This is not that bad, usually 400 is when it is considered high risk and over 1000 for very high risk (I'm 1014). You also have to consider your age and what percentile the score puts you in. I would be more concerned about the abnormal EKG than the calcium score. Your doctor would have taken a more aggressive approach if you were at high risk of an event short term so try to relax until you see the cardiologist.

I had an EKG before the calcium scoring test. It had an ST depression, and was a mild discrepancy" my GP told me. I am a 64 year old female with no family history of heart disease before the age of 60. My Dad had issues later in life due to diabetes I think. My blood work is normal and my lipid profile is all normal. My weight is ideal for my height and I exercise and eat extremely well, take healthy supplements. All baffling to me and wonder what cardiologist will do!! I am scared…… My GP did have me take aspirin everyday and put me on a low dose of metoprolol until I see cardiologist. The meds make me feel awful.

@lainie64

I had an EKG before the calcium scoring test. It had an ST depression, and was a mild discrepancy" my GP told me. I am a 64 year old female with no family history of heart disease before the age of 60. My Dad had issues later in life due to diabetes I think. My blood work is normal and my lipid profile is all normal. My weight is ideal for my height and I exercise and eat extremely well, take healthy supplements. All baffling to me and wonder what cardiologist will do!! I am scared…… My GP did have me take aspirin everyday and put me on a low dose of metoprolol until I see cardiologist. The meds make me feel awful.

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The best things to do are take a statin, manage blood pressure and stress, exercise, eat heart healthy, and avoid diabetes. And my personal suggestion: Don;t obsess about your calcium score. Mine (1560) means I have the arteries of a 90 year old.

@tim1028

The best things to do are take a statin, manage blood pressure and stress, exercise, eat heart healthy, and avoid diabetes. And my personal suggestion: Don;t obsess about your calcium score. Mine (1560) means I have the arteries of a 90 year old.

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I'm curious @tim1028. Why do you so directly recommend that @lainie64 "take a statin?" Her calcium score is minimal — 108 — nowhere near the 400 or more that major medical associations say raises threats to the heart. Your other recommendations are good ones, based on what we almost always get from doctors and patients dealing with calcium infestation of artery deposits.

@predictable

I'm curious @tim1028. Why do you so directly recommend that @lainie64 "take a statin?" Her calcium score is minimal — 108 — nowhere near the 400 or more that major medical associations say raises threats to the heart. Your other recommendations are good ones, based on what we almost always get from doctors and patients dealing with calcium infestation of artery deposits.

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Martin–Because she has a moderate plaque burden, based on her Coronary Artery Calcium score, and her age. With that combination, cardiologist is likely to recommend a statin based on her somewhat elevated cardiac risk. Or at the least continue with the daily aspirin. Cardiologists are more aggressively recommending statins with moderate to high CACS

@tim1028

Martin–Because she has a moderate plaque burden, based on her Coronary Artery Calcium score, and her age. With that combination, cardiologist is likely to recommend a statin based on her somewhat elevated cardiac risk. Or at the least continue with the daily aspirin. Cardiologists are more aggressively recommending statins with moderate to high CACS

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@tim1028, I didn't find anything in the postings by @lainie64 about "a moderate plaque burden" or a "somewhat elevated cardiac risk," only a low calcium score of 108. Moreover, if it's your judgment that a cardiologist is "likely to recommend" a statin, rather than extending that into a flat recommendation for a statin, I'd suggest that the patient ought to discuss the matter with her own professional medical team.

@predictable

@tim1028, I didn't find anything in the postings by @lainie64 about "a moderate plaque burden" or a "somewhat elevated cardiac risk," only a low calcium score of 108. Moreover, if it's your judgment that a cardiologist is "likely to recommend" a statin, rather than extending that into a flat recommendation for a statin, I'd suggest that the patient ought to discuss the matter with her own professional medical team.

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Martin–According to the standard Coronary Artery Calcium scoring, a score of 100-400 is considered a moderate level of atherosclerosis. Yes, absolutely, Lainie64 should be discussing this at her upcoming cardiologist visit to get an expert opinion about taking a statin.

For most people a statin will increase calcium, and then there are the possible side effects to consider.