Northwestern Medicine studies link social environment and calcium scans to heart disease risk

New research from Northwestern Medicine suggests that coronary artery calcium scans and social environments play significant roles in determining cardiovascular risk.

A study published in Nature Communications found that young adults living in neighborhoods with difficult social conditions—including limited access to healthy food, high crime rates, and financial stress—were more likely to develop calcium buildup in their coronary arteries later in life. This suggests that social determinants of health in early adulthood may influence heart disease risk long before clinical symptoms appear.

Separately, a study involving over 6,000 adults published in JAMA indicates that calcium scans may not be necessary for all patients. When used alongside the American Heart Association’s PREVENT risk calculator, the scans added little value for individuals already classified as low or high risk. However, the scans proved highly informative for those in borderline or intermediate risk categories, helping clinicians determine if their actual risk is higher or lower than routine measurements suggest.