High CAC, high cholesterol increase heart attack/stroke risk, UT Southwestern cardiologist finds

Cardiologist Parag Joshi, MD, is a member of the University of Texas Southwestern Clinical Heart and Vascular Center, which is ranked 11th nationally and 1st in Texas for cardiology and cardiac surgery one

"We hope that by identifying the link between Lp(a) and CAC as dual risk drivers, we can increase awareness in the medical community and improve early heart disease prevention in these patients," said UT Southwestern Internal Medicine Associate Professor Parag Joshi, MD, a cardiologist, said

"Our data may also accelerate the development of treatments specifically for this high-risk population," said Dr.

About 1 in 6 people in the United States have high lipoprotein(a), a type of bad cholesterol, the level of which is largely determined by a person's genes

The research team, including researchers at Emory University, found that participants with both high Lp(a) and high CAC had a 22 percent 10-year risk of heart attack or stroke, compared with those with both alone.

The researchers found three clear risk-related trends:

• High Lp(a), high CAC: These people face the highest 10-year risk of heart attack or stroke

  
  

• High Lp(a), zero CAC: When there is no CAC, the 10-year risk of heart attack and stroke is low even if Lp(a) is high

  
  

• Low Lp(a), high CAC: The 10-year risk of heart attack or stroke was above average, but lower than that of high Lp(a) and high CAC combined

  
  

The findings were published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) and will appear in the March print edition

"Establishing the link between Lp(a) and CAC means we can move on to the important next phase of research, the definition and personalization of early screening protocols to identify patients at high risk for heart attack

Cardiology researchers have confirmed the link between Lp(a) and CAC by comparing data from two landmark cardiovascular trials:

• The Dallas Heart Study, an ongoing comprehensive study of 6,000 diverse heart-healthy patients, conducted by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center from 2000 to the present

• Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA): A 6,000-person study investigating early-stage atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)

  
  

Authors include The University of Texas Southwestern, Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Institute, Virginia Commonwealth University Poly Heart Center, Johns Hopkins Cardiology Prevention Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Albert C.

Dee Baker Veterans Medical Center in Houston

About the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is one of the nation's premier academic medical centers, combining pioneering biomedical research with excellence in clinical care and education