Coronary artery calcium findings in asymptomatic subjects with family history of premature coronary artery disease

Background: To evaluate the frequency of positive coronary arteries calcium (CAC) scores in a unique population of asymptomatic first degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with angiographically confirmed early onset of coronary artery disease (CAD) and to assess their association with carotid ultrasound findings and other cardiovascular risk factors. Method and results: We scanned, using 64-slice multi-detector computed tomography, 57 asymptomatic FDRs (47 +/- 9 years old; 44% male, 56% female), out of the 111 FDRs previously phenotyped for cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. The controls were 616 individuals (57 +/- 10 years old; 76% male, 24% female) with no family history of cardiovascular disease, chest pain or diabetes selected out of the 3500 subjects scanned between 2002 and 2007. FDRs had higher risk of abnormal CAC scores compared to controls; odds ratio (OR) for the 75th percentile was 1.96 (95% CI 1.04 -3.67, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The frequency of abnormal CAC scores is two-fold higher in asymptomatic FDRs than in controls. CAC scan provides additional information on CV risk assessment in asymptomatic FDRs, particularly for those in the intermediate risk category. Clinical trial registration: NCT00387595