A large body of scientific literature has documented that higher calcium scores are associated with higher risk of significantly blocked coronary arteries and of heart attack.
Apparently this is one of the best scans you can have to screen for subclinical atherosclerosis. If you're taking a preventative approach then you would want to know how your heart is doing prior to a cardiac event.
The calcium score can be utilized (in a manner similar to the carotid IMT and plaque) to help determine whether a given individual has more advanced atherosclerosis than we would predict based on their risk factor profile. A score of zero is consistent with a very low risk of significantly blocked arteries and confers an excellent prognosis. On the other hand, scores of >400 indicate extensive atherosclerotic plaque burde , high risk of heart attack, and high likelihood of a significantly blocked coronary artery.
This specific score along with the inflammation hsCRP test can give a strong indication of heart attack risk in the future. In fact it provides a better indication than lifestyle/age predictors and hsCRP in particular provides a better indicator than LDL cholesterol in specific.
The hsCRP is a test for inflammation which acts an indicator for artery health. When arteries are injured they become inflamed and for that reason the hsCRP score typically is higher.
Experts who study blood vessels, plaque, and heart attacks in minute detail have been developing an inflammatory explanation for heart attacks. They've described a process quite different from the clogged plumbing analogy. Blood vessels aren't solid pipes, but slender tubes of layered, living tissue, some of it quite delicate. LDL cholesterol doesn't simply lodge in arterial walls-it injures them. And like injuries elsewhere in the body, this stirs up an inflammatory response. Swarms of cytokines, macrophages, and other cells swoop in. They enlarge and transform deposits of LDL cholesterol into accumulations of fat-laden foam cells sealed by fibrous caps of collagen.
A forty-something year old man came to see me for palpitations. He had a stress echo which was normal except for the development of frequent PVCs and a brief run of non sustained ventricular tachycardia. His risk factor profile was not particularly bad: no diabetes, hypertension, or cigarette smoking and an average lipid profile. When I calculated his 10 year risk of ASCVD using my iPhone app it came out at 7%: below the level at which statin treatment would be recommended. Because his father had a coronary stent in his fifties (this does not qualify as a family history of heart disease according to the new guideline, by the way) I recommended he get a CAC test done.
His CAC score came back markedly elevated, almost 1000. . A subsequent cardiac catheterization demonstrated a very high-grade coronary blockage iwhich was subsequently stented. I started him on high intensity statin therapy and he has done well.
And for this reason it is a good idea to find out your CAC score if a CAC test is available to you. Either you will discover you're at high risk in which case something can be done early or you may discover you're at low risk in which case you can rest easy.
More vitamin K2.
I had an uncle who recently had a heart attack and passed away , there's always signs but we tend to ignore simple signs and shocks that a person receives that leads them to have a heart attack . Everyone needs to be cautious about their life and never ignore signs
When I first read your subject, I thought you had said "scam". As a person with a family history of heart disease, I was a little surprised. I was pleasantly surprised as I read the article.
This reminds me to book my annual exam.
Maybe someone's life will be saved by reading my article and having this scan.
I was thinking/hoping the same thing.
Cut out all refined sugar and seriously cut down on carbs. Increase healthy fats like avocados and nuts. And take D3 and K2 vitamins.
Also plenty of exercise and a healthy diet and that should sort it.
I guess if we are being fit and healthy we never need this :-)
Without being routinely tested and measured how do you know you are healthy? Health is measured in metrics, tracked by numbers, calculated, and isn't related to how you look and feel necessarily. You can look and feel great and be sick by biomarkers. In the end the biomarkers don't lie because numbers can't lie.
That being said if you feel sick this does matter even if your numbers say you are in good health. Let it motivate you to investigate deeper, collect more data on the current state.
thanks for this great post
there is so much we need to learn and never take some signs/symptoms for granted
interesting article and everyone should listen to this.There is debate over where CAC test and score can be used.but for ages 40 to 65 ,it may be useful.Surprising fact is a person with normal stress test can have a high CAC score!!!!
The stress test is like a dice roll and isn't really a very good predictor of heart attack risk. It will work if you have very clogged arteries over 70+% but a heart attack doesn't require very clogged arteries and has to do with plaque breaking off and blood clots forming. The cause of heart attacks is likely inflammation in the arteries causing unstable plaque and blood clots rather than merely high cholesterol blocking the artery over time because from what I've read some arteries can sort of compensate for the narrowing by creating new veins around the blockage given enough time.
I can attest to this. I have had excellent cholesterol levels my entire life. A small piece broke off in my LAD, affectionately known by doctors as the widow-maker and I went from 2 percent blockage to 99 percent blockage because of the blood clot. I had previously had stress tests and never had any issues. Interesting that they also mentioned PVCs as I started getting them years before my heart attack but an echocardiogram at the time said all was well.
I didn't know until after my heart attack that it is the blood clot that gets you and that very nearly was too late for me but I was extremely lucky. Half my heart stopped beating but that 1 percent of blood flow kept it alive until it was stented and then it restarted on its own.