Background: Coronary artery calcification have been well correlated with the overall cardiovascular risk. Based on this coronary artery calcium score (CACS), an excellent prognostic predictor for coronary disease, has been developed. However, CACS was never correlated tested on young, generaly healthy population. Our study is aimed at defining the correlation of CACT perfomed on non-gated chest studies, done not for coronary purposes, to the overall Framingham risk.
Methods: We correlated CACS of 250 patients who had chest CT scans under 50 years were allocated for the study. CACS was performed using PhilipsTM proprietary software. The results were compared with the cumulative value of Framingham risk score.
Results: Two hundred and fifty patient’s chest CT studies of patients under the age of 50 were allocated. In these, 8% had CACS of above 8. To 80% of patients with CACS above 1 there is a corresponding Framingham risk score of at least 1 compared with only 50% in those with CACS of zero (P<0.05).
Conclusion: A qualitative correlation between CACS in non-gated chest CT scans and Framinham risk score exists. These data, while preliminary, suggests that CACS in non-cardiac chest CT scans can be used to assign individual coronary artery risk and perhaps to tailor appropriate interventions.
