Aortic root calcification and cardiac risk factors in patients with coronary calcium score greater than zero using multidetector computed tomography

•Little information exists regarding the association ARC and coronary risk factors.•Of 196 patients, 69 with coronary calcification were enrolled in the study.•ARC was significantly correlated with age ≥65 years and male sex.•This correlation persisted even after adjustment for other cardiac risk factors.

BackgroundVascular calcification is a marker of atherosclerotic burden and is associated with increased risk of cardiac events. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between clinical cardiac risk factors and aortic root calcification (ARC) in patients with a coronary calcium score (CCS) > 0, as assessed by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).MethodsBetween January and December 2013, 196 consecutive Iraqi patients who underwent MDCT for assessment of coronary disease were recruited. Of these, 69 patients with a CCS > 0 were enrolled in the study. For analytical purposes, patients were divided into two groups by ARC score: patients with ARC > 0 (ARC group, n = 32) and those with ARC = 0 (non-ARC group, n = 37).ResultsThe overall prevalence of ARC was 46%. Mean ARC was 174 ± 28.5 (range, 10–500). A significant correlation was observed between ARC and male sex (r = 0.380, P = 0.032) and between ARC and age ≥65 years (r = 0.353, P = 0.047). These correlations persisted even after multivariate adjustment for other cardiac risk factors. There were no significant correlations between ARC and other cardiac risk factors, and the only significant between-group difference in the distribution of cardiac risk factors was in patient age.ConclusionARC was significantly correlated with older age and male sex in patients with CCS > 0.