Electron beam computed tomography screening and heart disease risk factor modification

Abstract

The authors examined the effect of electron beam computed tomography screening on perceived risk, behavior change, and medical intervention among community-dwelling adults with no history of heart disease. Participants were 184 men and 180 women aged 55 years and older who had electron beam computed tomography scans in 2000-2001 and responded to a questionnaire 6 months later. They were classified as low-, medium-, or high-risk based on coronary artery calcification score, an indicator of coronary artery plaque burden. Overall, only 5% of participants were alarmed or quite worried about developing heart disease. Compared with those with lower risk, high-risk participants were more likely to discuss scan results with a physician, undergo further cardiac testing, have a cholesterol test (all p < 0.001), and begin cholesterol-lowering medication (p < 0.001), aspirin (p = 0.009), and multivitamins (p = 0.018). The authors conclude that electron beam computed tomography screening motivates initiation of measures to prevent clinical heart disease without causing undue alarm among older men and women.