Although fasting before a lipid test has long been recommended, a new study and accompanying commentaries make the case that nonfasting lipid levels are acceptable and may even be superior to fasting levels for the assessment of cardiovascular risk. Investigators at the University of Calgary analyzed data from laboratory tests obtained from more than 200,000…

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Two studies published in JAMA provide new data — and, perhaps, some additional clarity — about using additional markers to help improve risk prediction for coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). In one study, Joseph Yeboah and colleagues used data from 1330 intermediate-risk participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)  to analyze the prognostic…

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The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) can improve risk prediction in people with stable coronary disease, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The 6MWT may also be cost-effective and — and may help physicians motivate their patients to exercise, suggest the authors. Alexis Beatty and colleagues performed a 6MWT and a treadmill…

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Although routine ECG screening in asymptomatic people is not recommended by guidelines, a new study raises the possibility that ECGs in an elderly population can provide a modest improvement in risk classification. In the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study, published in JAMA, Reto Auer and colleagues followed 2192 adults 70 to 79 years of age without…

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Although coronary and cerebrovascular disease usually receive equal weight when family history is assessed as a risk factor, a new study suggests that family history may play a more important role in MI and ACS than in stroke or TIA. In an article published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, Amitava Banerjee and colleagues report the results…

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Current risk prediction models classify diabetes as equivalent to established cardiovascular disease. Now, a new report from the Women’s Health Study and the Physician’s Health Study II suggests that adding HbA1c measurements to the model can improve risk prediction and lead to downward classification of some diabetics. In a paper published in Archives of Internal…

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A gene expression test can improve the prediction of CAD but may not be clinically useful, according to results of the Personalized Risk Evaluation and Diagnosis in the Coronary Tree (PREDICT) study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The PREDICT investigators, led by Eric Topol, evaluated a gene expression test based on 23 genes…

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People with early-stage chronic kidney disease are at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a new study published in BMJ. Researchers from the U.K. and Iceland followed 17,000 adults in Reykjavik for a median of 24 years and found that people with chronic kidney disease at baseline had significantly elevated risk for cardiovascular events,…

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“Not all atherothrombosis is equal.” That’s the message from the latest findings of the international REACH (Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health) registry of more than 45,000 patients with “various manifestations” of atherothrombosis. According to the REACH investigators, “easily demarcated subgroups of atherothrombotic patients had widely varying risks [for future ischemic events], ranging from 7%…

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