I have a very high calcium score. What next?

@christianzane
Blood calcium is different. It is measured when you have blood drawn.
Calcification of the arteries is basically the aging process

Blood calcium is regulated by the 4 parathyroid glands we have behind our thyroid gland.
Please “Google” parathyroid gland so you can check it out.

I had to have one removed because it caused high blood calcium levels and gave me a stroke.

Susan

High calcium in the arteries in not the all due to the 'aging process'. Yes as people get older 'some' and probably will get some degree of calcium in their arteries. I know people in their late 60s with scores of 0, and teenagers with scores over 100. Genetic disposition, lifestyle factors, diet, vascular injury, inflammation, and repair all play a huge role beyond aging. It is present in 90% of men and 67% of women older than the age of 70, thus it leave the rest of those older folks with none.

I'm glad I found this discussion as I was diagnosed with a 108 CAC score when I was 50 and had some anxiety and worry as a result of it, I had a hard time finding any support groups for it. Anyways five years later and hundreds of hours of research I can comment on a few things:

1. A high CAC score is not a death sentence! The first thing I asked my doctor when I found out about my high score was if he had any patients in their 80s' or 90's with calcium scores in the thousands and he says he has a ton of them. And every year for my annual exam I ask the same question, and he still has many patients with scores in the 4000s who are 90 years old. Change your diet, get on a statin, quit smoking and exercise regularly. My doctor informed me that my arteries were flexible and have possibly expanded to compensate for the calcification. I took a treadmill stress test and after a few minutes the doctor actually go perturbed and asked why I was there and told me to go home, so calcification isn't not the end of the world there are many factors at play. So live a lifestyle that will keep your arteries flexible.

2. I was put on Crestor 10 mg and my LDL went down from 180 to 65. I won't post the URL's but studies have shown that lowering LDL below 65 can actually regress arterial calcification.

3. I'm a Jim Fixx case where I run every day and lead a very healthy lifestyle but have genetic issues which my father warned me about for years. Don't hesitate to get on a statin, it will calcify your soft plaque and make it way more stable. My father has been on a statin since 1989 and is now 83 years old, so the stuff must work (and he doesn't have dementia or any other issues).

4. And I see a lot of comments about quitting drinking. I have a glass of red wine with dinner almost every night and I haven't been able to find any evidence that this can cause arteriosclerosis, EXCEPT for cases where the red wine might raise one's blood pressure. In fact I've seen studies that show that moderate amounts of red wine can actually be good for your heart. So that is personal decision but I did not make that change. I did go vegetarian, stopped eating processed foods and keep an eye on my total cholesterol, LDL/HDL, tris and inflammation levels. It's pretty simple: when you go the supermarket, buy everything from the edges of the market (fruits/veggies/grains/non-fat dairy etc), don't shop for anything in the middle aisles which is all mostly junk and high in sodium.

5. I'll report back in 20 years hopefully and see if I'm still around. At this point with the stain, knowledge about the disease and lifestyle factors now I'm not concerned about my calcium score but about other things like cancer and getting in car accident or slipping in the shower.

Thank you for the run down @christianzane,

It's nice to know there are many other individuals going through this also...not that I wish this on anyone. Your story is basically identical to me, I started also shopping the outer fringes of the supermarket and my wife and I are closer to the Mediterranean diet. I am not an alcoholic but enjoy the occasional glass of wine or a glass of bourbon. My brother's cardiologist is very proactive according to my brother, but he reminds him also to LIVE. That is not a statement to be careless and eat buffalo wings, chips and bacon every day, but his "OK" to periodically cheat and enjoy something that may not be too good for you is ok.

I exercise 6 days a week now---about 2-2.5 miles with an incline and at an alternating pace to make me break a sweat. Again, no symptoms just a CAC score that was in the in the 100+ range that made me realize I may not actually be invincible. My father did have a heart attack---but thankfully survived and followed a better diet, exercise 3 days a week...he lived for another 25 years into his eighties. So... life will go on and I keep telling myself that. Out of curiosity did you ever go see a Cardiologist?

BTW....Ironically, I worked as a Chief Administrative Officer for Cancer Services for a large Academic Healthsystem for a decade---I know more about cancer than I did with Heart issues.

Hi @pslitton19 and welcome to Connect! You may have noticed I moved your post to this existing discussion on high calcium scores so that you can learn from what others have said about their scores as well as interact with them and receive and offer support. Simply click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to get to your post.

I want to thank @pcspetpro for welcoming you and also wanted to introduce you to @predictable @thankful @ch246cf10 @bigbern and @bluesdoc as they may be able to offer you support while you look to lower your score.

Back to you @pslitton19, I'd like to repeat the question @pcspetpro posed, what is your diet?

Hi Ethan
My husband has an LDL of 68, total cholesterol of 168, and a Calcium Score of 3899. The doctor has suggested a stress test next. He also has MGUS That has not progressed. Is this Calcium score the MGUS progressing? Is it hart disease? He feels like a time bomb. He is overweight, drinks alcohol and doesn’t exercise. Please advise.
Thanks.