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Differences in coronary plaque composition with aging measured by coronary computed tomography angiography.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Tota-Maharaj, R; Blaha, MJ; Rivera, JJ; Henry, TS; Choi, E-K; Chang, S-A; Yoon, YE; Chun, EJ; Choi, S-I; Blumenthal, RS; Chang, H-J; Nasir, K
Published in: Int J Cardiol
July 12, 2012

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the independent impact of aging on coronary plaque morphology and composition in the era of cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA). METHODS: We studied 1015 consecutive asymptomatic South Korean subjects (49 ± 10 years, 64% men) who underwent 64-slice CCTA during routine health evaluation. Coronary plaque characteristics were analyzed on a per-segment basis according to the modified AHA classification. Plaques with >50% calcified tissue were classified as calcified (CAP), plaques with <50% calcified tissue were classified as mixed (MCAP), and plaques without calcium were classified as non-calcified (NCAP). Multiple regression analysis was employed to describe the cross-sectional association between age tertile and plaque type burden (≥ 2 affected segments) after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of coronary plaque increased with age, (1st tertile: 7.5%, 3rd tertile: 38.5% [p<0.001]). The relative contribution of NCAP to overall plaque burden decreased with age from nearly 50% in the first tertile to approximately 20% in the third, while there was a reciprocal increase in both MCAP and CAP subtypes. In multivariable analysis, patients in the oldest tertile had a 2.5-fold increase in burden of NCAP, yet a nearly 40-fold increase in MCAP and 16-fold increase in CAP compared to the youngest tertile. In conclusion, CCTA is an effective method for measuring age-related differences in the burden of individual coronary plaque subtypes. Future research is needed to determine whether the increase in mixed and calcified plaques seen with aging produce an independent contribution to the age-related increase in cardiovascular risk.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Int J Cardiol

DOI

EISSN

1874-1754

Publication Date

July 12, 2012

Volume

158

Issue

2

Start / End Page

240 / 245

Location

Netherlands

Related Subject Headings

  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Plaque, Atherosclerotic
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Coronary Artery Disease
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Cardiovascular System & Hematology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Tota-Maharaj, R., Blaha, M. J., Rivera, J. J., Henry, T. S., Choi, E.-K., Chang, S.-A., … Nasir, K. (2012). Differences in coronary plaque composition with aging measured by coronary computed tomography angiography. Int J Cardiol, 158(2), 240–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2011.01.041
Tota-Maharaj, Rajesh, Michael J. Blaha, Juan J. Rivera, Travis S. Henry, Eue-Keun Choi, Sung-A Chang, Yeonyee E. Yoon, et al. “Differences in coronary plaque composition with aging measured by coronary computed tomography angiography.Int J Cardiol 158, no. 2 (July 12, 2012): 240–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2011.01.041.
Tota-Maharaj R, Blaha MJ, Rivera JJ, Henry TS, Choi E-K, Chang S-A, et al. Differences in coronary plaque composition with aging measured by coronary computed tomography angiography. Int J Cardiol. 2012 Jul 12;158(2):240–5.
Tota-Maharaj, Rajesh, et al. “Differences in coronary plaque composition with aging measured by coronary computed tomography angiography.Int J Cardiol, vol. 158, no. 2, July 2012, pp. 240–45. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2011.01.041.
Tota-Maharaj R, Blaha MJ, Rivera JJ, Henry TS, Choi E-K, Chang S-A, Yoon YE, Chun EJ, Choi S-I, Blumenthal RS, Chang H-J, Nasir K. Differences in coronary plaque composition with aging measured by coronary computed tomography angiography. Int J Cardiol. 2012 Jul 12;158(2):240–245.
Journal cover image

Published In

Int J Cardiol

DOI

EISSN

1874-1754

Publication Date

July 12, 2012

Volume

158

Issue

2

Start / End Page

240 / 245

Location

Netherlands

Related Subject Headings

  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Plaque, Atherosclerotic
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Coronary Artery Disease
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Cardiovascular System & Hematology