The Relationship Between the Cardiometabolic Syndrome and Coronary Artery Calcium Progression

Cardiometabolic syndrome has been associated with increased likelihood and extent of coronary artery calcium (CAC). The authors examined the relationship of cardiometabolic syndrome to CAC progression in 200 healthy men who volunteered to undergo repeated electron beam tomography separated by 4.2±1.3 years. Prediction of clinically significant CAC progression (≥15% per year) was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression models and principal component analysis. Clinically significant CAC progression was observed in 52.5% of the cohort, with the mean and median rate of annual progression 41.3% and 18.3%, respectively. The cardiometabolic syndrome in clinically significant CAC progression participants was significantly higher compared with those without CAC progression (24.8% vs 11.6%; P=.016). Cardiometabolic syndrome was a significant independent predictor of clinically significant CAC progression (odds ratio, 2.65; P=.022). Cardiometabolic syndrome is associated with the baseline CAC score, and independently associated with the progression of CAC over 4 years.