A study by McEvoy et al published in Circulation determined
that computed tomography of the heart used to detect coronary artery calcium
levels (CAC) can assist in the creation of treatment plans for patients with
high blood pressure.
Their study tracked 3,733 people whose mean age
was 65 years and had a systolic blood pressure between 120 and 179 mm Hg. During the study period that tracked the
enrolled patients for over 10 years 642 events were detected.
The researchers found that patients with
calcium scores of zero who were at high risk of arteriosclerotic heart disease
(ASCVD) their incidence of a heart attack or stroke was low. While patients
with systolic blood pressure lower than 140 mm Hg and a low risk of heart
disease that had a CAC of more than 100 their incidence of a heart attack or
stroke was higher.
The authors concluded that CAC scoring and
assessment of arteriosclerotic vascular disease may guide in the determination
of selecting as a goal to achieve the traditional 140 mm Hg or a lower systolic
blood pressure such as 120 mm Hg particularly among patients with an estimated
ASCVD risk of 5-15% and prehypertension or mild hypertension.
