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Coronary artery calcium (CAC), noted as an incidental finding on chest computed tomography (CT) performed for other reasons, is increasingly reported, but should it engender more medication use, cardiology referrals, and stress testing as has been reported? Investigators sought to place incidentally noted coronary calcification in context by determining CAC prevalence by age, sex, race, and ethnicity among individuals who were enrolled in the MESA study. MESA involved about 6800 people (age range, 45–84; mean age, 62) who were free from clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) at enrollment approximately 20 years ago (Circulation 2006; 113:30).
The prevalence of detectable CAC increased markedly with age in every demographic g…