Association of subclinical atherosclerosis with echocardiographic indices of cardiac remodeling: The Framingham Study

BackgroundIt is well established that coronary artery disease progresses along with myocardial disease. However, data on the association between coronary artery calcium (CAC) and echocardiographic variables are lacking.Methods and resultsAmong 2,650 Framingham Study participants (mean age 51 yrs, 48% women; 40% with CAC>0), we related CT-based CAC score to left ventricular (LV) mass index (LVMi), LV ejection fraction (LVEF), E/e', global longitudinal strain (GLS), left atrial emptying fraction (LAEF), and aortic root diameter (AoR), using multivariable-adjusted generalized linear models. CAC score (independent variable) was used as log-transformed continuous [ln(CAC+1)] and as a categorical (0, 1-100, and ≥101) variable. Adjusting for standard risk factors, higher CAC score was associated with higher LVMi and AoR (βLVMI per 1-SD increase 0.012, βAoR 0.008; P58 years; βAoR0.0042;PConclusionsWe observed that subclinical atherosclerosis was associated with ventricular and aortic remodeling. The prognostic significance of these associations warrants evaluation in additional mechanistic studies.