Background: Zero calcium score (CS) is associated with low risk for mortality but not low risk for acute coronary disease developments. Soft plaque is vulnerable to fissuring and rupture.
Objective: To evaluate the frequency of coronary atheromatous plaque in patients with zero CS and the associated risk factors.
Patients and methods: This was a cross-sectional, retrospective study with 235 consecutive individuals with zero CS at Islam Cardiac Center from August 2019 to August 2020. A significance level of 5% was adopted.
Results: The frequency of atheromatous plaque in coronary arteries in 235 patients with zero CS was 26.81% (63 individuals). In the subgroup of atheromatous plaque with zero CS, mean age was 58±28 years, 40 (63.5%) were females, 29 (46.03%) hypertensive, 33 (52.38%) diabetics, 31 (49.2%) dyslipidemias, 12(19.05% had family history of premature coronary artery diseases (CAD), 20 (31.75%) smokers and body mass index (BMI) was 27.64±1.5. Fifteen patients (23.8%) had obstructive plaques (> 50%).
Conclusions: The frequency of atheromatous plaques with zero CS was high. So, absence of calcification does not exclude the presence of plaques, one fourth of them were obstructive, especially with aged individuals.