Measurement of coronary artery calcification by electron beam computerized tomography in persons with chronic spinal cord injury: evidence for increased atherosclerotic burden

• Published in: Spinal cord 2007-12, Vol.45 (12), p.775-779
• Main Authors: Orakzai, S H, Orakzai, R H, Ahmadi, N, Agrawal, N, Bauman, W A, Yee, F, Adkins, R H, Waters, R L, Budoff, M J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anatomy; Atherosclerosis - complications; Atherosclerosis - diagnostic imaging; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Calcinosis - complications; Calcinosis - diagnostic imaging; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; Chronic Disease; Cohort Studies; Coronary Angiography; Coronary Artery Disease - complications; Coronary Artery Disease - diagnostic imaging; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Female; Human Physiology; Humans; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurochemistry; Neurology; Neuropsychology; Neurosciences; original-article; Risk; Risk Factors; Sex Characteristics; Spinal Cord Injuries - complications; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
• ISSN: 1362-4393; 1476-5624
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.sc.3102045

Background/Objective: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) have been reported to have an increased prevalence of premature cardiovascular disease. Whether the increased risk of disease is owing to clustering of traditional cardiac risk factor or is over and above that predicted by risk factors was addressed. Methods: Ninety-one persons with chronic SCI were studied for subclinical atherosclerosis. Cardiac risk factors and coronary artery calcium (CAC) was compared to matched non-SCI controls. The 273 controls were 3:1 matched for age, gender, ethnicity and risk factors and were drawn from a national database of over 30 000 asymptomatic persons undergoing coronary scanning. Results: Seventy-six men and 15 women were studied. Average age was 49.7±12 years. Duration of injury was 19.7±10 years. The ethnicity of the study cohort included 36% Caucasian, 49% Latino, 10% African American, and 5% other. The mean calcium score of the SCI group was significantly greater than the control group (75±218 versus 28±104, P