PESA Project- Progression of early subclinical atherosclerosis

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• What is PESA?
• Origin of the study
• Recruitment and study protocol
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• Goal: early detection of atherosclerosis
• Imaging tests
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• Project documentation

FUNDACION CNIC CARLOS III

Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3
Postal Code: 28029, Madrid, Spain
Phone: (+34) 91 4531200
Fax: (+34) 91 4531245

Origin of the study

New imaging techniques and laboratory tests introduced in recent years allow the detection of arterial lesions before they cause irreversible damage. The CNIC-Santander PESA study (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis), which began in the spring and summer of 2010, aims to advance knowledge on the progression of subclinical cardiovascular disease in order to improve the prevention of what continues to be the principal cause of death in Spain and worldwide, and which is associated with an enormous personal and economic cost. (1)

The study is aimed at detecting the presence of atherosclerotic disease in its earliest phases and at analyzing its development. More than 3000 volunteers from the Banco Santander staff will be recruited to the study. Participants will be aged between 40 and 54 years at the outset of the study, and will not have a past diagnosis of cardiovascular illness (angina, myocardial infarction or stroke). Participants will be monitored over a six year period, and the study will last a total of nine years, since recruitment of volunteers is anticipated to continue over three years. During the study period, participants will undergo a battery of tests and evaluations on three occasions, on entering the study and after three and six years.

PESA is part of a series of large international studies, including the High Risk Plaque (HRP) study (2) or the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)(3), both carried out in the USA, that aim to improve the capability to diagnose and prevent CV disease.