Calcium Score (calcium + score)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Kinds of Calcium Score

  • coronary calcium score


  • Selected Abstracts


    The association of coronary calcium score and conventional cardiovascular risk factors in Type 2 diabetic subjects asymptomatic for coronary heart disease (The PREDICT Study)

    DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 10 2004
    R. S. Elkeles
    Abstract Aim To determine the association between coronary calcification score (CACS) obtained by electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) and cardiovascular risk factors in Type 2 diabetic subjects entered into a prospective cohort study. Methods Type 2 diabetic subjects attending routine hospital diabetic clinics without known coronary heart disease (CHD) underwent EBCT to measure CACS. Demographic data were obtained and conventional cardiovascular risk factors were measured at baseline. Results Four hundred and ninety-five subjects were assessed of whom 67.7% were male. They had a mean (sd) age of 62.9 (7.1) years, with median (inter-quartile range) duration of diabetes of 8 (4,13) years. None had a history of coronary artery disease. Forty-five per cent were receiving lipid-lowering agents (including 36% statins). In a univariate analysis, there were significant associations between increased CACS and age, duration of diabetes, male gender, waist,hip ratio (WHR), systolic blood pressure, and the use of statins. In a multivariate model adjusting for the possible interaction of these and other factors, the significant association between CACS and WHR, systolic blood pressure, male gender and statin use remained. Conclusions The close association between CACS and WHR and the association with systolic blood pressure suggest that coronary calcification may be particularly linked to the metabolic syndrome in Type 2 diabetes. [source]


    Association of coronary heart disease with age-adjusted aortocoronary calcification in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia

    JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2000
    J. M. Jensen
    Abstract. Jensen JM, Gerdes LU, Jensen HK, Christiansen TM, Brorholt-Petersen JU, Faergeman O (Aarhus Amtssygehus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark). Association of coronary heart disease with age-adjusted aortocoronary calcification in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia. J Intern Med 2000; 247: 479,484. Objectives. Existing algorithms of risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) do not pertain to patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), whose arteries have been exposed to hypercholesterolaemia since birth. We studied a cohort of FH patients to compare four diagnostic models of CHD: traditional risk factors of CHD (age, sex, cholesterol, hypertension, smoking and body mass index), cholesterol year score, and aortic as well as coronary calcium measured by spiral computed tomography (CT). Subjects. We invited 88 individuals with molecularly defined FH of whom 80 (91%) decided to participate. Results. Analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the age-adjusted coronary calcium score was more strongly associated with clinical manifestations of CHD than were traditional risk factors (P < 0.002), cholesterol year score (P << 0.0001), and the age-adjusted aortic calcium score (P < 0.0004). Conclusions. Age-adjusted coronary calcium score shows promise as an indicator of CHD in FH patients. [source]


    Adipocytokines, insulin resistance, and coronary atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis

    ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 5 2010
    Young Hee Rho
    Objective The prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the increased risk is associated with insulin resistance. Adipocytokines have been linked to obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, and coronary heart disease in the general population. This study was undertaken to examine the hypothesis that adipocytokines affect insulin resistance and coronary atherosclerosis among patients with RA. Methods The coronary calcium score, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, and serum adipocytokine (leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and visfatin) concentrations were determined in 169 patients with RA. The independent effect of each adipocytokine on insulin resistance according to the HOMA-IR index and on coronary artery calcification determined by electron beam computed tomography was assessed in models adjusted for age, race, sex, body mass index (BMI), traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and inflammation mediators. In addition, an interaction analysis was performed to evaluate whether the effect of the HOMA-IR index on the coronary calcium score is moderated by adipocytokines. Results Increased concentrations of leptin were associated with a higher HOMA-IR index, even after adjustment for age, race, sex, BMI, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and inflammation mediators (P < 0.001), but concentrations of visfatin (P = 0.06), adiponectin (P = 0.55), and resistin (P = 0.98) showed no association with the HOMA-IR index. None of the adipocytokines was independently associated with the coronary calcium score (all P > 0.05). Serum leptin concentrations showed a significant interaction with the HOMA-IR index (P for multivariate interaction = 0.02). Increasing leptin concentrations attenuated the increased risk of coronary calcification related to insulin resistance. Serum concentrations of the other adipocytokines showed no significant interactions with the HOMA-IR index (each P > 0.05). Conclusion Leptin is associated with insulin resistance in patients with RA but, paradoxically, attenuates the effects of insulin resistance on coronary calcification. [source]


    Increased epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume in type 2 diabetes mellitus and association with metabolic syndrome and severity of coronary atherosclerosis

    CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
    Chao-Ping Wang
    Summary Objective, Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a part of visceral fat deposited around the heart between the pericardium and myocardium along the distribution of coronary arteries. EAT thickness is reported to be associated with coronary atherosclerosis; however, no study has measured EAT volume in patients with type 2 diabetes or investigate its association with coronary artery disease. Design, A hospital-based case control study. Patients, A total of 49 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and 78 nondiabetic controls were studied. Measurements, Cardiac multislice computed tomography was used to measure EAT volume, Gensini score, coronary artery calcium score and, coronary lesions. The relationships between EAT volume, markers of coronary atherosclerosis and anthropometric and biochemical parameters of metabolic syndrome (MetS) were investigated. Results, EAT volume was significantly higher in patients with T2DM than in nondiabetic subjects (166·1 ± 60·6 cm3 vs. 123·4 ± 41·8 cm3, P < 0·0001). Logistic regression analysis revealed independent and significant associations between EAT and diabetic status. EAT volume was significantly associated with components of MetS (BMI, waist circumference, fasting serum glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides levels), Gensini score, coronary lesions, coronary disease and coronary calcium scores. Univariate, multivariate and trend analyses confirmed that EAT volume was associated with MetS component clustering and the coronary atherosclerosis index. Conclusions, The analytical results indicate that EAT volume is increased in T2DM patients and is associated with unfavourable components of MetS and coronary atherosclerosis. The close anatomical relationship between EAT and the coronary arteries, combined with other evidence indicating that EAT is a biologically active adipokine-secreting tissue, suggest that EAT participates in the pathogenesis of diabetic coronary atherosclerosis. [source]


    How to identify patients with vulnerable plaques

    DIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 10 2008
    Salim S. Virani
    Multiple strategies are available for clinicians to identify patients at high risk for cardiovascular events. Two commonly discussed strategies are the identification of vulnerable plaques and the identification of vulnerable patients. The strategy of identifying vulnerable patients is less invasive, easy to implement and not restricted primarily to one vascular bed (e.g. coronary or cerebral). This review discusses the utility as well as the limitations of global risk assessment tools to identify such patients. The utility of biomarkers [C-reactive protein, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and lipoprotein(a)] and non-invasive measures of atherosclerosis burden (coronary artery calcium scores, carotid intima,media thickness and ankle,brachial index) in identifying patients at high risk for cardiovascular events are also discussed. [source]


    Abdominal aortic calcification on vertebral morphometry images predicts incident myocardial infarction

    JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010
    Mark J Bolland
    Abstract Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) measured on spine X-rays is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether AAC assessed using vertebral morphometry and a recently developed scoring system (AAC-8) is reliable and associated with cardiovascular risk factors or events. A total of 1471 healthy postmenopausal women and 323 healthy middle-aged and older men participated in 5 and 2,year trials of calcium supplements, respectively. AAC-8 was assessed on vertebral morphometry images at baseline and follow-up. In addition, 163 men also had coronary artery calcification measured using computed tomography. Cardiovascular events during the trials were independently adjudicated. We found strong inter- and intrameasurer agreement for AAC-8 (,,>,0.87). The prevalence of AAC increased with age (p,<,.01) in women and in men. AAC was associated with many established cardiovascular risk factors, with serum calcium in women (p,=,.002) and with higher coronary calcium scores in men (p,=,.03). Estimated 5,year cardiovascular risk increased with increasing AAC-8 score (p,<,.001) in women and in men. The presence of AAC independently predicted myocardial infarction (MI) in women [hazards ratio (HR),=,2.30, p,=,.007] and men (HR,=,5.32, p,=,.04), even after adjustment for estimated cardiovascular risk in women. In women, AAC independently predicted cardiovascular events (MI, stroke, or sudden death) (HR,=,1.74, p,=,.007), and changes in AAC-8 score over time were associated with MI and cardiovascular events, even after adjustment for estimated cardiovascular risk. In summary, scoring AAC on vertebral morphometric scans is a reproducible method of assessing cardiovascular risk that independently predicts incident MI and cardiovascular events, even after taking into account traditional cardiovascular risk factors. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research [source]


    Increased epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume in type 2 diabetes mellitus and association with metabolic syndrome and severity of coronary atherosclerosis

    CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 6 2009
    Chao-Ping Wang
    Summary Objective, Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is a part of visceral fat deposited around the heart between the pericardium and myocardium along the distribution of coronary arteries. EAT thickness is reported to be associated with coronary atherosclerosis; however, no study has measured EAT volume in patients with type 2 diabetes or investigate its association with coronary artery disease. Design, A hospital-based case control study. Patients, A total of 49 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and 78 nondiabetic controls were studied. Measurements, Cardiac multislice computed tomography was used to measure EAT volume, Gensini score, coronary artery calcium score and, coronary lesions. The relationships between EAT volume, markers of coronary atherosclerosis and anthropometric and biochemical parameters of metabolic syndrome (MetS) were investigated. Results, EAT volume was significantly higher in patients with T2DM than in nondiabetic subjects (166·1 ± 60·6 cm3 vs. 123·4 ± 41·8 cm3, P < 0·0001). Logistic regression analysis revealed independent and significant associations between EAT and diabetic status. EAT volume was significantly associated with components of MetS (BMI, waist circumference, fasting serum glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides levels), Gensini score, coronary lesions, coronary disease and coronary calcium scores. Univariate, multivariate and trend analyses confirmed that EAT volume was associated with MetS component clustering and the coronary atherosclerosis index. Conclusions, The analytical results indicate that EAT volume is increased in T2DM patients and is associated with unfavourable components of MetS and coronary atherosclerosis. The close anatomical relationship between EAT and the coronary arteries, combined with other evidence indicating that EAT is a biologically active adipokine-secreting tissue, suggest that EAT participates in the pathogenesis of diabetic coronary atherosclerosis. [source]