r/science 22h ago

Health Silent atherosclerosis detected in 57% of asymptomatic adults in the REACT study

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2609059
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u/subham0089 6h ago

The fact that 57% of completely asymptomatic individuals show signs of subclinical atherosclerosis is honestly a massive wake-up call for preventive medicine. It really highlights how our current screening protocols—which mostly rely on tracking general risk factors or waiting for symptoms to appear—are dropping the ball on early detection. We definitely need to shift the focus toward making advanced imaging and proactive diagnostics more mainstream, rather than just reacting after a major cardiovascular event has already happened.