Does the Predictive Value of Coronary Calcium Measurements Vary by Ethnic Group?

Coronary-artery calcium (CAC) scores predict adverse coronary events among white people. Researchers assessed how well CAC measurement predicted adverse coronary events among 6700 people of four ethnicities (white, 39%; black, 28%; Hispanic, 22%; and Chinese, 12%). Mean duration of follow-up was 3.8 years.

After adjustment for traditional coronary risk factors, no significant differences in the predictive value of CAC scores were found across ethnic groups. Compared with people who had CAC scores of 0, people with scores of 1 to 100, 101 to 300, and >300 had hazard ratios for any coronary event of 3.6, 7.7, and 9.7, respectively. A doubling of the calcium score raised risk for any adverse coronary event by 18% to 39%.