Coronary Calcification, Coronary Disease Risk Factors, C-Reactive Protein, and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Events

Abstract

The electron beam CT coronary calcium score predicts CAD events independent of standard risk factors, more accurately than standard risk factors and CRP, and refines Framingham risk stratification.

2016 SCCT/STR guidelines for coronary artery calcium scoring of noncontrast noncardiac chest CT scans: A report of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography and Society of Thoracic Radiology

“…The prognostic value of CAC testing been well validated in multiple studies, including Dallas Heart 12 Rotterdam, 13 St Francis, 14 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) 15 and the HeinzNixdorf Recall 16 among others. CAC has been shown to be the best predictor of future events in the general population, 13e15 the elderly, 13,17 and in persons with diabetes.…”

Premenopausal risk factors for coronary and aortic calcification: A 20-year follow-up in the healthy women study

“…EBT identifies and measures coronary artery calcification (CaC) as a gauge of atherosclerotic burden. CaC is related to extent of coronary atherosclerosis and predicts subsequent clinical coronary heart disease (CHD; Arad et al, 2005;Raggi et al, 2004;Taylor et al, 2005). Aortic calcification (AC) can also be evaluated by EBT and has been related to cardiovascular disease (Reavan and Sacks, 2005).…”

Carotid Ultrasound Screening for Coronary Heart Disease: Results Based on a meta-analysis of 18 Studies and 44,861 Subjects

“…Carotid ultrasound screening for CHD is improved by combining information on IMT and plaque (this increases the DR by about 10 percentage points at an FPR of 10%, as shown in an accompanying paper in this edition of the Journal). 13 If this were combined with other screening tests of comparable discrimination (possibly CT calcium score 31 or measures of arterial stiffness 32 ), then there may be a case for screening younger people (about age 45) to select individuals for preventive treatment. Further work is needed to assess this and the screening performance of other such tests, alone and in combination with carotid ultrasound, to determine if this would be worthwhile.…”