Evaluating the incremental value of an expanded cardiovascular health score for the prevalence of abdominal aortic calcification among middle-aged and elderly individuals
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between three cardiovascular health scores-Life's Simple 7 (LS7), Life's Essential 8 (LE8), and Life's Crucial 9 (LC9)-and the prevalence of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and severe AAC among middle-aged and elderly individuals using data from NHANES 2013-2014. Methods: We analyzed data from 2484 adults aged 40 years and older with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Logistic regression models evaluated associations between each cardiovascular health score and AAC prevalence. The discriminatory ability of each score was compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, with area under the curve (AUC) values, net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Results: In fully adjusted models, low LS7 scores were significantly associated with higher odds of AAC (OR = 2.16 [1.33-3.50]) and severe AAC (OR = 3.21 [1.45-7.13]), compared to high LS7 scores. While similar associations were observed for LE8 and LC9, LS7 demonstrated the strongest ability to differentiate individuals with and without AAC, as reflected by its higher AUC values. Adding LS7 to fully adjusted models improved model discrimination for both AAC and severe AAC, with significant NRI and IDI values. Conclusion: These findings suggest that lower cardiovascular health scores are associated with increased AAC and severe AAC prevalence, with LS7 demonstrating the highest discriminatory ability.
Authors: Qianliang Ying, Zongze Chen, Xiaobo Xue
Institutions: Ninghai County First Hospital, Ningbo First Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,710
OpenAlex ID: W4408185162