title: Thoracic aorta calcification but not inflammation is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk: results of the CAMONA study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Arterial inflammation and vascular calcification are regarded as early prognostic markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this study we investigated the relationship between CVD risk and arterial inflammation (18F-FDG PET/CT imaging), vascular calcification metabolism (Na18F PET/CT imaging), and vascular calcium burden (CT imaging) of the thoracic aorta in a population at low CVD risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study participants underwent blood pressure measurements, blood analyses, and18F-FDG and Na18F PET/CT imaging. In addition, the 10-year risk for development of CVD, based on the Framingham risk score (FRS), was estimated. CVD risk was compared across quartiles of thoracic aorta18F-FDG uptake, Na18F uptake, and calcium burden on CT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 139 subjects (52 % men, mean age 49 years, age range 21 - 75 years, median FRS 6 %) were evaluated. CVD risk was, on average, 3.7 times higher among subjects with thoracic aorta Na18F uptake in the highest quartile compared with those in the lowest quartile of the distribution (15.5 % vs. 4.2 %; P < 0.001). CVD risk was on average, 3.7 times higher among subjects with a thoracic aorta calcium burden on CT in the highest quartile compared with those in the lowest two quartiles of the distribution (18.0 % vs. 4.9 %; P < 0.001). CVD risk was similar in subjects in all quartiles of thoracic aorta18F-FDG uptake.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that an unfavourable CVD risk profile is associated with marked increases in vascular calcification metabolism and vascular calcium burden of the thoracic aorta, but not with arterial inflammation.
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense C, Denmark. b.a.blomberg@umcutrecht.nl.|Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. b.a.blomberg@umcutrecht.nl.
authors: Björn A
authors: BA
authors: Blomberg
authors: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Pim A
authors: PA
authors: de Jong
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense C, Denmark.
authors: Anders
authors: A
authors: Thomassen
authors: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Marnix G E
authors: MGE
authors: Lam
authors: Clinical Epidemiology, Institute of Medical Biometry and Medical Informatics, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors: Werner
authors: W
authors: Vach
authors: The Cardiovascular and Metabolic Preventive Clinic, Department of Endocrinology, Center for Individualized Medicine in Arterial Diseases, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
authors: Michael H
authors: MH
authors: Olsen
authors: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Willem P T M
authors: WPTM
authors: Mali
authors: Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Jagat
authors: J
authors: Narula
authors: Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors: Abass
authors: A
authors: Alavi
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, 5000, Odense C, Denmark.|Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
authors: Poul F
authors: PF
authors: Høilund-Carlsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001025:Aortitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012969:Sodium Fluoride; D015996:Survival Rate; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D012969:Sodium Fluoride
keywords: Arterial inflammation; Atherosclerosis; PET/CT; Vascular calcification; [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG); [18F]Sodium fluoride (Na18F)