Is coronary artery calcium the key to assessment of cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic adults?

New recommendations put forth in the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guidelines for Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk in Asymptomatic Adults and the updated 2010 Appropriate Use Criteria for Cardiac Computed Tomography both reflect the unparalleled prognostic power of CAC scoring and it's unique ability to further refine current risk prediction models. The ACCF/AHA guidelines maintain the measurement of CAC is reasonable for cardiovascular risk assessment in asymptomatic adults at intermediate risk (10%-20% 10-year-risk) (IIa, Level of Evidence: B), low-to-intermediate risk (6%-10% 10-year-risk) (IIb, Level of Evidence: B), and in diabetics over age 40 (IIa, Level of Evidence: B). There now exists a large body of published evidence depicting the independent and incremental prognostic value of CAC scoring over Framingham risk score-based strategy alone, a feature unmatched by any other biomarker under investigation. Early detection of subclinical atherosclerosis through noninvasive assessment of CAC leads to more accurate risk stratification and a substantially higher net reclassification improvement (NRI) among intermediate-risk groups, deeming many patients newly eligible for lipid-lowering therapy and other preventative measures.