ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular diseases remain the main cause of death in western societies. This contributes to the appearance of new diagnostic and treatment methods addressed to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases. In the last decades new imaging methods have emerged, furthermore routine biomarkers where found to be useful in the cardiovascular risk stratification. Date reviewed in this article emphasize the multifactorial etiology of cardiovascular disease. Authors described the role of inflammation in the precipitation and progression of atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation. Cheap and well knows inflammatory markers can be used alone or in combination with new imaging methods for a better cardiovascular risk stratification. Coronary computed tomographic angiography findings and inflammatory markers are capable to identify patients with high risk of MACE or atrial fibrillation. Furthermore, they also have an important role in the choice of treatment strategy and follow-up.