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Published on: September 22, 2023
Sex-Specific Coronary Artery Calcium Percentiles Across South Asian Adults: Combined Analyses From MASALA and DILWALE
Erfan Tasdighi1, Zeina Dardari2, Seamus P Whelton2
1Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Background:
Coronary artery calcium (CAC) testing is guideline-recommended to enhance atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk prediction, yet there are no sex-specific CAC reference data for South Asians in the United States (SAUS) across their adult lives.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to determine the sex-specific distribution of CAC scores across the adult lifespan of SAUS.
Methods:
We studied 2743 SAUS adults (ages 33-75 years old) free of known ASCVD from the MASALA (Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America), a community-based cohort study, and the DILWALE (DIL Wellness and Arterial health Longitudinal Evaluation), a clinic-based study. We estimated the likelihood of CAC >0 and calculated sex-specific CAC percentiles as a function of age, employing nonparametric methods.
Results:
Participants had a mean age of 52 ± 9 years, with 37.8% women. The probability of CAC >0 for women and men was 20% and 45% at age 50 years, 40% and 70% at age 60 years, and 70% and 90% at 70 years old, respectively. The 75th and the 90th percentiles of CAC at age 60 years were 26 and 115 for SAUS women and 186 and 580 for SAUS men. A CAC score of 100 was at approximately the 75th percentile for a 55-year-old man or a 65-year-old woman.
Conclusions:
These data address the current knowledge gap regarding the distribution of CAC scores among SAUS adults. Utilizing these CAC percentiles in the clinical assessment of ASCVD risk may enhance personalized interpretation of CAC scoring and guide ASCVD prevention efforts in SAUS.
