High Coronary Calcium Score: How do others feel emotionally?

@keithl56, are calcium level in the blood and calcified plaque in the arteries related -- that is, dependent on each other to some degree? I got reassurance (similar to that from @lioness) from the posting 8 hours earlier by @frank1847 who said ". . . the calcification fortifies the plaque in your arteries."

The calcium in the blood is not what to be concerned about The CT that identifies the calcified plaque is indicative of coronary artery disease, depending on the score. It is important to note that only about 20% of plaque is calcified, so you actually have 5 times the amount of plaque.

Unfortunately it is not possible to differentiate between stable and unstable plaque at this time. I haven't seen any study that says calcified plaque is more stable. There are two concerns with CAD. First is the stenosis which is the actual blocking of the arteries. At least with this there is a good chance of having warning signs with this and once you are symptomatic you have treatment options. However, if you have a plaque rupture you can end up with a sudden major cardio event or stroke.

@keithl56 I wonder whether @frank1847 would agree that there are no studies showing calcified plaque is more stable than noncalcified. He quotes Dr. Ford Brewer on the subject and refers to other information that sounds like study results.

My cardiologist told me that at this time there is no way to distinguish between vulnerable and non-vulnerable plaque, and the level of calcification is not an indicator. He said the first one to come with such a test will probably win the Nobel Prize for medicine.

Well @keithl56, issues surrounding calcified and noncalcified plaque in the circulatory system are more complicated than one thinks and beyond the expected expertise of one cardiologist. Citations from Mayo Clinic show at least three major divisions of disease in which calcified and noncalcified plaque is crucial -- 1) myocardial ischemia in the heart, 2) peripheral artery disease (especially in arteries serving the head and the brain), and 3) arteriovenous malformations in the brain and a few other organs.

My own experience relates to diagnostic tests in search of plaque that may have caused my stroke this summer. Fortunately, plaque was not the cause, but a broadly based investigation by my medical team considered that possibility and the question of calcification of the plaque they located. Apparently Mayo Clinic and my HMO are ahead of the crowd on issues of calcified and noncalcified arterial plaque.

@keithl56 23 yrs ago I had a triple by pass Plaque in arteries 85%,90,95% Dr said it was calcified calcium

I am 65 years old and 7 years ago had a Calcium score of 50 with high BP and high cholesterol. Dr put me on BP medicine and atorvastatin. 5 yrs later my score tripled to 150 so doctor doubled my statin. An additional 2 yrs later and my score is now 368. My lipids are perfect LDL is 27, HDL 65-70, Triclyceride 55, Total Cholesterol less than 100. BP is 115/75. Do not smoke, no alcohol, exercise 45 minutes per day, low fat diet, and plenty of fruits and veggies. Doctor ordered CRP and Homocysteine tests and both were normal. He also upped my statin to 80mg and I'm not sure that was necessary as my lipids above were at the 40mg dosage. His only suggestion is that I repeat my Calcium scoring test in 1-2 years. I'm looking for suggestions on how to identify the root cause of the increase in my calcium score.

Hi @sjnohl and welcome to Connect. You'll notice that I moved your message to this active discussion about high calcium score so that you can meet others talking about this topic on Connect. If you click VIEW & REPLY in the email notification you can read through past experiences.
I'm confident that other members will share their experiences to help you identify the root cause of increasing calcium scores. That you supply details of your heart health history will help other members find parallels to their experiences.

@sjnohl Do you take calcium supplements?

No