Abstract 13428: Mid-Life and Late-Life Exposure to Traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Zero Coronary Artery Calcium: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Abstract

Introduction: Our understanding of traditional atherosclerotic risk factors is largely based on their contributions to adverse atherosclerotic events. However, the relative contributions of mid-life and late-life risk factor exposures to persistent zero coronary artery calcium (CAC=0) in older adulthood, a representative healthy vascular aging phenotype, have not been fully examined. Hypothesis: Both mid-life and late-life risk factors are associated with CAC=0, with stronger results for the former. Methods: Using data from 2,035 community-dwelling participants free of coronary heart disease in the ARIC study, we evaluated traditional modifiable risk factors (i.e., lipids, systolic blood pressure, obesity, smoking, and diabetes) at mid-life (median age 49, visit 1 from 1987-1989) and late-life (median age 73, visit 5 from 2011-2013) and their associations with CAC=0 at visit 7 (median age 80, from 2018-2019), using multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for within-visit factors. Results: There were 204 participants (10.0%) with CAC=0. Compared with participants with any CAC, those with CAC=0 had more favorable values for most traditional risk factors (lower cholesterol, BMI, and systolic blood pressure, higher HDL-C, and not smoking) in both mid-life and late-life, with the exception of fasting glucose ( Table ). The results were similar when we modeled diabetes instead of fasting glucose. Lower total cholesterol in mid-life, but not late-life, was associated with CAC=0. Conclusions: Having favorable modifiable risk factors both at mid-life and late-life were independently associated with CAC=0 in older adults free of clinical coronary heart disease. These results highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy risk factor profile from mid-life, with implications on public health promotion and strategy.