The role of coronary artery calcium in allocating pharmacotherapy for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: The ABCs of CAC.
Yash ManiarRoger S BlumenthalAbdulhamied AlfaddaghPublished in: Clinical cardiology (2022)
Determining optimal candidates for the numerous potential pharmacotherapies for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains challenging. Selective use of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring is recommended by the 2018 and 2019 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Cholesterol and Primary Prevention Guidelines as a tool for refining cardiovascular disease risk assessment. A growing body of research shows that CAC has potential value in allocation of primary prevention aspirin, determining blood pressure targets and treatment intensity, the intensity of cholesterol management, and use of the more expensive medications for type 2 diabetes. We also review the literature regarding very elevated CAC scores greater than 400 or 1000 and how these scores appear to confer a risk for cardiovascular disease on par with secondary prevention cohorts.
Keyphrases
- cardiovascular disease
- coronary artery
- type diabetes
- risk assessment
- cardiovascular events
- blood pressure
- pulmonary artery
- human health
- cardiovascular risk factors
- systematic review
- low dose
- heart failure
- high intensity
- smoking cessation
- antiplatelet therapy
- metabolic syndrome
- glycemic control
- skeletal muscle
- atrial fibrillation
- weight loss
- coronary artery disease
- hypertensive patients
- replacement therapy
- breast cancer risk