Determinants of coronary artery calcium score for early identification and prevention of coronary artery disease among asymptomatic adults

Non-communicable diseases, including Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) are leading preventable cause of death worldwide, demanding early detection, especially among asymptomatic individuals. Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score quantified using 64-slice multidetector computed tomography is a noninvasive radiological test for screening and identifying individuals at risk for CAD. In this study, we collected data related to individuals' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, risk factors and respective CAC scores from three tertiary cardiovascular institutes in the U.S. during 2011. The data was analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics. Univariate, bivariate and chi-square statistics were reported. A multivariate logistic regression analysis using socio-ecological theoretical approach was used to delineate the key determinants of CAC score among these individuals. Preliminary results using 503 individuals indicated that 56% were at high risk for CAD; 48% hypertensive; 18% diabetic; 30% obese; and 59% hypercholesterolemic. Males were at very high risk [AOR 16.60; 95% CI (5.98- 22.06); p-value <0.001] compared to females. Compared to never smokers, current smokers are at high risk [AOR 8.41; 95% CI (2.30- 10.83); p-value 0.001] for CAD. Similarly, asymptomatic obese individuals [AOR 3.85; 95% CI (1.41 - 8.52); p-value 0.01] were significantly associated with very high CAC scores compared to non-obese. Understanding key determinants of individual CAC score will not only help physicians and public health professionals to tailor treatment and intervention approaches to slow or stop the progression of disease but also encourage people for CAC score screening to prevent the onset of CAD and save future treatment costs.