When it comes to heart health, prevention is the name of the game. Cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes are more than 75% preventable by having healthy diet and lifestyle habits in place.
You likely already know the basics of how to do this. Not using tobacco, consistently getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and eating a heart-healthy diet are all ways to lower your risk of adverse heart conditions.
Knowing your cholesterol and blood pressure numbers is also important. That way, you can change your habits or get access to cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering medications, if you need them. For many, these medications can truly be lifesaving. For people with hereditary high cholesterol, maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle alone isn’t enough to manage their cholesterol; medications also play a crucial role.
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However, even if you have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked at least once a year at your annual checkup, there’s a crucial heart scan you may not have gotten that could play an important role in lowering your risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. For many people between the ages of 40 and 79, it’s a scan cardiologists we talked to say is important to ask about. Here’s what you need to know about it.
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While it’s important to know your cholesterol and blood pressure numbers, a coronary calcium scan can also clue you in on important information about your cardiovascular health.
“A coronary calcium scan is a quick, non-invasive CT scan that looks for calcium buildup in the coronary arteries, the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Calcium in these arteries is a marker of plaque,” says Dr. Colin Zhu, DO, FACLM, a cardiologist, chef and host of the Thrive Bites podcast.
Dr. Zhu explains that a coronary calcium scan generates a “calcium score,” which helps estimate someone’s risk for future heart disease or heart attack. “[This test] is a preventive test to help understand your risk of heart attacks and heart disease,” adds Dr. Blair Suter, MD, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
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While high cholesterol and blood pressure do increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, both cardiologists say that these measures alone don’t provide a complete picture of one’s risk. “A calcium scan shows whether plaque has already started forming in the arteries,” Dr. Zhu says, emphasizing that this is something that cholesterol and blood pressure tests can’t reveal.
“I’ve seen patients with ‘normal’ cholesterol who still had plaque, and others with elevated cholesterol but zero calcium. The scan gives us a more personalized look at actual arterial disease, rather than just risk on paper,” Dr. Zhu adds.
Who Should Get a Coronary Calcium Scan?
Both doctors say that this isn’t a routine screening test that everyone needs. But if you are between the ages of 40 and 79 and are borderline high-risk for cardiovascular disease (meaning your estimated 10-year risk of a heart attack or stroke falls in the roughly 5% to 7.5% range based on standard risk calculators), Dr. Zhu recommends getting one. “It can also be useful for someone with a strong family history of early heart disease who wants more clarity about their own risk,” he says.
Dr. Suter adds that it’s worth discussing coronary calcium scan testing with your doctor to see if it would be helpful in determining your risk for cardiovascular disease. He says that these scans are not always covered by insurance, and if they aren’t, they typically cost around $100.
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The results of your scan will tell you how much calcium buildup is in your arteries. If you don’t have any calcium buildup, Dr. Zhu says you don’t have to get another coronary calcium scan for several years. But if you do have moderate or high buildup, Dr. Suter recommends repeating the scan every three to five years.
If your score is high, Dr. Suter adds that you should discuss management with your doctor, which may include taking medication as well as making changes to your diet and lifestyle. “For very high calcium score, some patients can consider with their doctor if stress testing is appropriate,” he adds.
If you have a calcium score above 300, Dr. Zhu says that this means there is a significant amount of calcified plaque in your arteries. “This hardening makes it harder for blood to flow to your heart. People with very high calcium scores have a risk of heart attack or stroke similar to those who have already had a heart attack. It doesn’t mean a heart attack is inevitable. It means we take prevention more seriously,” he explains.
Remember, your heart health is almost entirely controllable. Even if you do have a high calcium score, both doctors emphasize that there is a lot you can do to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack. “[A high calcium score] often becomes a turning point that motivates patients to be more proactive about their heart health,” Dr. Zhu says, noting that you can discuss you individual treatment plan with your doctor, which may involve a combination of medication and lifestyle interventions.
Coronary calcium scans are another tool that can be used to clue you in on your risk for cardiovascular disease. Especially when it comes to health, knowledge is power. It can even be life-saving.
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Sources:
Stewart J., Manmathan, G. and Wilkinson, P. (2017). Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A review of contemporary guidance and literature.JRSM Cardiovascular Disease. 6:2048004016687211. doi: 10.1177/2048004016687211Dr. Colin Zhu, DO, FACLM, cardiologist, chef and host of the Thrive Bites podcastDr. Blair Suter, MD, cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterHence then, the article about normal cholesterol and blood pressure you may still need this heart scan cardiologists say was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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