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REACT study: silent artery plaque found in 57% of adults with no known heart disease

An international study of more than 16,800 adults aged 18 to 70 found artery plaque in 57.1% of people with no known cardiovascular disease, including about 1 in 13 of those under 30. Researchers say risk scores missed many cases, and that trials must show whether earlier detection helps.

2 outlets · 0L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Fox News
Image: New York Post

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The story, neutrally told

Right · 2Researchers from Denmark and Spain used advanced imaging to examine more than 16,800 adults aged 18 to 70 with no known cardiovascular disease, and found artery plaque in 57.1% of them. Right · 2Prevalence rose steadily with age, from about 1 in 13 adults under 30 (ages 18 to 29) to roughly 9 in 10 of those aged 60 to 70; the over-half figure therefore applies to all participants, not to those under 30. Right · 2The findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August and come from the first phase of the ongoing international REACT study, which is mapping how common silent artery plaque is across adulthood.

Right · 1Men tended to develop plaque five to 10 years earlier than women, while women's steepest increase came between ages 40 and 60. Right · 2Commonly used cardiovascular risk scores identified only a small proportion of people who already had silent atherosclerosis, suggesting some cases may go undetected by traditional assessments alone. Right · 2Dr. Borja Ibáñez, scientific director of Spain's National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), said the study shows disease can now be detected directly before it causes a heart attack or stroke, and Professor Henning Bundgaard of Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen called REACT the most comprehensive atlas of the disease's evolution across adult life.

Right · 2The researchers believe portable ultrasound could eventually help find hidden plaque earlier, but say further clinical trials are needed; the next phase of REACT will test whether earlier detection improves prevention. Right · 2Dr. Sirisha Vadali, a cardiologist at HonorHealth in Arizona who was not involved in the research, said finding plaque does not mean a heart attack is imminent and that feeling healthy does not mean arteries are plaque-free. She cautioned that the study does not show screening everyone would prevent heart attacks or strokes, and that testing decisions should rest on individual risk factors.

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Framing
Health-news explainer presenting plaque in young, apparently healthy adults as a 'silent heart threat', balanced with an outside cardiologist's advice not to panic. Both outlets run the same text under the same headline; the New York Post copy is bylined Fox News.
Emphasis
The headline finding, risk scores missing cases, quotes from the study leaders, and practical lifestyle advice.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither gives study limitations beyond the need for trials, and neither includes comment from the researchers (Fox says it has reached out). The headline's 'adults under 30' stresses the youngest group, where prevalence was about 1 in 13.
Charged language
“Silent heart threat”“SHOCKING DIAGNOSIS”
For example
“Silent artery plaque was detected in over half of healthy adults in the REACT study, yet traditional cardiovascular risk scores missed many of those cases.” — Fox News
“The findings should encourage people to take heart health seriously but not to panic, experts note.” — New York Post