Connect
← Return to High calcium score: I'm in shock
Discussion
High calcium score: I'm in shock
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: Nov 4 2:36pm | Replies (214)Comment receiving replies
I'm in shock also and am looking for perspective. Just got results of 1,208 CAC. I'm 57, asymptomatic, active, with a very healthy diet, feel great, and have a family history of CVD on both sides. 2.5 years ago, I had a normal echo and treadmill stress test and just learned now that my CAC was 769 then(!) My primary put me on 20mg Rosuvastatin, 10mg Ezetimibe and 80mg Valsartan and did not refer to a cardiologist. Now total cholesterol is 100 (LDL 44, HDL 40), avg bp 130/70 with 55-60 bpm. My new primary bumped me up to 140mg valsartan and ref'd me to a cardiologist. I have an echo today and a CT Angiogram in two weeks. I am eliminating red meat, eggs, and dairy, and trying not to be scared until we see what the CT Angiogram reveals. In the meantime, I'm scared. I've already outlived one grandfather and watched the other live miserably for 14 more years after a stroke left him half paralyzed at 63. How common is high CAC with low blockage? Any insights are appreciated.
Replies to "I'm in shock also and am looking for perspective. Just got results of 1,208 CAC. I'm..."
chrisaw,
Your LDL lipid number looks very good, HDL is low (normally something you would address with exercise) ... BP systolic a bit high at 130. What about triglycerides? I'm not a med pro.
A stress with echo (this means echo before and immediately after stress test) should have provided some indication of ejection fraction ... do you have the writeups?
What score did they assign to your stress test? METS?
A huge diet change may not make much difference since the plaque has built up over a long period, and your current LDL is good.
As a follow up to this post, I have now had a normal echo and a CT Angiogram showing no blockages. I am very glad for this, however, my gut tells me there is more to uncover and the 1,208 CAC deserves a deeper look. I've read "Beat the Heart Attack Gene" by Bale and Doneen and believe it warrants going deeper into root cause. I am especially interested in genetic testing for a personalized treatment plan, which is the book's thesis, more or less. How do we get to underlying causes? This score is too high to stop at cholesterol, bp, and blockage without getting confident the root problem is managed. Any guidance or thoughts?
Connect
I am not sure how common high CAC without blockage is, but anecdotally, a lot of folks post here that have very high CAC with no problems that require intervention. My CAC is 600ish and I have no blockage greater than 50%. (Not sure how close it is to 50 … I’m in the second category .. >25 and < 50 is my recollection)
It’s usual that your CAC score will go up after going on a statin, because the statin calcifies the plaque and the CAC test picks up on the calcium. There are noninvasive tests that will provide the percent blockage but some doctors won’t prescribe them until you are symptomatic. I was fortunate that because my LAD was involved, the doctor prescribed it. I guess there are pros and cons to knowing exactly what’s going on, but I got lucky and my situation was better than I thought it would be.
You might have your lipoprotein(a) tested. I gather soon there will be drugs to bring it down. You also might be interested in “Beat The Heart Attack Gene” by Bale et al. I have a family history and it was a good introduction to my situation when I learned about the high CAC score. I wish I had read it sooner.
Good luck!