Genetisch bepaalde afkomst en morfologische en moleculaire kenmerken van carotisplaques

Atherosclerosis, the main driver of cardiovascular disease (CVD), is influenced by a plethora of risk factors, including age, gender, and diabetes, that correlate with socio-economic status and may vary across ethnicities. These factors fail to fully explain observed ethnic disparities in CVD burden. For example, coronary artery calcification increases with age regardless of ethnicity, yet CAC is more prevalent in individuals of European descent. As these findings may be confounded by self-reported ethnicity, genome-informed ancestry offers a more accurate lens through which to study these ancestral differences.