Using a genetic risk score to calculate the optimal age for an individual to undergo coronary artery calcium screening.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Genetic risk scores (GRSs) have been associated with CHD events and coronary artery calcium (CAC). We sought to evaluate the ability of a GRS to improve CAC as a screening test. METHODS:Using the results of the most recent genome-wide association studies, we calculated a GRS in 6660 individuals from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and used it to determine the optimal age for an individual to undergo CAC screening. RESULTS:This 157-SNP GRS was predictive of non-zero CAC in individuals aged 44-54 and improved the positive yield of CAC as a screening test in this age group. The GRS was predictive of CAC in the entire multi-ethnic cohort and in each self-identified ethnic group (European American, Chinese American, African American, and Hispanic American) assessed individually. Given a specified target yield rate of non-zero CAC, an equation was derived to calculate an individual's optimal age to undergo CAC screening. In addition, a "direct-to-consumer" GRS consisting of only risk SNPs or their proxies that are directly genotyped on the 23andMe v5 chip (102-SNP GRS) was assessed in the European American population and was predictive of non-zero CAC in younger individuals. CONCLUSION:A GRS is associated with non-zero CAC in a multi-ethnic cohort and can be used to calculate the age of a person's first calcium scan, given a target threshold for CAC discovery. Furthermore, an inexpensive and widely available "direct-to-consumer" GRS was found to be a viable option to calculate the optimal age for CAC screening.

SUBMITTER: Severance LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6801022 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul - Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature