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58 year old healthy, active female with high coronary artery calcium
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: 9 hours ago | Replies (26)Comment receiving replies
I had a similar experience. I'm a few years older. Similar LDL/HDL, but higher BP and slightly lower A1C. Regular exerciser and normal weight for decades. Got an x-ray for other reasons and my PA suggested the CAC. It came back at almost 600! I was lucky enough to see a cardiologist that scheduled a CT coronary angiogram. It showed that the most severe blockages are (well, were - its been 1.5 years now) between 25 and 50%. I don't think all cardiologists will schedule this unless you have physical symptoms. Perhaps because my score was so high, he did. It has been real peace of mind. I wasn't at my deductible, so I paid for it, but it was definitely worth it. A couple of cardiologists and a heart health dietician have told me that the progression can be stopped, so knowing there were no blockages yet was a real comfort.
The exercise comment by your cardiologist is interesting. I ran 5 or 6 days a week. Did some marathon training, but intermittently. I'd guess I averaged 5-7 hours of running a week over 5-6 days. Perhaps that was a contributing factor.
My mother had a triple bypass at 62, which is early for a female. I am bewildered that our story is so common. I can't help but think that some physicians look at people that are fit and normal weight and assume that there can't be any cardiac issues. I wish I had been on statins 10 years sooner. The genetic component seems to be dismissed by many/most PAs/GPs. Or is it just sour grapes on my part?
Replies to "I had a similar experience. I'm a few years older. Similar LDL/HDL, but higher BP and..."
No, I don’t think it’s just sour grapes because many doctors are dismissive of concerns when you are generally fit and appear healthy. I do feel like my doctor took the genetic factor into consideration as it was one of the reasons she recommended the test for me.
I had researched everything extensively before my cardiologist appointment so I could ask some intelligent questions. When I asked the doctor about the link between high intensity exercise and CAC, she was aware of the studies and seemed to concur with the findings. She told me that unless I was training for something I should keep my exercise at 150 minutes a week. I tried to post a link to the study for you to read, but the site would not allow me to do so. The study is found on ahajournals.org and the title is “Exercise Volume Versus Intensity and the Progression of Coronary Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged and Older Athletes: Findings From the MARC-2 Study”
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Your wonderment in the last para applies equally to sleep apnea. After you spend a few weeks on apneaboard.com, you realize that sleep apnea can afflict anyone...ANYONE! Fat, thin, young, old, female/male/indeterminate, no matter the ethnicity....and I was myself fit for my age when I was diagnosed and not near being overweight (although I had been retired 12 years and gained about 10 pounds).
And, as to your last statement and the question that follows it: Modern medicine is largely, not entirely, about patient discomfort and anxiety. IOW, how you feel, and also how you convince the practitioner that you feel the way you claim to feel, is what they use so often to assign a level of care or remediation...including the statins and SSRIs that are handed out like jelly beans. A high CAC is like atrial fibrillation, which I have/had. It can be present, but it isn't a great indicator of imminent danger. Any one person selected at random from your CAC score pool and from my 'severe obstructive sleep apnea' pool can expect to live a long time, perhaps a decade or longer. If you want to live it well, with little anxiety and less danger, then use what the medicos offer, albeit with a heavy dose of self-teaching. You should wield just enough relevant knowledge that you're close to being annoying during doctor's visits. Let them know you're taking you seriously. 😀