Heart Health
Calcium score may foretell heart risk better than genetic test
Research we're watching
- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Specialized tests may help doctors better determine a person's risk of developing heart disease. A new study suggests that one such test, a calcium score (which quantifies the plaque inside the heart's arteries), appears to improve risk assessment, while a gene-based risk score does not.
The study, published in the May 23/30, 2023, issue of JAMA, included 3,208 adults from two large studies; none had heart disease at the outset. For each participant, researchers calculated a traditional heart disease risk score based on factors such as body mass index, blood pressure, and cholesterol values. Participants got CT scans to determine their calcium scores. They also got a polygenic risk score, which relies on a blood test that detects multiple genetic variants associated with heart disease.
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About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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