Screening for early detection of cardiovascular disease in asymptomatic individuals.

Objective: Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease has been aimed at risk factor identification and treatment without efforts to document early cardiovascular disease. The objective of the current study is to screen individuals with vascular and cardiac tests aimed at identifying early abnormalities likely to progress and to measure risk contributors susceptible to therapy.

Methods: A center was established for comprehensive screening of an asymptomatic population with 10 tests designed to detect early vascular and cardiac abnormalities and blood tests to identify potential targets for risk contributor intervention. The first 396 individuals screened in the center have been analyzed.

Results: Using a scoring system from 0 (no disease) to 20 (advanced disease), 49% of the population exhibited scores of > or =5 and 39% exhibited scores of > or =6. These scores appear indicative of early disease mandating initiation of or change in medical therapy, which was recommended to the individuals screened and to their primary care physicians.

Conclusion: The screening tests utilized are effective in uncovering unsuspected early cardiovascular disease in which targeted treatment could be effective in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular events in susceptible individuals. Documentation of the sensitivity and specificity of this approach requires longitudinal study.