PREVALENCE OF FLUOROSCOPIC CORONARY CALCIFIC DEPOSITS IN HIGH-RISK ASYMPTOMATIC PERSONS

Coronary calcific deposits are always associated with coronary atheros clerosis. Sensitive radiographic technology can detect coronary calciu m before atherosclerosis becomes symptomatic. A total of 1461 asymptom atic high-risk adult subjects were studied with digital subtraction fl uoroscopy to detect coronary calcium. Risk factor data were recorded i ncluding age, sex, family history, smoking history, diabetes history, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, left ventricular hypertrophy on ECG, total serum cholesterol level, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and total cholesterol/HDL ratio. Digital subtraction flu oroscopy in the left anterior oblique projection was performed in all subjects. The prevalence of calcific deposits in at least one major co ronary artery was high (58.3%). Eleven percent had coronary calcium in all three major arteries. Multivariate logistic regression analysis s howed significant correlations (p < 0.05) between the prevalence of co ronary calcium and age, smoking history (relative risk = 1.30), diabet es history (relative risk = 1.24), and family history (relative risk = 1.26). In older subjects (at least 65 years of age), smoking and seru m lipoproteins assumed greater importance as contributors to coronary calcium, whereas in younger subjects a history of diabetes was more si gnificant. Coronary calcific deposits are prevalent in high-risk asymp tomatic subjects. Their occurrence is closely related to most known ri sk factors.