The amount of calcium accumulated in the coronary artery is an indicator of heart attack risk.

Researchers at Tulane University Hospital in the US have screened over 10,000 patients for calcium build up in the arteries serving the heart. They find this provides new information - independent of traditional risk factors - on who is most likely to have a fatal heart attack.

None of the participants had any symptoms of heart disease - although each of them had risk factors liike advanced age, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. They underwent electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) which revealed their calcium score. Survival at five years decreased susbtantially as calcium scores went up from a low of 10 to a high of 1,000. Those with the top score had a risk of dying that was over 12 times that of those with the bottom calcium scores. Indeed, calcium was the strongest indicator of heart attack or stroke risk - apart from age. The study suggests that EBCT screening could have a value in assessing those at risk of heart disease.

Source

Radiology September 2003