title: Electron beam computed tomography screening and heart disease risk factor modification.
abstract: The authors examined the effect of electron beam computed tomography screening on perceived risk, behavior change, and medical intervention among community-dwelling adults with no history of heart disease. Participants were 184 men and 180 women aged 55 years and older who had electron beam computed tomography scans in 2000-2001 and responded to a questionnaire 6 months later. They were classified as low-, medium-, or high-risk based on coronary artery calcification score, an indicator of coronary artery plaque burden. Overall, only 5% of participants were alarmed or quite worried about developing heart disease. Compared with those with lower risk, high-risk participants were more likely to discuss scan results with a physician, undergo further cardiac testing, have a cholesterol test (all p < 0.001), and begin cholesterol-lowering medication (p < 0.001), aspirin (p = 0.009), and multivitamins (p = 0.018). The authors conclude that electron beam computed tomography screening motivates initiation of measures to prevent clinical heart disease without causing undue alarm among older men and women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0607, USA.
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sandwell
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wingard
authors.forename: Gail A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Laughlin
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barrett-Connor
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods