Ethnic Differences in Coronary Artery Calcium in a Healthy Cohort Aged 60 to 69 Years

Joan M. Fair, Alexandre Kiazand, Ann Varady, Mohammed Mahbouba, Linda Norton, Geoffrey D. Rubin, Carlos Iribarren, Alan S. Go, Mark A. Hlatky, Stephen P. Fortmann

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Measurement of coronary artery calcium (CAC) has been proposed as a screening tool, but CAC levels may differ according to race and gender. Racial/ethnic and gender distributions of CAC were examined in a randomly selected cohort of 60- to 69-year-old healthy subjects. Demographic, race/ethnicity (R/E), and clinical characteristics and assessment of CAC were collected. There were 723 white/European, 105 African-American, 73 Hispanic, and 67 East Asian subjects (597 men, 369 women) included in this analysis. Men had a significantly higher prevalence of any CAC (score >10) than women (76% vs 41%; p <0.0001). For men, the unadjusted odds of having any CAC was 2.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3 to 3.8) for whites compared with African-Americans. For women, CAC scores were not significantly different across ethnic groups. After adjustment for coronary risk factors, African-American and East Asian R/E remained associated with a lower prevalence of CAC in men (adjusted odds ratios [ORs] 0.33 and 0.47, respectively), as well as older age (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.3), known hyperlipidemia (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.7), and history of hypertension (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.4 to 3.3). In women, Asian R/E (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1 to 5.7), history of smoking (adjusted OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.3 to 6.1), and known hyperlipidemia (adjusted OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.3 to 3.1) were associated with a higher prevalence of CAC independent of other risk factors. In conclusion, our data indicate that the presence of CAC varied significantly across selected race/ethnic groups independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)981-985
Number of pages5
JournalAmerican Journal of Cardiology
Volume100
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 15 2007
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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