Myriad Genetics, Salt Lake City, has launched its new Vectra Cardiovascular Risk assessment that can predict the risk for cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This new test result incorporates information on RA inflammation assessed by Vectra Score and three additional biomarkers, combined with traditional risk factors. Vectra is an advanced blood test that objectively measures inflammation caused by RA.

“Due to inflammatory processes, patients with RA have approximately 50% greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of mortality among patients with RA, which accounts for 30% to 40% of deaths,” says Elena Hitraya, MD, PhD, rheumatologist and chief medical officer with Myriad Autoimmune. “The newly developed Multi-Biomarker Based CVD Risk Score (Vectra Cardiovascular Risk) can accurately predict the risk of major CV events over the next 3 years, both overall and in important subgroups of patients with RA. Knowing a patient’s future risk of potential joint damage, from Vectra, and cardiovascular events, from Vectra Cardiovascular Risk, clinicians can make more informed treatment decisions with the goal of achieving better health outcomes.”

The Vectra Cardiovascular Risk result gives a patient’s 3-year percentage risk of a heart attack, stroke, or CV-related death. The percentage risk identifies the patient’s category of cardiovascular risk: low, borderline, intermediate, or high, based on thresholds derived from the risk categories previously established by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association. Vectra Cardiovascular Risk accurately predicts cardiovascular events in patients with Low, Moderate, or High Vectra Scores.

Vectra Cardiovascular Risk is a clinically validated assessment that accurately predicts risk for CV events in the next three years in patients with RA 40 years of age and older. Vectra Cardiovascular Risk incorporates a personalized assessment of inflammation in order to give a patient’s CV risk. Physicians can receive the assessment by ordering with their Vectra Test or calculating the risk in VectraView, the provider portal, within 90 days of a Vectra result.

For more information, visit Myriad Genetics.