最新研究发现，导致动脉堵塞的斑块形成时间可能比大多数人想象的要早得多。
A buildup of artery-clogging plaque may begin much earlier than many people realize, new research has found.
这项大型国际研究显示：在18至29岁的成年人中，约1/13的人虽无任何心血管疾病迹象，却已出现无症状的动脉粥样硬化现象；而超过半数的健康成年人其动脉中也能检测到斑块存在。
About 1 in 13 adults ages 18 to 29 already had silent atherosclerosis — the hardening of the arteries from plaque — despite having no known cardiovascular disease, while more than half of all healthy adults in the study showed signs of plaque somewhere in their arteries, according to a major new international study.
来自丹麦与西班牙的研究人员借助先进影像技术，对16,800余名无心血管病史的18至70岁成年人进行了检查。8月份发表于《新英格兰医学杂志》的研究结果显示：57.1%的参与者动脉中存在斑块，且这一比例随年龄增长而显著上升——30岁以下人群中这一比例约为1/13，而60至70岁人群则高达近90%。
Researchers from Denmark and Spain used advanced imaging to examine more than 16,800 adults ages 18 to 70 with no known cardiovascular disease. They found plaque in 57.1% of participants, with prevalence increasing steadily with age, from about 1 in 13 adults under 30 to roughly 9 in 10 adults ages 60 to 70, according to the research published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August.
据专家介绍，动脉粥样硬化是脂肪沉积物、胆固醇及其他物质在动脉内壁逐渐堆积的结果。这一过程通常历经多年才引发心脏病或中风，且初期并无明显症状。
EVERYDAY HABIT LINKED TO DRAMATICALLY LOWER RISK OF DYING FROM HEART DISEASE Atherosclerosis occurs when fatty deposits, cholesterol and other substances build up inside arteries, according to experts. The process often develops silently over many years before causing a heart attack or stroke.
“数十年来，我们一直依据年龄、血压及胆固醇水平等指标评估心血管风险，”西班牙国家心血管研究中心科学主任、心脏病专家博尔哈·伊巴涅斯博士指出，“这项研究则表明：我们现在能够直接检测出尚未引发心脏病或中风的病变。”
"For decades, we have estimated cardiovascular risk using factors such as age, blood pressure and cholesterol," Dr. Borja Ibáñez, a cardiologist and scientific director of Spain's National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), said in a statement. "This study shows that we can now go one step further and detect the disease directly before it causes a heart attack or stroke." COMMON CHOLESTEROL DRUG LINKED TO LOWER DEMENTIA RISK WHEN STARTED EARLY The new findings come from the first phase of the ongoing international REACT study, which is mapping how common silent artery plaque is across adulthood. In the next phase, researchers will test whether earlier detection can improve heart disease prevention.
“迄今为止，预防性措施都是基于风险评估来制定的，但我们并不清楚疾病是否已然存在，”哥本哈根皇家医院的心脏病学教授亨宁·邦德高说道。“REACT研究证明，动脉粥样硬化现象在临床症状出现前数十年便可被检测出来，该研究还提供了关于该疾病在成年人一生中发展过程的详尽图谱。”
"Until now, preventive decisions have been based on an estimate of risk, but we did not know whether the disease was already present," Professor Henning Bundgaard, professor of cardiology at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, said. "REACT shows that atherosclerosis can be detected decades before clinical manifestations appear and provides the most comprehensive atlas of the evolution of the disease across adult life." MAN GOES TO DOCTOR TO PROVE HE’S 'IN PERFECT SHAPE,' TEST REVEALS SHOCKING DIAGNOSIS The study also revealed that men tended to develop plaque five to 10 years earlier than women, while women experienced their steepest increase between ages 40 and 60.
有男子为证明自己‘身体状况极佳’而就医，检查结果却令人震惊。研究还发现，男性出现动脉斑块的时间通常比女性早5至10年；而女性在40岁至60岁期间斑块增长最为迅速。
Researchers also found that commonly used cardiovascular risk scores only identified a small proportion of people who already had silent atherosclerosis, suggesting some cases may go undetected using traditional risk assessments alone.
研究人员还指出，目前常用的心血管风险评分法只能识别出一小部分已患有无症状动脉粥样硬化的患者，这意味着仅靠传统风险评估手段可能遗漏不少病例。
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS While the researchers believe portable ultrasound could eventually help identify hidden plaque earlier, they said further clinical trials are needed.
虽然研究人员认为便携式超声技术未来有望更早发现隐匿性斑块，但他们强调仍需开展更多临床试验加以验证。
The findings should encourage people to take heart health seriously, but not to panic, experts note.
专家指出，这些研究结果理应促使人们重视心脏健康，但无需过度恐慌。
CLICK HERE TO "Finding plaque doesn't mean someone is about to have a heart attack, but finding it gives us an opportunity to address a patient's risk factors," Dr. Sirisha Vadali, a cardiologist at HonorHealth Women’s Heart Health in Arizona, told Fox News Digital. "We shouldn't wait for symptoms to start paying attention to heart health." "Feeling healthy doesn't necessarily mean your arteries are free of plaque," Vadali, who was not involved in the research, added.
“发现动脉斑块并不意味着患者马上就会发生心脏病发作，但这确实为我们提供了干预患者风险因素的机会，”亚利桑那州HonorHealth女性心脏健康中心的心脏病专家西里莎·瓦达利在接受福克斯新闻采访时说道。“我们不应等到出现症状才开始关注心脏健康。”这位并未参与此次研究的专家补充道：“身体感觉良好并不一定代表动脉中没有斑块。”
She cautioned that the study alone does not establish that screening everyone will directly prevent heart attacks or strokes.
她同时提醒道，仅凭这项研究尚不足以证明对所有人进行筛查就能直接预防心脏病或中风。
Vadali stressed that the findings do not mean everyone under 30 should undergo artery screening, saying decisions about additional testing should be based on a person's individual risk factors. She recommended avoiding tobacco, staying physically active and eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts and fish while limiting saturated fat and excess sodium to help protect heart health.
瓦达利强调，这些研究结果并不意味着所有30岁以下的人都需要进行动脉检查；是否需要进行额外检测应视个人的风险因素而定。她建议，为保护心脏健康，应远离烟草，坚持体育锻炼，多食用蔬菜、水果、豆类、全谷物、坚果和鱼类，同时减少饱和脂肪及过量钠的摄入。福克斯新闻数字版已联系相关研究人员以征求意见。
Fox News Digital has reached out to the researchers for comment.