A comprehensive 10-test screening system (Rasmussen score) for early cardiovascular disease requires validation in long-term follow-up studies to determine its predictive value.
Does a comprehensive screening system including arterial elasticity improve the prediction of cardiovascular events compared to traditional risk factor assessment in asymptomatic individuals?
A comprehensive noninvasive screening panel including arterial elasticity offers a potential method for early cardiovascular risk stratification, though it requires prospective validation.
Early cardiovascular disease can be identified in asymptomatic individuals by noninvasive evaluation of functional and structural abnormalities of the vasculature and heart. These abnomalities are usually a consequence of endothelial dysfunction. A panel of 10 tests, including small and large artery elasticity, has been used as the basis for a screening system that provides a score of 0 to 20 as a guide to the severity of disease. Using that Rasmussen score allows for stratification of patients into low, intermediate, or high risk for progression to cardiovascular morbid events. This comprehensive screening can be performed efficiently in a single room with a single technician. The sensitivity and specificity of this screening system in predicting future cardiovascular events, its superiority to traditional risk factor assessment, and its potential to track the response to therapeutic interventions must be validated in long-term follow-up studies.
Cohn et al. (Tue,) conducted a review in Cardiovascular disease. Comprehensive screening system (Rasmussen score) vs. Traditional risk factor assessment was evaluated. A comprehensive 10-test screening system (Rasmussen score) for early cardiovascular disease requires validation in long-term follow-up studies to determine its predictive value.