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Cardiovascular Disease ( Cvd )

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Despite advancements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, cardiovascular disease (CVD) still remains the leading cause of death in industrialized countries and creates an immense economic burden (Mendis et al., 2011). Of all CVD deaths, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stoke account for more than 80% of deaths (Mendis et al., 2011) with atherosclerosis as a key mechanism of disease (Libby, 2006). There are many known risk factors in the development of atherosclerosis such as age, gender, smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Many of such risk factors have a modifiable component and if corrected early can significantly reduce the risk of CVD progression and cardiac death (Bridget et al., 2010; Finks et al., 2012; Yusuf et al., 2004). Furthermore, it has been estimated that 90% of CVD can be prevented by early lifestyle interventions (McGill et al., 2008) highlighting the importance of early detection and appropriate lifestyle changes.

Over the past 30 years, high cholesterol has been identified as a modifiable risk factor with LDL screening remaining an important tool in the identification and target of at risk patients for CV death (Kones, 2011). However, LDL alone is insufficient to identify all individuals as 50% of cardiac events occur in the setting of normal LDL levels (Kannel, 1995; Braunwald, 1997) suggesting the influence of other risk factors. In effort to better identify individuals at risk, inflammatory mediators

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