Assessment of Coronary Artery Calcium in Active Duty Enlisted Military Members With 10 or More Years of Service

While the military is making strides towards improving the health and habits of service members, there are many aspects of the military culture that negatively affect the cardiovascular health of military members. Smoking/tobacco use, poor eating habits with Meals Ready-to-eat (MRE) and ready access to fast food establishments on base, inconsistent exercise, the socioeconomic status of enlisted members and the stress of deployment are all factors that contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease during military service. Currently the calculation of a patient's Framingham risk score is the most commonly used method of calculating a patient's cardiovascular risk, and this calculation is based on age, smoking history, blood pressure, and lab values and compares it to a general population's risk. By the use of a cardiac computerized topography (CT) scan, a Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score can be calculated and used to estimate the degree of atherosclerosis already present in each patient's coronary arteries, and thus establishing their risk of future cardiovascular events. CAC scoring is a more patient-specific way of identifying cardiovascular risk. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of atherosclerosis in enlisted military members with at least 10 years of service and one or more cardiovascular risk factor and to determine if their risk of a cardiovascular event is higher than predicted by the Framingham score. If CAC scoring is demonstrated to be more accurate, particularly if it is more likely to detect risk, it may be used in the future to better risk stratify this population of the military. The CAC results in patients could also be a motivating factor to create changes in the military culture to attempt to mitigate these risks and create a healthier fighting force.