About Cardiovascular Disease
A Crisis in Plain Sight
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the #1 cause of death in the U.S., responsible for nearly 1 in 3 deaths. Despite advancements in care, research, and prevention, CVD continues to outpace all other chronic diseases. CVD is not one condition; it's a family of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels. This includes:
- Coronary heart disease (CHD)
- Heart attacks (myocardial infarction)
- Stroke
- Heart failure
- Peripheral artery disease
About Coronary Heart Disease
CHD often develops silently over many years, and its first symptom may be a heart attack.
#2
cause of hospitalization and adds $13,000 more per year to patient healthcare costs,
1 in 20
U.S. adults aged over 20 years live with coronary heart disease
3-4 million
Americans are affected by Ischemia with No Obstructive Coronary Arteries (INOCA), a subset of CHD
About Heart Attacks
Heart attacks don’t always announce themselves. Many occur without chest pain, especially in women and people with diabetes.
40 seconds
is how often someone in the U.S. experiences a heart attack
1 in 5
heart attacks are silent, occurring without warning
800,000+
is the number of heart attacks occurring annually
Current Tools Can Leave Gaps in Cardiovascular Care
Traditional risk models (e.g., age, cholesterol, blood pressure) offer one-size fits all guidance, while tools like CT scans and stress tests detect disease after symptoms appear. But both often miss the early, complex stages of coronary heart disease.
Individuals at high risk may not be identified early enough
Others with active, asymptomatic disease may go undetected
Some patients may be labeled high-risk without underlying disease
Opportunities to intervene, before symptoms or events occur, can be missed
Our Tests Analyze Epigenetic and Genetic biomarkers That Reflect Both Inherited Risk and How That Risk Changes Over Time, Influenced by Factors Like Lifestyle, Environment, and Inflammation
- Heart Disease Facts. CDC. Accessed September 2, 2025. cdc.gov/heart-disease/facts-stats
- Haidar A, et al. National Costs for Cardiovascular-related Hospitalizations and Inpatient Procedures in the United States, 2016-2021. The American Journal of Cardiology. 2024. doi:10.1016/j.amjcard.2024.10.003
- Kazi DS, Elkind MSV, Deutsch A, et al. Forecasting the Economic Burden of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in the United States Through 2050: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2024;150(4):e89-e101. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001258
- Tsao CW, Aday AW, Almarzooq ZI, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2023 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2023;147:e93–e621.
- Polyak, A., Wei, J., Gulati, M., & Bairey Merz, N. (2024). Clinical aspects of ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA). American Heart Journal Plus, 37, 100352.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ahjo.2023.100352