Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Association of Extracoronary Calcification and Incident Heart Failure in the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
Authors' conclusion
ECC is associated with increased risk for HF, in particular HFpEF.
Study context
- Population
- MESA participants with baseline CT of aortic valve, aortic root, mitral valve and thoracic aorta calcification3,617 extracoronary calcification (ECC) 0
- Exposure
- Highest vs lowest ECC quartile
- Outcome
- Incident HF, including HFpEF
- Follow-up
- Mean 12.9 ± 4.2 years
Methodological detailsmultiethnic, multivariable Cox regression
- Multiethnic
- Multivariable Cox regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident HF and HFpEF
Highest ECC quartile vs Lowest ECC quartileAdjusted hazard ratio (95% CI)P value
Incident HF; attenuated to borderline significance after adjustment for coronary artery calcification
1.72(1.16–2.55)
P = 0.007Incident HFpEF; after full adjustment incl. coronary artery calcification
3.09(1.45–6.60)
P = 0.003- Heart failure (HF) events
- 358
- HF with reduced EF events
- 179
- Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) events
- 135
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Association of Extracoronary Calcification and Incident Heart Failure in the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). JACC Heart Fail. Published 26 March 2025. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it