Coronary artery calcium, quantified by computed tomography scanning, is one of the well-known measures of subclinical atherosclerosis. Coronary artery calcium is considered an end result from the long-term exposure to risk factors. CAC has been shown to improve risk stratification in asymptomatic individuals with intermediate-risk(e.g., an option to facilitate decision making)for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the US/western countries. Coronary artery calcium also represents a surrogate of atherosclerosis burden. However, the lack of evidence regarding issues such as costs or radiation exposure related to measuring coronary artery calcium warrants further studies.
Keyphrases
- coronary artery
- pulmonary artery
- cardiovascular disease
- computed tomography
- risk factors
- decision making
- magnetic resonance imaging
- type diabetes
- south africa
- metabolic syndrome
- positron emission tomography
- coronary artery disease
- magnetic resonance
- cardiovascular risk factors
- cardiovascular events
- pet ct
- drug induced