Low computed tomography coronary artery calcium scores in familial longevity: the Leiden Longevity Study

Offspring of long-lived parents have a low prevalence of cardiovascular disease in middle age. The purposes of this study were to investigate calcium scores in offspring as compared to controls and to determine the influence of cardiovascular risk factors. CT coronary artery calcium score was measured in offspring of long-lived families (n = 244, 125 males) and their partners (n = 223, 96 males) who served as controls. Calcium scores were analyzed separately for sexes. Subjects were grouped by very low calcium score ≤10 and scores above 10. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney test, chi-squared tests, and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association between calcium scores, familial longevity, and cardiovascular risk factors. More offspring of long-lived parents had lower calcium scores than controls. In men, 34 % of offspring had score ≤10 versus 21 % of controls (odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.0, 1.08–3.7, p = 0.028). In women, 70 % of offspring had score ≤10 versus 54 % of controls (OR 1.9, 95 % CI 1.13–3.4, p = 0.019). Differences remained significant after correction for age (men, p = 0.043 and women, p = 0.003) and further correction for major risk factors in women, indicating genetic influence for lower calcium scores. In men, the association was found to be influenced by cardiovascular risk factors. Men and women with a familial propensity to become long-lived have lower coronary artery calcium scores than controls. Low scores may indicate a younger biologic arterial age associated with a low risk for incident cardiovascular disease.