Electrocardiogram Risk Score and Prevalence of Subclinical Atherosclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Integrated abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters predict the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD); however, its relationship with subclinical CVD is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the association between the integrated ECG risk score and the prevalence of coronary artery calcium (CAC). A cross-sectional study comprised 134,802 participants with no known CVD who underwent ECG and CAC computed tomography. The ECG risk score was the sum of five ECG abnormalities: heart rate of >80 beats, QRS of >110 ms, left ventricular hypertrophy, T-wave inversion, and prolonged QTc. A multinomial regression model was used to estimate the prevalence ratios (PRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for prevalent CAC. The prevalence of CAC progressively increased as the ECG risk score increased. After adjustment for conventional CVD risk factors and other confounders, the multivariable-adjusted PRs (95% CI) for a CAC of 1–100 in the 1, 2, and ≥3 ECG risk score groups were 1.06 (1.02–1.10), 1.12 (1.03–1.22), and 1.19 (1.00–1.42), respectively, while the corresponding PRs for a CAC of >100 were 1.03 (0.95–1.12), 1.44 (1.25–1.66), and 1.75 (1.33–2.29), respectively. Integrative ECG scoring may help identify individuals requiring lipid-lowering medications, even in young and asymptomatic populations.