Significant ASCVD risk heterogeneity exists among those eligible for statins according to the new guidelines. The absence of CAC reclassifies approximately one-half of candidates as not eligible for statin therapy.

Background The JUPITER trial demonstrated that some patients with LDL-C <130 mg/dL and hsCRP ≥2 mg/L benefit from rosuvastatin, although absolute event rates were low. We sought to determine whether coronary artery calcium (CAC) may further risk stratify a JUPITER-eligible population, and to compare hsCRP vs. CAC for risk prediction in otherwise JUPITER-eligible participants. Methods A total of 950 MESA participants met all JUPITER entry criteria. We compared CHD and CVD event rates and multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios after stratifying by both presence and burden of CAC (0, 1–100, >100). We also calculated 5-year number needed to treat (NNT5) by applying the benefit observed in JUPITER to the observed event rates within each CAC strata. Findings Median follow-up was 5.8 years. Approximately 47% of the MESA JUPITER population had CAC=0, and CHD event rates in this group were <1 per 1000 person-years. Over 2/3 of all CHD events occurred in the 25% of participants with CAC >100 (20.2 per 1000 person-years). For CHD, the predicted NNT5 for CAC 0, 1–100, and >100 was 549, 94, and 24 respectively. For CVD, the NNT5 was 124, 54, and 19. Amongst otherwise JUPITER-eligible patients, presence of CAC was associated with 4.3-fold increased CHD (95% CI 2.0 – 9.3) and 2.6-fold increased CVD (95% CI 1.5–4.5), while hsCRP was not associated with either CHD or CVD after multivariable adjustment. Interpretation Within MESA, approximately half of JUPITER-eligible participants had CAC=0 and experienced an extremely low 6-year event rate. Nearly all events occurred in patients with CAC. CAC appears to further risk stratify JUPITER-eligible patients and may be used to target a subgroup of patients expected to derive the most, and the least, absolute benefit from statin treatment. Focusing treatment on the subset of individuals with measurable atherosclerosis may represent a more appropriate allocation of resources. Funding NIH-NHLBI.

The prevalence of occult CAD in apparently healthy individuals was not negligible, although their midterm prognosis was good. CTA has a potential to provide a better insight about the occult CAD in this population. However, on the basis of our results and considering present radiation exposure data, we cannot recommend that CTA be used as a screening tool for this population at this point.

The value of CAC for predicting mortality extends to both elderly patients and those <45 years old. Elderly persons with no CAC have a lower MR than younger persons with high CAC.

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however, the potential role of CAC among individuals who have no risk factors (RFs) is less established. We sought to examine the relationship between the presence and burden of traditional RFs and CAC for the prediction of all-cause mortality. Methods and Results-The study cohort consisted of 44 052 consecutive asymptomatic individuals free of known coronary heart disease referred for computed tomography for the assessment of CAC. The following RFs were considered: (1) current cigarette smoking, (2) dyslipidemia, (3) diabetes mellitus, (4) hypertension, and (5) family history of coronary heart disease. Patients were followed for a mean of 5.6±2.6 years for the primary end point of all-cause mortality. Among individuals who had no RF, Cox proportional model adjusted for age and sex identified that increasing CAC scores were associated with 3.00-to 13.38-fold higher mortality risk. The lowest survival rate was observed in those with no CAC and no RF, whereas those with CAC≥400 and ≥3 RFs had the highest all-cause fatality rate. Notably, individuals with no RF and CAC≥400 had a substantially higher mortality rate compared with individuals with ≥3 RFs in the absence of CAC (16.89 versus 2.72 per 1000 person-years). Conclusions-By highlighting that individuals without RFs but elevated CAC have a substantially higher event rates than those who have multiple RFs but no CAC, these findings challenge the exclusive use of traditional risk assessment algorithms for guiding the intensity of primary prevention therapies. (Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2012; 5:467-473).

Background Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a fibrous, degenerative calcification of the mitral valve. The relationship between MAC and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors is not well defined. Thus, we performed a cross-sectional study to determine which CVD risk factors are independently associated with MAC in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Methods MESA includes 6,814 women and men ages 45–84 years old without apparent CVD in 4 ethnic groups (12% Chinese, 38% Caucasian, 22% Hispanic, and 28% African-American). MAC was defined by presence of calcium in the mitral annulus by cardiac computed tomography at enrollment. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate relationships between MAC and CVD risk factors. Results The overall prevalence of MAC was 9%. The prevalence of MAC was highest in Caucasians (12%), followed by Hispanics (10%), African Americans (7%) and was lowest in Chinese (5%). Characteristics associated with MAC included age (p<0.01), female gender (p<0.01), increased body mass index (BMI) (p=0.03), and former smoking status (p<0.008). The MAC group had a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and family history of heart attack (all p<0.001). After adjusting for all variables, age, female gender, diabetes mellitus, and increased BMI remained strongly associated with MAC. Conclusions Age, female gender, DM, and increased BMI were significantly associated with MAC. Prevalence of MAC was strongly associated with female gender and increasing age in all ethnicities.

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