title: Association of pooled cohort risk scores with vascular inflammation and coronary artery calcification in Korean adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A new pooled cohort risk equation to estimate atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk was recently published, but the equation is based primarily on data from Caucasian populations. The relationship of this new risk scoring system with vascular inflammation and calcification has yet to be examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 74 participants were retrospectively selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. All participants underwent (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) and multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) examination in the Korea University Guro Hospital between June 2009 and May 2013. Vascular inflammation of the carotid artery was measured as target-to-background ratio (TBR) using (18)F-FDG-PET/CT and coronary artery calcification was quantified as Agatston score by MDCT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Agatston scores were not significantly associated with any metabolic risk factors, but maximum TBR values exhibited a significant positive correlation with body mass index (r=0.31, P=0.01), waist circumference (r=0.42, P<0.01), waist-to-hip ratio (r=0.49, P<0.01), and systolic (r=0.35, P<0.01) and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.39, P<0.01). Furthermore, maximum TBR values were significantly correlated with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels (r=0.26, P=0.03), whereas Agatston scores had no correlation. When pooled cohort risk equation scores were divided into incremental tertiles, age, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and systolic blood pressure showed significant incremental trends. In particular, pooled cohort risk scores exhibited a significant positive correlation with maximum TBR values (r=0.35, P<0.01), but not with Agatston scores (r=0.11, P=0.34).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pooled cohort risk equation exhibited significant positive correlations with vascular inflammation but not with calcification in Asian subjects without CVD, suggesting that this novel risk equation may detect early inflammatory changes preceding the structural modification of vessel walls.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hwan Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soon Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Seon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Eo
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ho Cheol
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sin Gon
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Nan Hee
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Seop
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sei Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Baik
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: medica7@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kyung Mook
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
keywords: Coronary artery calcification; Pooled cohort risk scores; Vascular inflammation