title: Advanced coronary artery calcification and cerebral small vessel diseases in the healthy elderly.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coronary artery calcification (CAC) scores are widely accepted to predict risk of coronary heart diseases and are associated with atherosclerosis in other vasculatures. Cerebral small vessel diseases (SVDs), including white matter lesions (WML), silent lacunar infarction (SLI) and cerebral microbleeds (CMB), are considered to develop in conjunction with pro-atherogenic conditions, measured by CAC scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 672 individuals aged ≥65 years that underwent health screening, 312 subjects with brain magnetic resonance imagings (MRIs) were enrolled in this study. The distribution of baseline characteristics among individuals with or without MRIs was not different. Clinical and laboratory information was collected and CAC scores were measured using multi-detector computed tomography. Cerebral SVD were independently assessed by 2 raters who were unaware of the CAC scores. The prevalence of CAC (CAC>0) was 71.7% in men and 50.0% in women. The associations between moderate-to-extensive CAC (CAC score ≥100) and WML (adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval, 4.99 and 1.33-18.73), SLI (5.04 and 1.86-13.63) and CMB (6.07 and 1.54-23.94) remained significant after adjusting for relevant confounders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study documents significant associations between CAC and cerebral SVDs. The findings suggest that SVDs in the brain and CAC in the heart may develop under similar systemic pathogenic processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Beom Joon
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung-Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chi Kyung
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Wi-Sun
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Hyung-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Su-Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Byung-Woo
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Yoon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D054338:Cell Transdifferentiation; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D054559:Hyperphosphatemia / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology; D014655:Vascular Resistance