Study Finds High Prevalence of Silent Atherosclerosis in Young Adults

An international study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that 57.1% of 16,808 healthy participants aged 18 to 70 had silent atherosclerotic plaques.

The REACT study revealed that 1 in 13 people aged 18 to 29 already show signs of atherosclerosis, with the prevalence increasing to 9 in 10 for those aged 60 to 70.

Funded by a €23 million grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the research suggests that early screening via ultrasound of carotid and femoral arteries could transform cardiovascular prevention.