Coronary heart disease refers to the failure of adequate blood circulation to the cardiac
muscle and the surrounding tissue.
Symptoms of the condition include chest heaviness, fatigue, chest pain, and angina (lack of blood and oxygen supply).
According to experts, lifestyle changes, proper diet and exercise, and weight control could help in preventing the condition.
367 patients studied
To reach this conclusion, a research team from the Henry Ford Hospital examined 367 patients who underwent an abdominal CT scan and cardiac catheterization between January 2004 and May 2009.
These patients were further followed up for a period of 27 months. Sixty five of the patients died at the end of the follow up period.
Catheterization is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart.
Results of the study
On analysis, the researchers found that patients with very high levels of abdominal aortic calcium (AAC) score (over 1000) were 58 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease.
The ACC score was also a strong indicator of higher risk of mortality, they noted.
On the other hand, lower level of abdominal aortic calcium was associated with lower risk of coronary heart disease.
For instance, patients who had an ACC score of zero just had 11 percent risk of developing the medical condition.
Further, it was observed those who had heart disease as well as higher levels of abdominal aortic calcium were at a higher risk of dying compared to those who had heart disease alone.
Mouaz Al-Mallah, M.D., director of Cardiac Imaging Research at Henry Ford and lead author of the study was quoted by Times of India as saying, "If you get a CT scan on your abdomen, there’s probably a good chance that image can provide us with more information about the health of your heart arteries.
“This study clearly demonstrates that higher scores of abdominal aortic calcium are associated with higher rates of coronary artery disease and mortality," he added.
The researchers, however, cautioned that their findings must be confirmed in larger trials before ACC is established as a strong predictor of heart disease risk as reported by TheHeart.org.
Findings of the study were presented March 14 at the 59th annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Atlanta.
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