990 calcium score but all bloodwork, EKG/stress are fine what next?

Posted by johnv66 @johnv66, Aug 7 11:58am

Hello group,

I'm new to this forum but have read many posts about people with high calcium CT heart scores and steps being taken to reduce risk of heart attack which I greatly appreciate what I've learned from this group.

I'm a 54 year old male and my calcium heart CT done in June 2025 was very high at 991 (LAD 633, RCA 358 and 0 for other 2 arteries) which I was shocked to hear since my blood work and annual physicals have been excellent for years with no indicators of heart disease and no shortness of breath or issues at all. My cholesterol is low at 156 (LDL 81 and HDL 65) and other tests on lipoprotein, apolipoprotein, CRP, blood pressure etc all excellent along with no issues on EKG test and Echo stress test which showed well above average for my age.

I exercise / lift heavier weights 3-4 days per week religiously, never smoke, drink alcohol in moderation and eat a diet primarily focused on lean protein, vegetables with some carbs and fats which has kept my weight at 205lbs and the same for nearly 30 years since college when i was a football player. Also i dont take any supplements aside from a multi-vitamin and have never touched steroids in my life so I am assuming my high calcium score must be genetic as my father had 2 heart surgeries (bypass and stint) but i dont hvae his records to see which arteries those were done on.

After the calcium CT test my doctor put me on 20mg of rosuvastatin which caused significant muscle cramping, dizziness and nausea and impacted my sleep and exercise as i was constantly feeling achy and sore. After the Echo stress test results showed my heart function was normal/above average and no blood flow issues my doctor said to stop the rosuvastatin for 3 weeks and to restart it but on lower dose of 5mg or 10mg. I've been off rosuvastatin for 5 days and i feel fantastic again but am now waiting for my 2nd and 3rd opinion appointments with other cardiologists to better understand whats going on and my options.

My question is - for those with similar high calcium scores especially in the LAD artery (the widow maker as its called) but otherwise all normal/good health profile (low cholesterol, liproproteins, CRP, echo stress test normal) what other tests / steps / medications should I be considering to understand why my CAC and LAD artery score was so high and what can i do to reduce my risk of a heart attack?

thank you and apologies for the long summary here...

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart & Blood Health Support Group.

Profile picture for johnv66 @johnv66

hello @jlharsh thanks very much for your reply and recommendation about requesting a lower dose of rosuvastatin which i'm going to ask my cardiologist about next week at my appointment.

i am looking to get some additional blood tests as i did get a troponin, crp, lipoprotein a and b and those were all good results and showed no issues. i may just get an angiogram or an angio CT might be another option as I want to know what the blockage risk is despite my Echo stress test results being above average.

I asked my doctor about the Calcium CT test earlier this year because i had an uncle on my mothers side die of a sudden heart attack at 70 and he had no prior symptoms or warning signs (although he was overweight and not on top of his health). my doctor at Rush Hospital in chicago suggested the Calcium CT since its offered for $49 and didnt even require a doctors order to schedule.

I will share more next week after the 2nd cardiologist opinion. I am so thrilled to be off that rosuvastatin 20mg and have heard from several people who are only taking 5mg every day or every other day so hopefully that will be the dose my doctor recommends and is much more tolerable.

Jump to this post

You could still benefit from trying another statin such as
atorvastatin. Ask the new cardiologist about inflammatory
markers like HsCRP. Carotid ultrasound can assess atherosclerosis progression as well. They may recommend
a catheter study.
Mediterranean diet is important. CoQ10 is anti-inflammatory and good even if you are not on statins.

REPLY

Age 58, male, no smoke, no alcohol, no history of hypertension. LDL typically 130ish. 716 CAC score, no symptoms, echo and Stress Test negative, taking 40mg Atorvastatin, mild side effects, walking 2-4 miles daily, wait and see. Two cardiologists say the same thing, go to ER is chest pains, come back annually for check up.

REPLY
Profile picture for gloaming @gloaming

The chief cause of plaque deposition and its eventual calcification is inflammation in the vessel of concern, and perhaps due to chronic systemic inflammation. Whether it is from a pathogen, from metabolic syndrome, diabetes, some other comorbidity (often related to some kind of endocrine dysfunction).
https://wellwisp.com/why-does-plaque-buildup-occur-in-arteries/
Diet also plays a role, but some people can eat the very same diet, same quantities, and have no arterial plaque. This suggests that there is also a genetic component to this problem.

Jump to this post

"Genetic component" sounds apropo. My father, had a heart attack at around the age of 65. He was an early benefiary of bypass surgery, done at Montefiore Hospital in New York. I, almost a clone of my father, had bypass surgery at age 68 in Cleveland, Ohio. Now, at the age of 85 I'm experiencing calcium blockages that inhibit my activities and endanger my life. I've read about progress in chemically dissolving arterial calcium deposits. That was done in Aberdeen, Scotland in 2023. Since then, I've neard nothing. It can't be a dead issue because the financial reward for success would be "off the charts".

REPLY

I have similar stats and am on a 40 mg atorvastatin. I am 68, in good shape and all my numbers are very good! My CAC score is 2187, with the highest in LAD (widow maker). I have been to the best cardiologists in my area and all say to keep doing what I'm doing, if any symptoms occur, come in right away. It is more of a mental game now for me, but I am enjoying life, and keeping with the exercise, food routines that have given me a full life to this point. At the suggestion of my cardiologist, I do carry a little pack of 4 chewable aspirins to take if I feel I may be having an incident. Just when I am in the woods or by myself. My synopsis is similar to yours in that all the men on my Mom's side died of heart attacks, some quite young. So you cant change that so focus on what you can change. Best to you and thanks for sharing your story as it is so similar.

REPLY

For all you guys that struggle with statins, I am taking Zetia instead along with Nexletol. My HDL has increased some (68) and my LDL (historically 150 at worst) is high 60’s now. No statin type issues.

REPLY
Profile picture for mikeis68 @mikeis68

I have similar stats and am on a 40 mg atorvastatin. I am 68, in good shape and all my numbers are very good! My CAC score is 2187, with the highest in LAD (widow maker). I have been to the best cardiologists in my area and all say to keep doing what I'm doing, if any symptoms occur, come in right away. It is more of a mental game now for me, but I am enjoying life, and keeping with the exercise, food routines that have given me a full life to this point. At the suggestion of my cardiologist, I do carry a little pack of 4 chewable aspirins to take if I feel I may be having an incident. Just when I am in the woods or by myself. My synopsis is similar to yours in that all the men on my Mom's side died of heart attacks, some quite young. So you cant change that so focus on what you can change. Best to you and thanks for sharing your story as it is so similar.

Jump to this post

hello @mikeis68 great to hear you are doing well and are successfully & pro-actively navigating your situation and are very aware of the family genetics. Agree there is absolutely a mental aspect to this especially for people like us with higher calcium scores on the LAD which had been freaking me out with all the "widow maker" stories. Sounds like you're tolerating the 40mg atorvastatin well and not having any issues. i just saw last week a 2nd cardiologist who was exceptional and took me off of 20mg of rosuvastatin due to all the muscle cramping I was getting and he has my trying Repatha/140mg SureClick injectable which he uses also and said works very well and has very minimal muscle cramping side affects. Will share an update once i have experienced a few weeks of the Repatha and hopefully no uncomfortable side affects.... keep up the great work my friend and all the best to you too!

REPLY
Profile picture for seniormed @seniormed

You could still benefit from trying another statin such as
atorvastatin. Ask the new cardiologist about inflammatory
markers like HsCRP. Carotid ultrasound can assess atherosclerosis progression as well. They may recommend
a catheter study.
Mediterranean diet is important. CoQ10 is anti-inflammatory and good even if you are not on statins.

Jump to this post

I have been hearing more positive feedback on atorvastatin and will ask about that. The new cardiologist last week prescribed a new-ish injectable statin called Repatha 140mg sureclick injectable. I have to pick it up this week and will report back on any side affects but hopefully the muscle cramping side affects are minimal. Been taking the CoQ10 also and am curious to see the impact of that on my bloodwork and will ask about the HsCRP test you mentioned, so thank you for that!

REPLY

Your lipids are in the healthy range. Habits are healthy. No symptoms like angina, shortness of breath etc. Maintain your healthy habits and get on with normal life. You say you had a CT. If that is CT angiogram, does the report details any coronary artery blockages detected? As for statin, I am not a doctor but I would not take statins when the lipid profile and other parameters seem well within normal range. I am elderly, had angioplasty and stenting, the doc wants me to take 10 mg rosuvastatin daily but I take it just twice a week and my lipids are normal. I am just sharing my opinion, please don't take it as advice. Good wishes. PS: Be mentally strong and positive, help others without expecting anything in return and practice gratitude every day. Good wishes to you.

REPLY

UPDATE - saw a new cardiologist last week which was a great visit and i was very pleased. this doctor was very though with all his questions, observations and feedback plus was a great listener to all my different questions and concerns. He was pleased with my Echo CT results and that my bloodwork overall was good with no markers or concerns. As a next step he did recommended doing a Angio CT scan to determine what the level of narrowing/possible blockage is in the 2 arteries with high CAC. He didnt feel a invasive angiogram would be needed at this time since the Echo CT and blood work was good, but if I was having any chest pains down the road he said the angiogram would be next. We discussed the muscle cramping and dizziness issues i was intermittently having with the rosuvastatin 20mg dose which he said was not unusual and he experienced the same when he took that statin. He suggested trying a newer injectable product called Repatha 140mg sureclick which you inject 1-2x per month and supposed to have much lower side effect on muscle cramping while helping reduce LDL . I'll report back as i get a few weeks under my belt with the Repatha and will share the results of my Angio CT which is scheduled for early Sept.

Here is the link to repatha if any others here have taken this and I'm curious any feedback as to side affects experienced.... thanks and be well.
https://www.repatha.com/what-is-repatha

REPLY
Profile picture for johnv66 @johnv66

hello @mikeis68 great to hear you are doing well and are successfully & pro-actively navigating your situation and are very aware of the family genetics. Agree there is absolutely a mental aspect to this especially for people like us with higher calcium scores on the LAD which had been freaking me out with all the "widow maker" stories. Sounds like you're tolerating the 40mg atorvastatin well and not having any issues. i just saw last week a 2nd cardiologist who was exceptional and took me off of 20mg of rosuvastatin due to all the muscle cramping I was getting and he has my trying Repatha/140mg SureClick injectable which he uses also and said works very well and has very minimal muscle cramping side affects. Will share an update once i have experienced a few weeks of the Repatha and hopefully no uncomfortable side affects.... keep up the great work my friend and all the best to you too!

Jump to this post

great to hear @johnv66 !!!!
keep me posted! Take care!!!
mikeis68

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.