Cardiologist disregarded my CAC score of 595

Posted by woolam50 @woolam50, 4 days ago

I'm 53, I am about 30 lbs overweight, I've lost 30 lbs this year. I eat extremely healthy due to the fact that as soon as I hit puberty, the weight was just a battle to keep off. My cholesterol has always been in the normal, but the last few years my tri and LDL have went up. After losing a friend to unexpected heart attack, I decided to get all the preventive testing I could. My primary recommended the CAC to help put me at ease, I had some chest tightness with stress. Also during this visit, labs came back normal cholesterol but 126 LDL up from 90ish. So when I got a 595 CAC score I nearly lost it!! ok, since then I've done some research and found it's just part of a puzzle, but apparently it is an indicator that I have plaque build up- even with healthy diet. As I started some research, I knew my uncle died of unexpected heart attack at 51 (was healthy), my grandma smoked heavy, but had a stroke at 59, my other uncle stroke and blockage 62 - drinker and previous smoker, my super healthy uncle (my dad was 1 of 6 boys) had a heart attack at 66 and they said it was hereditary - bc no other real indicators. So I get and stress test, it's abnormal. My cardiologist (just assigned) says abnormal just means between normal heart beat and heart attack - grey area. The CAC score is not an indicator and shouldn't be used, "he's seen much higher numbers" - if my parents didn't have early heart attack, my uncles don't matter, when I said what about 126 LDL, he says "everyone has cholesterol in their blood" he then went on to let me know, I wasn't just gonna get a stent, he literally said this like 5-6 times, and I never mentioned it. Is this Dr as crazy as I feel. btw, I stated due to the many factors, a CT scan was called for - he ordered, and due to LDL and high CAC a statin would be called for - he prescribed. He seemed mad about the whole thing. YES I'm definitely seeing a new Cardiologist once CT scan is done. Why did this Dr. act to defensive about CAC info?

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Profile picture for kobe2026 @kobe2026

in medical studies they found statins yield a 1% increase of preventing heart attacks verus the placebo group. Side effects of statins are intense, best to do with.
New study suggests benefit-to-harm balance of statins for healthy adults “generally favourable”
https://bmjgroup.com/new-study-suggests-benefit-to-harm-balance-of-statins-for-healthy-adults-generally-favourable/
Millions fewer people may need statins, a new study suggests. But guidelines have yet to agree
https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/10/cardiovascular-disease-statins-aha-guidelines/
Have the benefits of statins been overstated?
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/have-the-benefits-of-statins-been-overstated
@seniormed

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should be best too do without...edited@kobe2026

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Profile picture for kallettla @kallettla

Sorry about the score. I have a zero calcium score, but my carotids are blocking and my aorta has calcification. I recently read that a 0 calcium score means that perhaps I have plaques, but they can't be seen because they aren't calcified. They are the kind that rupture. Once they are calcified they are more stable. You may want to get your ApoB and LP (a) checked. I have high LP (a) that's why I am blocking. Look up the lipidologist Tom Dayspring. He is on YouTube. He has a great interview with Dr Carvalho.

Best wishes.
Karen

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@kallettla 0 is great. Wow! You can’t do better than that. Congrats.

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Profile picture for cher51 @cher51

@kallettla 0 is great. Wow! You can’t do better than that. Congrats.

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@cher51 except that it means nothing. I likely have the more dangerous unstable soft plaque like I have in my carotids.

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Profile picture for kallettla @kallettla

@cher51 except that it means nothing. I likely have the more dangerous unstable soft plaque like I have in my carotids.

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@kallettla That is what I want to find out. My problem is the LAD 486. Soft can cause blood clots. Yikes!

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