Does Vascular Calcification Accelerate Inflammation?: A Substudy of the dal-PLAQUE Trial

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging and Atherosclerosis Research

Background:

• Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease where calcification indicates disease progression.
• Coronary calcification extent predicts cardiovascular events, but noncoronary vascular calcification is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate noncoronary vascular calcification and its impact on vascular inflammation.
• To assess the influence of baseline calcification and dalcetrapib therapy on calcification progression.

Main Methods:

• 130 participants from the dal-PLAQUE study underwent FDG-PET/CT imaging at baseline and 6 months.
• Calcification in the aorta, arch, carotids, and coronaries was quantified; risk factors and drug effects were analyzed.
• Baseline calcification was correlated with changes in vascular inflammation.

Main Results:

• Higher age (>65) correlated with elevated baseline calcium scores.
• Baseline calcification was associated with progressive calcification, particularly in the aortic arch.
• Carotid artery calcification was linked to reduced vascular inflammation over 6 months, while dalcetrapib had no effect on calcification progression.

Conclusions:

• Advanced age is a consistent factor in higher vascular calcium scores.
• Existing vascular calcification predicts further progression and influences inflammation in carotid arteries.
• Dalcetrapib treatment did not alter the progression of vascular calcification.