Calcified plaque in the arteries better predicts future heart attacks than strokes

The amount of calcified plaque in the heart's arteries is a better predictor of future heart attacks than of strokes, with similar findings across sex and racial groups, according to new research from UT Southwestern.

The study, published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, is the first to examine the predictive value of recently recommended coronary artery calcium (CAC) score categories for heart attacks and strokes. Using two population-based, multiethnic cohorts, the researchers evaluated how well the amount of calcium detected by a CT scan of the heart predicted whether white, Black, and Hispanic men and women would have a stroke or a heart attack in the next 10 years.

Calcium is part of the fatty plaque that builds up in arteries supplying blood to the heart and brain and can lead to blockages,
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