Towards personalized treatment in cardiovascular disease : a molecular epidemiological approach

Abstract

Patients who have experienced cardiovascular disease each differ in terms of their future risk, yet currently we have no ways to predict individual prognosis. Mass preventive treatment is therefore currently recommended for the group as a whole whereas in fact this group is highly heterogeneous and needs differentiation. This thesis is an effort to identify groups of patients sharing a certain risk and its underlying pathological substrates which can be influenced. These are key insights to enable more effective and efficient personalized treatment of patients.