Measuring calcium deposits in the arteries of the heart is a good predictor of future heart disease, regardless of racial origin, according to a new study.

This type of screening is not commonly available on the NHS, but is widely advertised by private CT scanning clinics, who claim that it gives an earlier indication of risk than the classic risk factors of age, whether someone is overweight, smokes, or has high blood pressure or cholesterol.

The new study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, backs the clinics’ claims.

A team led by Robert Detrano, of the University of California at Irvine, compared the scans of 6,722 people with their subsequent health history over the next 3.8 years. None had any clinical evidence of heart disease when they were first scanned.

The team found that coronary calcium scores correlated with the risk of coronary events such as heart attacks or angina. When compared with people with no detectable coronary calcium, the risk of a heart attack was almost eight times greater if the score was between 101 and 300 and nearly ten times greater if it was above 300.

The score measures the degree of calcification of the arteries, which is a marker for a diseased artery and an early warning of the development of heart disease. The more calcium, the worse the prognosis. Calcium can be readily detected by CT scans, and the score calculated from X-ray images.

The team showed that the relationship holds true for whites, blacks, Hispanics and Chinese. “This is a very practical and effective method for cardiac disease and heart attack prevention,” said Dr Detrano.

Heart scans cost £450-£600 in the UK, and rather less, $300-$600 (£150-300), in the US. Dr Detrano believes that fees can be lower. He performs CT research scans for only $30 in rural China. “The results prove that coronary calcium detection is a strong predictor of heart attack and disease for African-Americans, Hispanics and Chinese-Americans as well,” he said.

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