Topic: Health
A recent study found that heart calcium scans may not be necessary for people at low risk of heart disease. The scan is used to measure calcium buildup in the arteries, but it only provided a small improvement over existing risk calculators.
Coronary artery calcium scans are becoming more popular as a way to assess a person's future risk of heart disease. These quick and relatively inexpensive CT tests measure calcium buildup in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. But new research from Northwestern Medicine suggests that the scan may provide its greatest benefit to a narrower group of patients than previously assumed.
The study followed over 6,000 adults for 10 years and found that adding a coronary artery calcium score provided only a small improvement over PREVENT, the American Heart Association's primary cardiovascular risk calculator. PREVENT estimates a person's chance of developing cardiovascular disease over the next 10 or 30 years using commonly available health information such as blood pressure, cholesterol, age, and sex.
A coronary artery calcium scan takes a different approach. The CT scan looks for calcium-containing plaque inside the coronary arteries. The resulting calcium score reflects the amount of detectable calcified plaque. In general, a higher score is associated with a greater risk of future cardiovascular disease.
The new findings suggest that calcium scores become particularly useful when PREVENT initially places someone in a borderline or intermediate risk category. Among these patients, the additional scan provided a clearer indication of who was more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and who was less likely.
Why It Matters
This study is important because it highlights the potential downsides of using heart calcium scans for people at low risk of heart disease. It can lead to unnecessary radiation exposure, testing, and costs with unclear clinical benefits.
Key Facts
- Over 6,000 adults were followed for 10 years in a recent study on heart calcium scans.
- The scan only provided a small improvement over existing risk calculators like PREVENT.
- Calcium scores become particularly useful when PREVENT initially places someone in a borderline or intermediate risk category.
- Using the scan in people at low risk may result in unnecessary radiation exposure and costs.
- The study was published on August 26, 2026, in JAMA.
Key Terms
- Coronary artery calcium score
- A measure of calcium buildup in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
- PREVENT
- The American Heart Association's primary cardiovascular risk calculator.
Implications
This study is important because it highlights the potential downsides of using heart calcium scans for people at low risk of heart disease. It can lead to unnecessary radiation exposure, testing, and costs with unclear clinical benefits.
Leave a comment