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Thoracic aorta calcification but not inflammation is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk: results

Björn A Blomberg1,2, Pim A de Jong3, Anders Thomassen4

  • 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense C, Denmark. b.a.blomberg@umcutrecht.nl.

European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
|November 1, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Cardiovascular disease risk is linked to increased vascular calcification metabolism and calcium burden in the thoracic aorta, but not arterial inflammation. These findings highlight calcification as a key indicator in low-risk populations.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Imaging and Diagnostics
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Arterial inflammation and vascular calcification are early prognostic markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  • Assessing thoracic aorta markers in low-CVD-risk populations is crucial for early detection and prevention.
  • Understanding the interplay between inflammation, calcification metabolism, and calcium burden is key to refining CVD risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and thoracic aorta arterial inflammation, vascular calcification metabolism, and calcium burden.
  • To evaluate these markers using advanced imaging techniques like 18F-FDG PET/CT and Na18F PET/CT.
  • To determine the prognostic value of these thoracic aorta characteristics in a population with initially low CVD risk.

Main Methods:

  • 139 subjects (52% male, mean age 49 years) with low CVD risk underwent blood pressure and blood analyses.
  • 18F-FDG PET/CT, Na18F PET/CT, and CT imaging were used to assess thoracic aorta inflammation, calcification metabolism, and calcium burden.
  • The 10-year CVD risk was estimated using the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and compared across quartiles of imaging findings.

Main Results:

  • Elevated Na18F uptake (highest quartile) was associated with a 3.7-fold higher CVD risk compared to the lowest quartile (15.5% vs. 4.2%, P < 0.001).
  • Increased thoracic aorta calcium burden (highest quartile) also showed a 3.7-fold higher CVD risk compared to the lowest two quartiles (18.0% vs. 4.9%, P < 0.001).
  • No significant association was found between thoracic aorta 18F-FDG uptake and CVD risk across different quartiles.

Conclusions:

  • Increased vascular calcification metabolism and calcium burden in the thoracic aorta are associated with an unfavorable CVD risk profile.
  • Arterial inflammation, as assessed by 18F-FDG uptake, does not appear to be a significant marker for CVD risk in this low-risk cohort.
  • These findings suggest that vascular calcification markers, rather than inflammation, are more indicative of early CVD risk in the thoracic aorta.
Abstract

Keywords:
Arterial inflammationAtherosclerosisPET/CTVascular calcification[18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)[18F]Sodium fluoride (Na18F)

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