Sociodemographic Disparities in Coronary Artery Calcium Screening

This study aimed to compare the demographic features and socioeconomic status of patients who underwent coronary artery calcium screening to that of their local population. Coronary artery calcium scores provide important evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis. However, insurance often does not cover coronary artery calcium testing, which could exclude people of lower socioeconomic status. Demographic and occupational data were obtained for all patients referred for coronary artery calcium in a metropolitan area between October 2010 and August 2023. Household income and population reference information were taken from US Census Data and matched to zip code and regional metropolitan area. Coronary artery calcium tests were performed on 627 patients with a median age of 63 years and equal gender representation (52% female, 48% male). Patients were predominately White (77%) and English-speaking (98%), which is incongruent with local demographic data (P < .001). Healthcare workers were the largest workforce (22%), followed by people involved in education (12%), which is higher than the local healthcare workforce of 10% (P < .001). Those with graduate/professional degrees accounted for 32% of patients, significantly more than the local population (P < .001). The average median annual income ($94,116) of patients who underwent CAC testing was greater than that of the metropolitan median income of $81,264 (P < .001). The disproportionate distribution of coronary artery calcium screening favoring educated, affluent, White English speakers indicates that higher-income and healthcare personnel are more likely to receive testing. Disparities in coronary artery calcium testing, especially in minorities and non-English speaking individuals, should be further explored.