The Business Impact of Hidden Vascular Disease

Is hidden cardiovascular disease already costing employers through reduced productivity, or does it only matter once a claim occurs? Even if employers expect to retain workers for only three to four years, the case for proactively optimizing weight (including waist circumference), blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar remains strong. Progressive atherosclerosis and the resulting arterial stenosis can reduce blood flow to the brain, contributing to presenteeism through diminished processing speed and executive function, meaning work simply takes longer and cognitive performance suffers even before a formal diagnosis or high-cost event occurs. This supports a PROACTIVE CARE approach for all employees, regardless of average tenure, and is reinforced by evidence showing that individuals with greater carotid stenosis perform significantly worse on measures of processing speed and executive function than those with less severe disease, highlighting why improving cardio- and neurovascular health should be a clear priority for employers (Zahra et al., 2025).

Zahra, S., French, S. R., Arias, J. C., Ally, M., Wiskoski, H., Escareno, C., Heitkamp, E., Vazquez, F., Hillis, M., Culwell, G., Ainapurapu, K., Howell, C. M., Johnson, K., Karakay, D., Rayasam, K., Taylor, L., Kraemer, C., Leon, L., Berman, S., … Weinkauf, C. C. (2025). In an older-age vascular cohort, carotid stenosis is associated with processing speed and executive function cognitive deficits, which correlate with p-tau217. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70893