Calcium scans ‘can help to predict heart attack and strokes’

A new study has demonstrated the potential benefits of using coronary artery calcium screening as a means of predicting heart attacks and strokes among at-risk patients.

Led by Johns Hopkins Medicine, the research compared two approaches to risk assessment, the first looking only at risk factors including cholesterol, blood pressure, current smoking and diabetes, while the other used the direct measurement of atherosclerosis as seen on the coronary artery calcium score.

Using data from almost 7,000 adult participants, it was revealed that 15 percent of people believed to be at very low risk actually had high coronary artery calcium scores above 100, putting them at relatively high risk of a cardiac event over the next seven years.

Meanwhile, 35 percent of study participants thought to be at very high risk and needing aggressive therapy with aspirin and statin medication actually had no coronary artery calcium, meaning their chances of a heart attack or stroke were being overestimated.

Lead author Dr Michael Silverman said: "We showed that by using only the traditional risk factors, we miss a significant percentage of individuals at high risk. We may also be over-treating a large number of people who can safely avoid lifelong treatment."

In 2011, it is estimated that almost 160,000 people in the UK died from cardiovascular conditions, including coronary heart disease, heart failure, congenital heart disease and stroke.