2.3. Radiographic Evaluation

AoAC score was measured as calcification in the aortic node region on X-ray. Based on these X-rays, two radiologists who were blind to the personal information of each individual diagnosed the presence of AoAC and calculated the scores, the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.79, which indicated well consistency [13]. The aortic arch area was divided into 16 equally divided sectors, each sector containing calcified plaque were counted and divided by 16, and the results were expressed as a percentage to indicate the severity of aortic calcification. The detailed method was reported previously [14]. Inconsistent results were calculated by the average of two radiologists as the final result. For participants with multiple records, the AoAC progression was defined as a higher AoAC score than at the baseline.