Calcified carotid artery atheromas in panoramic radiographs are associated with a first myocardial infarction: a case-control study.

Publication date: Available online 15 November 2017
Source:Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology
Author(s): N. Gustafsson, J. Ahlqvist, U. Näslund, P. Wester, K. Buhlin, A. Gustafsson, E. Levring Jäghagen
ObjectiveThe aim of this case-control study was to investigate whether subjects with a first myocardial infarction (MI) had a higher prevalence of calcified carotid artery atheromas (CCAAs) in panoramic radiographs (PRs) than age, gender, and residential area matched controls without MIs.Study designSix hundred ninety-six cases with a first MI and 696 controls, were included in this sub-study of the Swedish multicentre PAROKRANK study. All subjects had PRs that were evaluated for CCAAs.ResultsThe prevalence of CCAAs detected by PR was 33.8% (235/696) in cases and 27.6% (192/696) in controls (odds ratio [OR]: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.04-1.44; p=0.012). Among males, 32.7% (184/562) of cases and 26.5% (149/562) of controls displayed CCAAs in PRs (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03-1.48; p=0.022). Among both genders, bilateral CCAAs were significantly more common among cases than among controls (p=0.002).ConclusionCases, i.e. subjects with recent MIs, had a significantly higher prevalence of CCAAs in PRs compared to controls, i.e. subjects without MIs. This difference between groups was more pronounced for bilateral CCAAs. These findings supported the contention that CCAA detection could serve as a risk indicator for future MIs.



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