Measurement of coronary artery calcium stratified patient risk for cardiovascular disease regardless of dyslipidemia burden or definition, researchers found.
When measured across lipid abnormality categories, patients with a coronary artery calcium score of 100 or more had a 22.2 to 29.2 incidents of cardiovascular disease per 1,000 person-years versus 2.4 to 6.2 events per 1,000 person-years among those with arterial calcium scores of 0, according to Khurram Nasir, MD, MPH, of Baptist Health South Florida in Miami Beach, and colleagues.
Understanding lab tests
N-Terminal Probrain Natriuretic Peptide Is a Stronger Predictor of Cardiovascular Mortality Than C-Reactive Protein and Albumin Excretion Rate in Elderly Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
NT-proBNP is a strong independent predictor of short-term CV mortality risk in elderly people with type 2 diabetes, including those without preexisting CVD. This association is evident even in people with slightly increased values, is not modified by CRP, and is additive to that provided by AER.
Cardiovascular Biomarkers, Cardiac Dysfunction, and Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective, Multicenter Study
We report a lack of association between echocardiographic variables and laboratory biomarkers in a large population of type 2 diabetes patients without overt cardiac disease and mild alterations in LV function. The only laboratory marker found to predict 2-year outcomes in these patients was HbA1c. Neither the other laboratory markers (NT-proBNP, hsCRP, and UACR) nor echocardiographic markers provided independent prognostic information. The role of HbA1c as a guide for the appropriateness of treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes is supported by these findings.
Standardizing ABI Measurements & Interpretations | Physician’s Weekly
When the ankle-brachial index (ABI) emerged in 1950, it was initially proposed for use as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD). Since then, studies have shown that the ABI is an indicator of atherosclerosis at other vascular sites, making it a useful prognostic marker for cardiovascular events and functional impairment, even in the absence of symptoms of PAD.
via Standardizing ABI Measurements & Interpretations | Physician’s Weekly.
