Abstract
Purpose of the Review: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring and compare it with other non-traditional cardiovascular risk markers for improvement in cardiovascular risk assessment. Recent Findings: CAC scoring refines risk assessment among asymptomatic patients eligible for primary prevention across the spectrum of cardiovascular risk. Its use has been well-validated in several multi-ethnic population-based cohorts. With the recent ACC/AHA cholesterol treatment guidelines expanding the eligibility for statin therapy for primary prevention, the absence of CAC can be a powerful tool for identifying those at lower risk of future cardiovascular events. CAC is superior to other non-traditional risk markers recognized by the current risk assessment guidelines for re-classifying patients to appropriate risk categories and improving discrimination of risk beyond traditional risk factors. Summary: CAC scoring is a reliable decision-making tool for improving cardiovascular risk assessment and performs better than other non-traditional risk markers, particularly when used to identify those at lower risk (i.e., CAC = 0).
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 33 |
Journal | Current Cardiovascular Imaging Reports |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2017 |
Keywords
- Cardiovascular risk assessment
- Coronary artery calcium
- Non-traditional risk factors
- Prevention
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Histology
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Cell Biology