Diagnosis of Atherosclerosis

If you don't have any symptoms and have not been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, it is not easy to tell if your arteries are becoming clogged with plaque. But if you have high blood cholesterol, are overweight and get little exercise, smoke, or have other risk factors, there is a good chance that you have atherosclerosis. Eventually it can lead to heart disease, a stroke or other problems.

There are a number of tests that doctors use in diagnosing cardiovascular diseases, including blood tests, electrocardiograms (ECG), stress testing, coronary angiography, ultrasound, and computed tomography (CT). If you are at high risk for cardiovascular disease, your health care provider may suggest that you be tested.

Researchers are studying new tools to help find cardiovascular disease in earlier stages, before symptoms appear. For example, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is sponsoring a ten-year study called the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). The MESA study will help show which risk factors are the best predictors of future heart disease in men and women and in certain ethnic groups.