title: Relation of familial patterns of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes to subclinical atherosclerosis: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the possibility that family history beyond early-onset coronary heart disease might contribute to coronary heart disease susceptibility, we studied associations between additional family history and the coronary artery calcium score.
  
  
  METHODS
  Associations between coronary artery calcium score and self-reports of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in first-degree relatives of 5264 nondiabetic subjects were assessed using logistic and linear regression adjusting for risk factors; adjusted mean coronary artery calcium score estimates were determined by pooling results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Family history of coronary heart disease alone and in combination with diabetes and/or stroke was significantly associated with a positive coronary artery calcium score compared with no family history with odds ratios ranging from 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3-2.3) to 1.9 (95% CI: 1.6-2.3) and adjusted mean coronary artery calcium score estimates ranging from 137 (95% CI: 101-173) to 184 (95% CI: 143-226). Associations between family history of coronary heart disease and coronary artery calcium score were significant regardless of age at onset, sex, lineage, or number of relatives with coronary heart disease. The association between family history of diabetes only and coronary artery calcium score was also significant (OR, 1.3; 95% CI: 1.1-1.7) with an adjusted mean coronary artery calcium score estimate of 122 (95% CI: 93-151). Generally, family history of stroke had nonsignificant associations with coronary artery calcium score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Numerous family history variables in addition to early-onset coronary heart disease are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis. Our results have implications for improving coronary heart disease risk assessment.
authors.affiliation: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California 90407-2138, USA. scheuner@rand.org
authors.forename: Maren T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Scheuner
authors.forename: Claude Messan
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Setodji
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pankow
authors.forename: Roger S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
authors.forename: Emmett
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Keeler
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology