Family history of coronary heart disease and the incidence and progression of coronary artery calcification: Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

ObjectiveWe evaluated family history as a predictor of incident and progressive coronary artery calcium (CAC) using data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).BackgroundMESA is a multi-center prospective study of 6814 asymptomatic individuals. The relationship between family history of coronary heart disease (CHD) and CAC incidence or progression has not been described previously.MethodsA total of 5099 participants had detailed information about family history of CHD (late versus premature and parental versus sibling history). The mean time between CAC scans was 3.1 ± 1.3 years. The association of late versus premature family history was assessed against CAC change using multivariate regression model adjusted for demographics and cardiac risk factors.ResultsA family history of premature CHD was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.55 (p < 0.01) for incident development of CAC after adjusting for risk factors and demographics. A premature family history was associated with 14.4 units (p < 0.01) greater volume scores compared to those with no family history in similarly adjusted models by median regression analysis. A combined parental and sibling family history was associated with the greatest incidence and progression in demographic-adjusted models. Caucasians demonstrated the most consistent predictive relationship between family history of premature CHD and incidence (p < 0.01) and progression (p < 0.05) of CAC, though no significant interaction with ethnicity was noted.ConclusionsFamily history of premature CHD is associated with enhanced development and progression of subclinical disease, independent of other risk factors, in a multiethnic, population-based study.