Racial differences in coronary artery calcification in older adults.
Reports on race-related differences in coronary artery calcium (CAC) are just beginning to emerge and have not been well studied in the elderly. This study was undertaken to assess whether such differences exist and the relationship between CAC and cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of elderly community-dwelling adults. CAC was measured by using electron-beam tomography in 614 adults (aged 67 to 99 years), of whom 59% were women and 23% were black. The median CAC score was lower in blacks than in whites for men (159 versus 787, respectively; P<0.001) and for women (134 versus 233, respectively; P=0.02) after adjustment for age, cardiovascular disease, and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, although this difference was stronger and remained significant among men only. Lower CAC scores were also observed in the subgroup of blacks with a history of myocardial infarction. The lower CAC scores in blacks compared with whites observed in this study is consistent with either a lower prevalence of coronary artery disease or a lower extent of calcification of coronary artery disease.
Newman
Anne B
AB
Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa 15213, USA. anewman@pitt.edu.
Naydeck
Barbara L
BL
Whittle
Jeff
J
Sutton-Tyrrell
Kim
K
Edmundowicz
Daniel
D
Kuller
Lewis H
LH
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed