Scanning the heart's arteries for calcium deposits accurately predicts the overall death risk for American adults, a new study suggests in the July 1 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Meanwhile, a multi-institutional study led by the University of Minnesota's Aaron Folsom (pictured), provided additional evidence for the benefits of calcium scanning. It compared the prognostic value of calcium scans with measurements of the wall of the carotid artery, the major artery leading from the heart to the brain.
Researchers reported that the study of almost 6,700 middle-aged and older Americans who were followed for up to five years found that "coronary artery calcium score is a better predictor of subsequent cardiovascular events than carotid intima-media thickness [measuring the artery's wall]."
Folsom's study was published in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
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