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Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
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Coronary artery calcification: Effects on severity and survival in patients with COVID-19

Abbas Arjmand Shabestari1, Arash Mahdavi1, Alireza Abrishami1

  • 1Department of Radiology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Journal of Research in Medical Sciences : the Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
|January 23, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Coronary artery calcification in COVID-19 patients is linked to a worse prognosis, but not necessarily increased disease severity. This finding highlights the importance of assessing calcification for predicting outcomes in coronavirus disease-2019 patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) poses significant global health challenges.
  • Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a marker of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk.
  • The interplay between COVID-19 and pre-existing cardiovascular conditions like CAC requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of coronary artery calcification on the severity of COVID-19.
  • To evaluate the association between coronary artery calcification and the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 141 COVID-19 patients underwent computed tomography (CT) scans.
  • Pulmonary involvement severity and coronary artery calcification were assessed using CT.
  • Coronary artery calcification was quantified using the Weston and segmental scoring systems, categorizing patients into three groups based on scores.

Main Results:

  • A significant difference in pulmonary involvement scores was observed between deceased and discharged patients (P=0.002).
  • Patients with lower coronary artery calcification scores (Group 1) had a significantly higher chance of recovery compared to those with higher scores (Group 3) in both scoring systems (P=0.05 and P=0.049, respectively).
  • While patients with CAC showed a trend towards more severe disease, this association was not statistically significant (P=0.23 and P=0.79).

Conclusions:

  • Coronary artery calcification in COVID-19 patients is significantly associated with a poorer prognosis.
  • No significant relationship was found between coronary artery calcification and the severity of COVID-19 disease.
  • Assessing CAC may aid in predicting outcomes for patients with COVID-19.
Abstract

Keywords:
Calcificationcoronary vesselscoronavirus disease-2019prognosis

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