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Updated: May 5, 2026
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Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation
Published on: May 31, 2016
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Risk factors for the progression of coronary artery calcification in asymptomatic subjects: results from the
Richard A Kronmal1, Robyn L McClelland, Robert Detrano
1Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, 6200 NE 74th St, Seattle, WA 98115, USA.
Circulation
|May 16, 2007
Summary
Traditional cardiovascular risk factors like age, hypertension, and diabetes are linked to coronary artery calcium (CAC) development and progression. Whites showed higher CAC incidence and progression compared to other groups.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular disease research
- Epidemiology
- Public health
Background:
- The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort offers a unique opportunity to examine cardiovascular risk factors.
- Focus on individuals without pre-existing clinical cardiovascular disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between traditional cardiovascular risk factors and the incidence and progression of coronary artery calcium (CAC).
- To analyze these associations across diverse racial and ethnic groups.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of follow-up CAC measurements in 5756 MESA participants over an average of 2.4 years.
- Assessment of incident (newly detectable) CAC and annual change in existing CAC.
Main Results:
- Average annual incidence of new CAC was 6.6%, increasing with age.
- Most traditional risk factors (age, male gender, hypertension, BMI, diabetes, glucose, family history) correlated with CAC incidence and progression.
- Lipoprotein cholesterol and creatinine were linked only to incident CAC risk.
- Diabetes showed the strongest association with CAC progression in Black individuals and the weakest in Hispanics.
Conclusions:
- This study is the first large multiethnic analysis of CAC incidence and progression.
- Standard coronary risk factors generally associate with both CAC incidence and progression.
- White individuals exhibited higher CAC incidence and progression than other racial/ethnic groups.
- Risk factor associations were largely consistent across groups, with notable exceptions like diabetes mellitus.
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