The prevalence of coronary artery calcium among diabetic individuals without known coronary artery disease.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

We sought to examine the age and gender distribution of coronary artery calcium (CAC) by diabetes status in a large cohort of asymptomatic individuals.

BACKGROUND:

Among individuals with diabetes, coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Electron-beam tomography (EBT) quantifies CAC, a marker for atherosclerosis.

METHODS:

Screening for CAC by EBT was performed in 30,904 asymptomatic individuals stratified by their self-reported diabetes status, gender, and age. The distribution of CAC across the strata and the association between diabetes and CAC were examined.

RESULTS:

Compared with nondiabetic individuals (n = 29,829), those with diabetes (n = 1,075) had higher median CAC scores across all but two age groups (women 40 to 44 years old and men and women > or =70 years old). Overall, the likelihood of having a CAC score in the highest age/gender quartile was 70% greater for diabetic individuals than for their nondiabetic counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS:

Younger diabetic individuals appear to have calcified plaque burden comparable to that of older individuals without diabetes. These findings call for future research to determine if EBT-CAC screening has an incremental value over the current CAD risk assessment of individuals with diabetes.

• Authors: Julie Anne Hoff, Lauretta Quinn, Alexander Sevrukov, Rebecca B Lipton, Martha Daviglus, Daniel B Garside, Niraj K Ajmere, Sanjay Gandhi, George T Kondos
• Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (J Am Coll Cardiol) Vol. 41 Issue 6 Pg. 1008-12 (Mar 19 2003) ISSN: 0735-1097 [Print] United States
• PMID: 12651050 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Adult
• Age Factors
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Calcinosis (diagnostic imaging, epidemiology, etiology)
• Cohort Studies
• Coronary Artery Disease (diagnostic imaging, epidemiology, etiology)
• Diabetes Complications
• Diabetes Mellitus (diagnostic imaging, epidemiology)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Prevalence
• Risk Factors
• Sex Factors
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed