Use of Novel Markers for the Prediction of Cardiovascular Disease: Updates from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

The development of technology has led to evolution in the risk assessment for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Current preventive guidelines for CVD recommend that management decisions should be based on risk assessment, which prototypically involves calculation of estimated risk using tools such as the Framingham risk score. This review will discuss some improved methods of risk stratification for CVD including the use of novel risk markers studied in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Compared to several novel serum biomarkers, coronary artery calcium (CAC) offered a significantly higher improvement in discrimination and reclassification over both Framingham risk score and Reynolds risk score for individuals identified as having intermediate risk for CVD.