Important Discoveries Subclinical Atherosclerosis and Coronary Calcium Pulse pressure is an important risk factor for coronary heart disease. (abstract) More than 40% of men and 30% of women under age 60 have evidence of "hardening of the arteries" as evidenced by coronary artery calcium. This rises to more than 80% of men and 60% of women after the age of 60. (abstract) High cholesterol remains an important risk factor after heart attack, including among individuals over the age of 65. (abstract) Nearly half of multi-ethnic Southern California youth have cholesterol levels exceeding the upper cutoff of normal for children and adolescents of 170 mg/dl. (abstract) Relation of coronary calcium progression and control of lipids according to National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines. (abstract) Relation of thoracic aortic and aortic valve calcium to coronary artery calcium and risk assessment. (abstract) Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes Impact of the Metabolic Syndrome on Mortality From Coronary Heart Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, and All Causes in United States Adults. (abstract) The metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and subclinical atherosclerosis assessed by coronary calcium. (abstract) Preventing coronary events by optimal control of blood pressure and lipids in patients with the metabolic syndrome. (abstract) Framingham, NHANES and other population-based studies Children who watch 2-4 hours of television are twice as likely, and those watching more than 4 hours of television four times as likely as those watching less than 2 hours of television daily to have cholesterol levels exceeding 200 mg/dl. (abstract) Preventing heart disease by controlling hypertension: impact of hypertensive subtype, stage, age, and sex. (abstract) Find out more about... Coronary Artery Calcium and Computed Tomography Prognostic significance of coronary calcific deposits in asymptomatic high-risk subjects. Does coronary artery screening by electron beam computed tomography motivate potentially beneficial lifestyle behaviors? Relation of electron beam computed tomography screening for coronary calcium to cardiovascular risk and disease: a review. Prevalence of fluoroscopic coronary calcific deposits in high-risk asymptomatic persons. Persons with the metabolic syndrome and diabetes have an increased likelihood of subclinical disease detected by coronary artery calcium. Approximately 40% of persons with the metabolic syndrome have either a >20% 10-year risk of coronary heart disease or significant coronary calcium, possibly warranting their aggressive clinical management as a "coronary heart disease" risk equivalent. From prospective follow-up of the South Bay Heart Watch, persons with higher calcium scores, but without diabetes, were more likely to suffer events, whereas calcium scores were not predictive of events in persons with diabetes. Persons in the highest two quartiles of age and sex-specific coronary calcium scores are at an increased risk of future cardiovascular events. Initially asymptomatic persons with higher levels of coronary calcium are at a greater risk of future cardiovascular events compared to persons without coronary calcium. Framingham Heart Study, Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA), National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), and Other Population based studies. Optimal control of blood pressure and lipids may prevent approximately 80% of coronary heart disease events in persons with the metabolic syndrome, warranting aggressive risk factor management in these patients Control of blood pressure to optimal levels may prevent nearly 40% of coronary events in women and more than 50% of events in men. Most events are prevented among those with isolated systolic hypertension and in men. Cigarette smoking, increased age, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure in men, and body mass index and diabetes in women, were strongly associated with a greater likelihood of elevated CRP levels in the US population of adults Isolated systolic hypertension is the predominant form of hypertension in older persons, and among such persons, a greater reduction in systolic blood pressure compared to younger persons is required to achieve control of hypertension. With increasing age, there was a gradual shift from DBP to SBP and then to PP as predictors of CHD risk. In patients <50 years of age, DBP was the strongest predictor. Age 50 to 59 years was a transition period when all 3 BP indexes were comparable predictors, and from 60 years of age on, DBP was negatively related to CHD risk so that PP became superior to SBP.
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