Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease currently is the primary cause of death of two million people in Europe each year. Early cardiovascular disease can be treated effectively and at ever-lower costs. This has raised hopes that if large groups of individuals who are at an increased risk could be identified earlier, morbidity and mortality from the disease could potentially be reduced. Screening for cardiovascular disease is therefore expected to become a top public health priority in Europe. New risk questionnaires, biomarkers and computed tomography imaging technology (CT) have identified undiagnosed increased risks in asymptomatic people. However, it is unknown whether such screening for subclinical disease improves outcomes enough to justify the associated adverse effects and costs of the new strategies.
ROBINSCA
ROBINSCA (Risk Or Benefit IN Screening for CArdiovascular disease) is a large-scale randomized, controlled trial. The aim of this trial is to investigate whether early detection of the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), quantified by either the classical risk score (SCORE) or a coronary artery calcium-score (CT scan), will reduce morbidity and mortality from CVD in a high-risk population.
