. Implications for young individuals in high-risk families.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), is one of the most important disease problems in the world accounting for an estimated 18.6 million deaths globally. Although older individuals are more often affected, ASCVD event at a young age is of particular importance because of more healthy years lost.