Last summer, the research team at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation Nolan Family Center for Cardiovascular Health took a closer look at Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) scans, a test that shows how much calcium has built up in the arteries of the heart. Each year, nearly 6,000 patients at Allina Health receive a CAC scan, giving the team a unique opportunity to explore patterns related to heart disease risk using data from these scans. CAC scans help estimate a person’s risk for heart disease. A low score means a lower risk of heart disease, while a higher score means more calcium buildup and a greater chance of future heart problems.
Interestingly, part of this study focused on something that’s often overlooked: where patients live. Researchers linked patients’ ZIP codes to a measure called the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). ADI reflects neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage by ranking things like income, education, housing quality, and access to resources. Neighborhoods were grouped into low, medium, or high disadvantage, and researchers looked at how CAC scores varied across these groups.
Out of 5,748 patients, nearly half (49.7%) had some amount of calcium buildup in their heart arteries. The study found that people living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods were more likely to have calcium detected on their scans. In other words, higher neighborhood disadvantage was associated with greater signs of heart disease risk. However, findings also showed that people from the most disadvantaged communities were less likely to receive a CAC scan in the first place. This suggests that individuals who may be at higher risk for heart disease are actually less likely to get screened.
When researchers adjusted the analysis to account for other factors — such as age, sex, and clinical variables — the strength of the association decreased. This tells us that while neighborhood disadvantage is associated with heart disease risk, it doesn’t explain why these differences exist. Other social or clinical factors are likely playing a role.
Overall, the study highlights a possible health equity gap, and understanding and addressing this gap is important. Reducing barriers to CAC scans could help ensure that communities at higher risk for heart disease are not left out of early detection and prevention efforts moving forward. This research was recognized with an award for best abstract at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Midwest Cardiovascular Forum in November 2025 and recently presented at the national ACC conference in March 2026.
