Journal Article

Can coronary calcification measured by CT predict future coronary events?

Prabhakar, M.

2005

Overview

Results: Of 5393 eligible subjects who underwent EBCT, 4903 did not receive active treatment and were included in the natural history component of the study; follow-up data were available at a mean of 4.3 years for 4613 patients, of whom 1293 also had risk factor assessment. Only 119 (2.6%) of the 4613 subjects had cardiovascular events over the follow-up period (40 had nonfatal myocardial infarction or coronary death, 7 had a nonhemorrhagic stroke, 59 had coronary revascularization, and 13 underwent peripheral vascular surgery). The relative risk for all CAD events was 9.6 (95% CI 6.7 to 13.9) among subjects with calcium scores greater than 100 compared with subjects whose scores were less than 100. The calcium score predicted cardiovascular events independent of CRP level and standard risk factors, and it had a higher area under the ROC (receiver-operating characteristic) curve than did the Framingham risk index (0.79 v. 0.68, p = 0.0006). The CRP level was not significantly associated with cardiovascular events after adjustment for risk factors. The calcium score appeared to enhance risk stratification based on the Framingham index, particularly for subjects at intermediate risk.

• Publisher: CMA Impact Inc,CMA Impact, Inc,Canadian Medical Association
• Subject: Atherosclerosis / Calcification / Cardiovascular disease / Coronary heart disease / Disease prevention / Medical screening / Practice / Surveys / Tomography