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Extremely high calcium score at 42 - is there any positive here??
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: Jun 25 3:31pm | Replies (193)Comment receiving replies
It's important to realize that the predictability of a cardiac event with a high CAC score is...only if you do nothing. No lifestyle changes, no meds.
Make the all changes, take the meds and the chances of a heart attack can go way down.
Replies to "It's important to realize that the predictability of a cardiac event with a high CAC score..."
@neilyouger I have been waiting for someone to point this out and it was something that I could not find anywhere in literature. I can't find a study that compares people that do nothing and people that take the meds and make the changes. I've read that 5% or less of heart patients make any substantial lifestyle changes, which obviously makes the numbers look pretty dire for future bad events. One doctor I listened to, said 80 or 90% or even more reduction in risk of heart attack by following guidance and taking meds. Think about all the people walking around not knowing that they have early atherosclerosis that may not be living healthy, would you rather be that person or the person now able to make changes and live longer and better.
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This is what I think is missing from just about all of the medical/research materials I can find online: Data showing divergent outcomes for those with documented very high CAC who follow the statin/diet protocol vs. those who don’t. And an emphasis on the ability of patients to dramatically reduce risk, if in fact they can.
It obviously makes logical sense, but in my case it also seems to be a bit of a mystery how the number is this extraordinarily high this early. Genetics is a likely factor, and I suspect issues with my thyroid are a player too (I’ve read plenty now linking hypothyroidism and arterial plaque development). So I do fear that even if I can get the LDL to the recommended level through statins and improve my diet (as I’ve already begun doing), the plaque will just keep coming. Since the CAC score doesn’t seem like a good measuring stick going forward, the only metric to measure my progress will be LDL level. And I have to trust that getting it under 70 will make the difference. It’s just odd to me that mine isn’t **that** high to start with (LDL 107, total 215, HDL 85, triglycerides 43, all other key markers normal), and yet my CAC is through the roof. Seems like many others here at least have a few lipid data points that indicate clearer vulnerability to plaque formation.