High Cardiac Calcium Score while on Statins

Welcome @dma053, I'm tagging fellow members like @drmanny3 @mayoconnectuser1 @astaingegerdm @ihatediabetes @robertaholmes @brawleyite @predictable on this discussion regarding statins and high calcium score to share their experiences with you.

You might also be interested in these related discussions:
- High CAC Score and Current Status https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/high-cac-score-and-current-status/
- I have a very high calcium score. What next? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/very-high-calcium-score/
- High Coronary Calcium Score: How do others feel emotionally? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/high-calcium-score/

Dma, have statins been recommended for you?

Great! Thanks Colleen

Yes - I was already taking 5 mg Crestor - doc increased it to 20mg. I read online that statins can cause calcium score to increase so I was wondering if anyone else has similar experience?

I believe this is factual - and widely proven.

Hi,
I was advised to take a statin because I had high cholesterol. But I didn't want the take a statin. So my doctor ordered a calcium score that came out to 0. So then I didn't have to take a statin.

Last year I had a CT scan with contrast. That's a test where the contrast is in your blood so the CT scan picks it up. I think it would show if there was a narrowing from calcium deposits.

I don't know if your doctor could order something like a CT scan with contrast. But I would pay for it myself if I was really worried. There are places you can go for MRIs and CT scans and just pay for them.

ct scan with contrast has to be ordered by a dr due to potential contrast issues.
admire your aggressive response to statin recommendation-i love my statin btw-but good to see someone actively involved in any health decision making process.
the scan would show narrowing of any sort. the narrowing from soft plaque, the precursor of calcium, is far more dangerous than calcium.

ihatediabetes,

You don't say why you didn't want to take a statin med...?
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013

Hi,

Could you say more please? What does this sentence mean,

....the narrowing from soft plaque, the precursor of calcium, is far more dangerous than calcium.

i will give my understanding of it but i recommend you spend some time on youtube at Houston Methodist DeBakey CV Education.
So, my take, you get invasive plaque that invades the endothelial walls of your arteries where it is treated as an invader by the immune system. It gets attacked by and turns into a kind of a pimple (my term) where it is inflamed until it gets capped eventually by calcium. These lesions are relatively safe, hence the soft plaque being more dangerous statement. This can rupture, and then its heart attack game on or it wanders down the artery to attach and create narrowing.
This essay answer would flunk every test in med school but i think it covers the gist of the issue.
Its not the calcium deposits that are directly related to end of life but their precursors.
One of the benefits of statins is a thickening of the hard cap over the soft plaque.

As I understand it, many people want to take supplements (k2) that has said to reduce calcium in arteries, but it would seem that that's a bad move... wouldn't you want that same calcium available to cover the 'precursors'?

I will watch the Houston Methodist DeBakey CV Education.

Thanks