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. 2022 Jul:353:41-46.
doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2022.05.006. Epub 2022 May 18.

Coronary artery calcium incidence and changes using direct plaque measurements: The MASALA study

Harpreet S Bhatia  1 , Feng Lin  2 , Isac C Thomas  3 , Julie Denenberg  4 , Namratha R Kandula  5 , Matthew J Budoff  6 , Michael H Criqui  7 , Alka M Kanaya  8
Affiliations

Coronary artery calcium incidence and changes using direct plaque measurements: The MASALA study

Harpreet S Bhatia et al. Atherosclerosis. 2022 Jul.

Abstract

Background and aims: We aimed to identify predictors of change in direct measures of coronary artery calcium (CAC) volume and density in South Asian participants.

Methods: We used data from participants in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study with prevalent CAC and direct measures of CAC by serial computed tomography (CT) exams (2010-2013, 2016-2018). We examined the distribution of incident CAC volume and peak density, as well as progression and identified risk factors for progression of change in volume and density in multivariable models.

Results: The study cohort consisted of 102 participants with incident CAC and 285 with CAC progression. CAC volume and density were highest, and incident CAC was most common in the left anterior descending artery (LAD). The greatest progression in volume was in the right coronary artery and the greatest change in density was in the left main. In linear regression models for CAC progression adjusted for baseline density, volume, risk factors, smoking (β +190.1, p = 0.02), baseline volume (β +0.24 per mm3, p < 0.01), and scan interval (β +0.15 per day, p = 0.01) were associated with change in total volume whereas Lp(a) (β +0.81 per mg/dL, p = 0.03), exercise (β +0.19 per 10 MET-min/week, p = 0.01), and baseline volume (β +0.15 per mm3, p < 0.01) and density (β -0.55 per unit, p < 0.01) were associated with change in total density.

Conclusions: In this South Asian cohort, smoking was associated with CAC volume progression, while Lp(a) and exercise were associated with progression of peak CAC density.

Keywords: Coronary artery calcium; Coronary artery disease; South asians; lipoprotein(a).

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Median change in CAC volume by coronary artery. LM = Left main artery, LAD = Left anterior descending artery, LCx = Left circumflex artery, RCA = Right coronary artery.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Median change in CAC density by coronary artery. LM = Left main artery, LAD = Left anterior descending artery, LCx = Left circumflex artery, RCA = Right coronary artery.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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