High CAC Score and Current Status

I appreciate your post. I’ve read it a several times. I’m 63. Had complimentary CAC score offered at recent health related luncheon. My score was 1800! Also, recently returned from trip to NYC, where we averaged 5-6 miles of walking per day. Asymptomatic - on statin for many years. Waiting on nuclear scan scheduled for 05/30.

Both my nuclear stress test and echo cardiogram came back normal! My METS score was 10.1

After having been on Crestor/rosuvastatin for 49 days (the first 8 days at 10mg and then 20mg after that), my blood work results were quite surprising (in a good way):

Total cholesterol dropped from 221 to 137, trig. from 69 to 48, LDL from 126 to 48. Unfortunately my HDL dropped a little (83 to 78), but it's still in a good range, so not worried about that. My sodium and chloride levels (they're related) went up about 5 points (to go just over the upper recommended limits), but my primary doc said it's nothing to worry about. He also had them check CPK levels (that indicate muscle damage) and those were ok as well.

I'm very surprised my echo and stress test came back normal given my CAC score of 2534. I'm going to keep trying to eat healthy (been on a vegetarian diet since Sept. of 2022, but on rare occasion I do eat meat), and I still have 2-3 pieces of candy (mainly Dove dark chocolate & peanut butter) a day. I don't want to completely deprive myself, and considering during this time (the 49 days on Crestor) I still ate a slice of pizza on rare occasion, I think those are great results. Statins are amazing drugs! Not sure how much more it will drop before those numbers bottom out.

I really thought I'd have blockage that would require a stent(s). I'm VERY thankful I don't. I hope others have as good as luck as I had regarding a high CAC score.

Late to the discussion but it appears that I have found a home of folks like me. I am 66 years old, healthy, active. Over 20 years ago, my primary care doctor decided my cholesterol in the higher 100s was too high and started me on Cholesterold Meds. I have mild hypertension so I've been on BP meds for that same time frame. I have always been active over that period, decent weight for my height and had absolutely no signs of heart issues. Three years ago, I started with a new primary care doctor and asked if I really needed to be on statins at all. My numbers were always reasonable - not high but not super low and she suggested I get the CAC. Well boom it came back over 1500 and they sent me to the cardiologist who did the nuclear stress test, Echo and all were fine. His approach is to drive cholesterol particularly LDL as low as possible and now Chol is just over 100 and LDL is 37 through max dose of rosuvastatin and zetia. The more we read the more concerned I am now that yes we might be focused on the heart but what about the brain, hormones, and other body functions that need Cholesterol. Is there not a different approach to maintaining stable plaque that does not take this to me dangerous in it's own way approach? We have really revamped our lifestyle as far as eating - cut out processed foods, seed oils and really changed the whole diet. I do remain very active with some pretty intense workouts but have yet to blow up anything. Appreciate any thoughts from others.

By the standards used by the medical profession, yes, based on age, high blood pressure and cholesterol - you didn't say what yours was (assuming less than 199? :-)) - you should have been on statins.

You have decided what your doctor has prescribed - after their 12-16 years of study, and then practice - is "...dangerous in it's own way ..."

You may be past the time for really intense workouts - do you think these are helpful wrt your heart health? Time to reexamine, perhaps?

Did your new PCP take you off cholesterol meds?

Actually no -- I haven't decided anything and have not changed anything. Guess I didn't make that clear earlier. I'm just looking at and exploring other possible opinions including doctors with the same years of study and experience you mention but simply are challenging the current approach. Correct - my Cholesterol never exceeded 200 with or without meds and to answer your question my PCP just deferred to the cardiologist and then left the practice. Had no PCP for a while. Working on that now. This actually may not be a good thread to discuss new approaches. Just stumbled on it. Thanks!

Hmmm ... new approaches mean different things to different people.

I've heard it used a lot by the anti-statin crowd. And, by folks who simply want to believe something different from what their doctor says because they had read something on the internet 🙂

My opinion only - if your cholesterol is near 200 and your BP is elevated enough to need medicine to reduce it, and you are 66, then you should be on statins. Sure, you can do other things, but nothing other than statins is going to help as much as the statin.

I'm getting stuck on the …dangerous in it's own way …" comment - what do you believe is dangerous?

@lespaulrocker

Sorry to hear of your troubles with the high CAC. I am glad you say your feeling good and active. I think I understand your concern regarding having a low LDL...but IMHO, having it low outweighs it adding to your heart issues. Cholesterol as some studies state is an essential component of brain function etc....but with the millions of individuals on statins, I think you would have seen a much higher issue with cognitive function in the population. I do think Statins are a great drug...I don't buy in to all the paranoia out their where big pharma is out to get us. Don't get me wrong big pharma is not the most scrupulous of industries, but in the long run the drugs they have produced have made people live longer and fuller lives.

Hi All,

So, I need to restate my CAC and statin chronology! After watching too many whodunnit British mystery shows I think my brain just went "ding" ...

I started this thread and had stated in my initial summary the circumstances of my initial CAC test ... in part - "In Sep 2019, given the low cost (no health related reason), I had a CAC (coronary calcium) test – a few days later I left on a two week vacation to Europe. Got back home to find a letter from my doctor, indicating the CAC test was “abnormal” – like 1340! At this time: Triglycerides 120-140, total Cholesterol 120-150, HDL 40-46, LDL 60-110. Never any medical issues other than hips and somewhat elevated BP.
I immediately reviewed options, met with cardiologist and started atorvastatin and Vascepa (have also taken 81 mg aspirin for the last 20 years)."

Last night I rechecked the chronology of my CAC test. We had just moved and I had a new PCP. He did an initial evaluation and continued micardis for BP control, and noted I was of age for standards of care approach, so prescribed atorvastin - in October of 2018. My initial CAC test was September 2019 - 11 months AFTER starting statins! Hmmm ... based on everything I have read since then, statins calcify existing plaque so those 11 months of relatively high dosage (40mg) of atorvastatin likely calcified my plaque - unless I had existing calcium and then additional calcification.

Given my should-have-been-obvious, newfound knowledge, is this another interesting discussion point? Forensic, but relevant? "Compare the timeline - when you first CAC tested, were you already on statins, if so for how long, what were your lipid numbers, and how did lipids and CAC respond to various types of statins over various timeframes?"

I am sorry I only came to this epiphany so late ...