| Journalists:
please note that all presentations are embargoed until the
time of their actual presentation at the Late-Breaking Clinical
Trial (LBCT) sessions or ACC press conference, whichever comes
first. The date and time of each official presentation at
an LBCT session is provided at the end of each trial topic
description.
Highlights
from: Assessing Heart Disease Risk in Specific Populations
SUNDAY,
MARCH 6, 2005
1:00
p.m.-2:00 p.m
New tools
sharpen the prediction of cardiovascular risk
(ORLANDO, Fla.)—Studies being presented
at the American College of Cardiology’s 54th Annual
Scientific Session in Orlando, Fla., March 6-9, 2005, highlight
new advances in the ability to identify patients at increased
risk for heart disease.
A simple test that measures the amount of cholesterol
in the skin can identify persons who appear to be healthy
but actually have early-stage cardiovascular disease, a new
study shows (Wendy S. Tzou, #820-4). The study compared the
results of a skin cholesterol test—which is done without
even the prick of a needle—to those of an ultrasound
test with proven ability to identify vascular disease by detecting
changes in the arteries in the neck.
Researchers found that the results of the two
tests were closely related, and that a high skin cholesterol
level aided in predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease
even when other, more common risk factors were considered.
(Original presentation on Monday, March 7, at 2:15 p.m.)
In women who are at increased risk for heart
disease, exercise treadmill tests fail to tell the whole story.
A new study shows that cardiologists can more precisely identify
which women are likely to experience serious cardiovascular
illness by also performing myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI),
a nuclear test that uses radioactive tracers to vividly depict
whether the heart muscle is receiving an adequate supply of
blood (Justin B. Lundbye, #809-6).
Researchers found that among women who were
at moderate or high risk for heart disease according to exercise
testing, those who also had an abnormal MPI test were significantly
more likely to die, have a heart
attack or need a procedure to open blocked coronary arteries.
In women at low risk for heart disease according to exercise
testing, MPI did not improve the prediction of risk. (Original
presentation on Monday, March 7, at 11:45 a.m.)
Coronary calcium screening by computed tomography
(CT) has the potential to detect early cardiovascular disease.
In young women, however, a more effective screening tool may
be magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the main artery spanning
from the heart to the lower body (Hao S. Lo, #821-4). Researchers
compared the results of CT and MRI in women participating
in the Dallas Heart Study. Those who had atherosclerotic plaque
in the abdominal aorta on MRI, but a negative CT scan for
coronary calcium, tended to be young, have a family history
of heart attack and have low levels of “good”
cholesterol in the blood. (Original presentation on Monday,
March 7, at 4:15 p.m.)
Coronary calcium screening of more than 4,000
people suggests that commonly used reference calcium scores
may underestimate the true risk of heart disease (Axel Schmermund,
#863-6). German researchers scanned a group of people with
no known history of heart disease, classifying their calcium
scores by age and gender. Particularly among participants
aged 60 years and older, calcium scores were significantly
lower than those previously reported in other studies, suggesting
the need to revise downward the definition of a normal test.
(Original presentation on Tuesday, March 8, at 4:45 p.m.)
Including tests for inflammation and anemia
improves the evaluation of women suspected of having heart
disease, according to a new study (Christopher B. Arant, #814-3).
As part of the Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation
(WISE), researchers documented blood levels of inflammatory
markers C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and serum amyloid
A, as well as hemoglobin, a test commonly used to identify
anemia. They found that as the number of abnormal biomarkers
increased, so did the risk of cardiovascular illness or death.
One abnormal biomarker increased the risk by 90 percent, whereas
four abnormal biomarkers increased the risk more than fivefold.
(Original presentation on Monday, March 7, at 2:00 p.m.)
In patients with diabetes, shortness of breath
may be just as telling a symptom of heart disease as chest
pain (Su Min Chang, #861-4). Researchers compared a group
of diabetic patients who sought medical treatment for shortness
of breath to a group with chest pain, a more typical symptom
of heart disease. All patients had myocardial perfusion imaging
to evaluate blood flow to the heart and about half also had
an arterial x-ray to detect narrowing of the coronary arteries.
The results of both tests were nearly identical
in the two groups: About 60 percent of patients in both groups
had an abnormal MPI test, and about 80 percent had coronary
arteries narrowed by a build-up of atherosclerotic plaque.
(Original presentation on Tuesday, March 8, at 4:15 p.m.)
Moderator: TBD
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