Does anyone have any experiences with having this done - specifically, getting a very high score?
DH, age 60, has a family history of heart issues, but he is generally healthy; not overweight, no diabetes, exercises several times/week, eats a fairly healthy diet, cholesterol was high but has been great since being on Lipitor for many years.
About 10 years ago he had the calcium scoring done and it was frighteningly high (I don’t recall the number but it was way up there). Earlier this year, his cardiologist suggested repeating the test, hoping to see an improvement. Instead, the numbers have actually climbed; again - not sure of the number, but he said it was in the 98th%. Not good! Everything I read says that with a high number “treatment” in the absence of other symptoms is not eating fast food, exercising, taking a statin, cutting down on drinking. Problem is - he already does all of this, so not sure what is left. He is, understandably, stressing about this which doesn’t help, I’m sure. He has an appointment with his cardiologist tomorrow to review the results and see what his options are. He is thinking that he should request something more invasive (angioplasty? not sure if that’s it) to determine definitively if there are near-blockages and deal with them before he has a heart attack or stroke.
I just had it done. I’m resisting statins so I had that tested and my c-reactive protein. Has he had that blood test done? My score was a zero for the calcium, but my c-reactive protein is super high. I believe it was because my thyroid was off. I’m giving myself a year of stabilized thyroid before re doing that test again.
I don’t think any dr would do anything proactively like an angioplasty. My brother in law also has a super high score. He takes statins and exercises but eats ice cream like it’s his job.
There are some holistic things he can do as well - I view it as it may not help, but it isn’t hurting me either. Turmeric, fish oil, red yeast rice, magnesium, k2 may all be worth a peek.
Red yeast rice contains a naturally occurring compound that is the same as lovastatin, so taking it is basically like taking extra statins (though less precisely measured).
I would request further evaluation and any appropriate intervention. Cardiac catheterization may show blockage or narrowing of the artery; the fact the score has continued to rise would concern me and if the cardiologist didn’t order it I would seek a second opinion.
You are describing my husband’s situation almost exactly. About 20 years ago (around age 40) he had his first calcium test and I can still remember our internist calling late at night in a panic over the results. She told me to make sure he did no exertion whatsoever until she could get him to a cardiologist the next day. His score even back then was in the 99th percentile. And it still is…with lots of exercise, LIpitor, Zetia and a healthy diet. Maybe 10 years ago he had an angiogram to see if he could benefit from a stent. In his case the buildup is not something that can be “stented” if that is a word. Bottom line is he sees his cardiologist regularly and continues to take the drugs and exercise. The cardiologist tells him to keep doing what he’s doing which has included running a marathon with these kind of numbers.
I know a reading that high is very scary but we learned that it isn’t something we needed to stress over. I’m sure you’ll get good advice from the cardiologist. I think heredity is a big factor. DH and I have similar diets and my score is 0. Good luck tomorrow. I hope your husband can relax a little.
This sounds exactly like my husband. I could have written that first paragraph word-for-word. His coronary calcium score puts him in the 97th percentile (and is off the charts in the LAD subset). Healthy, active guy with significant family heart health issues. High Lp(a) is a known genetic issue.
He’s getting a Fractional Flow Reserve Test to better evaluate blood flow and a PULS Cardiac Test to check for artery instability. Insurance may not cover these. Cardiologist wants his systolic bp to be under 120 so he’s tweaking bp meds to get it down.
Other than that, we’re researching surgeons for a potential angiogram (with stent if needed) and/or bypass. Anything that possibly could be a heart attack or stroke gets a 911 call. That’s happened twice in the past 15 years, once at work and once in the middle of the night at home.
We’re in the baby steps of dealing with the high CCS, but I hope the above is helpful. PM me if you want to discuss specifics.
I see there is a recent NYT article on this topic. Are you sure your observed scores of 99 were a “percentile”?
According to the article it’s a different scale. “A calcium score of 1 to 99 is considered indicative of mild disease; a score of 100 to 399, moderate disease; and a score of 400 or higher, severe disease.”
@NJres - Yes, I’m sure about percentile vs. score. When I spoke with him yesterday, he said his earlier score was over 700 and this one was higher. He has an appointment to meet with cardiologist today, so I’ll find out more after that.
@GRITS80 and @aMacMom - Sounds like we are all in the same boat. DH has an appointment with his cardiologist today, so I’m hoping to get some more info and I’ll update later. Thanks for your input!
My father had a 4-artery bypass at 55 after he lasted less than 30 seconds on a treadmill test. 98% blockage… the docs said he was literally one staircase away from a major heart event.
When I hit 55, I had a stress echocardiogram. I fortunately lasted much longer than 30 seconds, and the doctor said bloodflow looked good and there were no signs of blockage.
I’ve debated getting a CCS, but my understanding is that the radiation load is really high. I had a CT scan done a few years ago when I had back surgery, and I really want to minimize the exposure.
Be careful about getting tests in order to consider prophylactic stenting. There is no evidence this saves lives or prevents heart attacks. I say this as someone whose healthy and athletic brother had a sudden cardiac death at the age of 56. I have refused even a calcium score as I am statin intolerant and it would not help me make any particular health decisions as I am athletic and eat well. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/health/heart-attack-stent-angiogram-chest-pain-angina.html
In this case, scientists have looked and looked for such evidence and not found it. At this point, we’re not agnostic on the matter. Prophylactic stenting does not save lives, as far as we know.
Many people have seen very positive results from a plant based diet. Google “Reverse Heart Disease - Caldwell Esselstyn” Dr. Esselstyn is affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic.
The NY Times health section includes article by Jane Brody entitled “one More Heart test to Consider:A Calcium Scan”
It is the Comment section which is worthwhile reading.
Do not just read her article without the insight from cardiologists, internists, radiologists, and many others who correct and disagree with Jane Brody’s premise.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and insights. I haven’t yet read the Jane Brody article, but will right now. My update:
First - I think I mentioned in my earlier post that the number from his CAC 14 years ago was 700 - which is very high. But no way was I prepared to find out that a repeat of the test in February was a score of 3,000 (no, that is not a typo). I didn’t find this out until today, when his cardiologist came in to discuss the cardiac catheterization that he had today.
Turns out that his LAD artery was close to 90% blocked, so he is the proud new owner of a stent in that artery. Both the cardiologist who performed the procedure as well as his personal cardiologist were amazed that he had no symptoms at all. I know I should feel relieved - and I am to some extent to have this very dangerous problem taken care of. But the doctor who performed the procedure said that he has diffuse coronary artery disease but right now, no blockages that are more than 60%, so he will basically just be monitored at this point, plus they are upping his statin prescription from 40 to 80 to bring down his LDL to 50 or less. He has to be on Brilinta (sp?) for six months to a year and take 81 mg asprin for the rest of his life. Otherwise, there is not much he can do , since except for his lousy genes, he doesn’t have any other real risk factors. That said, I am going to look into diet changes, such as a more plant based diet that could possibly help. Didn’t Bill Clinton become a vegan after his bypass surgery? Don’t know if I could get him to do that!
Anyway, I just wanted to give an update; thanks again for the info, advice, and support.