1. < Heart & Blood Health

High Coronary Calcium Score: How do others feel emotionally?

Posted by mcphee @mcphee, Dec 14, 2016

I have a calcium score of 1,950 which is extremely high which means I am at a very high risk for a cardiac event,heart attack,stroke or sudden death.

I take a statin and baby aspirin. I have never been sick, have excellent cholesterol, low blood pressure and I am not overweight. I have no other health problems and I have never been sick. But I feel like a walking time bomb which has caused me a lot of stress. I am 70 yrs old.

I wonder how others with this condition feel emotionally?

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drrawat | @drrawat | Mar 21, 2023
In reply to @steveny9 "Thank you for sharing. I am a bit freaked out myself with a CAC score of..." + (show)
@steveny9

Thank you for sharing.

I am a bit freaked out myself with a CAC score of 583 at the age of 65.

I read that vitamin K and D3 help to move the calcium to the where it should go and not into the arteries. Did you take any supplements?

Jump to this post

No evidence of supplements helping. I am a cardiologist and got my calcium score just casually as I was giving a seminar on it to local drs some four years ago. It came 746! No symptoms, no risk factors, marathoner. Got stress nuclear tested. Just on statins/ aspirin. As an interventional cardiologist myself, I see most patients of heart attack have soft non calcified lesions. Moreover statins tend to increase the calcium score. So you know that it’s not as simple!
I don’t think it needs to be ever repeated. Just avoid over thinking and over treatment.

Best wishes

REPLY
6 replies
daniel777 | @daniel777 | Mar 20, 2023
In reply to @mayoconnectuser1 "SteveSH, Once the calcium is there, it is not moving - I have read nothing that..." + (show)
@mayoconnectuser1

SteveSH,

Once the calcium is there, it is not moving - I have read nothing that indicates it is addressable, only that the rate of growth of the calcium can be slowed with diet, meds, eating right, exercise, etc.

You should be taking statins or some injectable form to lower LDL and triglycerides.

Zetia is simply Ezetimibe that is taken alone or in addition to a statin - the statin does most of the work from what I've read. If the statin lowers yours LDL and triglycerides enough, the Ezetimibe is not needed, or so says my doc and my reading - may not hurt, though.

You've had?
- stress test?
- echo with stress test?
- advanced lipids panel?
- icosapent ethyl?
- ultrasound of extremities?

Jump to this post

Also, taking statins st night before bed have proven to be more effective for lowering numbers than when taken during the day. Anecdotal evidence with family members and others.

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keithl56 | @keithl56 | Mar 19, 2023
In reply to @steveny9 "Thank you for sharing. I am a bit freaked out myself with a CAC score of..." + (show)
@steveny9

Thank you for sharing.

I am a bit freaked out myself with a CAC score of 583 at the age of 65.

I read that vitamin K and D3 help to move the calcium to the where it should go and not into the arteries. Did you take any supplements?

Jump to this post

I take 50,000 iu of vitamin D2/week, not for CAD reasons but because of a vitamin D deficiency.

REPLY
mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 19, 2023

SteveSH,

Once the calcium is there, it is not moving - I have read nothing that indicates it is addressable, only that the rate of growth of the calcium can be slowed with diet, meds, eating right, exercise, etc.

You should be taking statins or some injectable form to lower LDL and triglycerides.

Zetia is simply Ezetimibe that is taken alone or in addition to a statin - the statin does most of the work from what I've read. If the statin lowers yours LDL and triglycerides enough, the Ezetimibe is not needed, or so says my doc and my reading - may not hurt, though.

You've had?
- stress test?
- echo with stress test?
- advanced lipids panel?
- icosapent ethyl?
- ultrasound of extremities?

REPLY
1 reply
Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor | @astaingegerdm | Mar 19, 2023

I agree with many of you- getting a high calcium score is a wake- up call. We have to get past the initial anxiety and work on doing the best we can for our hearts to remain healthy.
Obviously, taking statins and Zetia if tolerated, sticking to a good diet, staying physically active, reduce stress and lose weight if we are at risk for T2 diabetes. T2 diabetes is now considered a cardiovascular disease.
A good internist will schedule cholesterol/ lipid tests and others on a regular basis. Depending on circumstances a cardiac stress test may be appropriate.
We are lucky that we were able to have a calcium scoring test- we’ll know what we have to do.
And - no panic!

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SteveSH | @steveny9 | Mar 19, 2023
In reply to @keithl56 "My initial CAC score was 1014 in 2018 and I had a CTA with FFR a..." + (show)
@keithl56

My initial CAC score was 1014 in 2018 and I had a CTA with FFR a few weeks ago (not to get a new CAC score but that is part of the test) and I had a modest increase to 1185. No crazy diets or supplements, just a balanced diet and moderate exercise in addition to my rosuvastatin and zetia (LDL is 50). Unfortunately, the FFR in my LAD is down to 0.76 and my cardiologist said it is most likely unstentable. I just have to keep on doing what I'm doing and he'll continue to monitor me.

Also, if you have high CAC you may have the same mechanism affecting your cerebral arteries. I have been diagnosed with chronic microvascular ischemia in my brain and MRI's show areas of brain cell death as well as lacunar strokes. You also might want to have your carotids checked, I have up to 39% blockage there as of 2018 as well.

Good luck!

Jump to this post

Thank you for sharing.

I am a bit freaked out myself with a CAC score of 583 at the age of 65.

I read that vitamin K and D3 help to move the calcium to the where it should go and not into the arteries. Did you take any supplements?

REPLY
2 replies
mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 17, 2023
In reply to @usaproud "People on Statin should not take this test. Will give you anxiety for no reason especially..." + (show)
@usaproud

People on Statin should not take this test. Will give you anxiety for no reason especially you are on Statin for a while. Statin increase calcium score 20 to 30% per year. Read
“ how statins can increase calcium scores while reducing cardiac risk” in very well health.com
And also read
“ the annual rate of coronary artery calcification with combination therapy with a PCSK9 inhibitor and a statin is lower than that statin mono therapy “ in nature.com

Jump to this post

I disagree.

Why would information that can be related, not be useful? Sure CAC will likely go up in statins, but the level is still useful.

REPLY
dma053 | @dma053 | Mar 17, 2023
In reply to @usaproud "People on Statin should not take this test. Will give you anxiety for no reason especially..." + (show)
@usaproud

People on Statin should not take this test. Will give you anxiety for no reason especially you are on Statin for a while. Statin increase calcium score 20 to 30% per year. Read
“ how statins can increase calcium scores while reducing cardiac risk” in very well health.com
And also read
“ the annual rate of coronary artery calcification with combination therapy with a PCSK9 inhibitor and a statin is lower than that statin mono therapy “ in nature.com

Jump to this post

Totally agree. Unfortunately I didn’t know this before I had the test. Thank you for the reading suggestions!

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usaproud | @usaproud | Mar 17, 2023
In reply to @dma053 "I’m in similar position as you. High score - 1602 - good cholesterol, sugar and weight...." + (show)
@dma053

I’m in similar position as you. High score - 1602 - good cholesterol, sugar and weight. Age 63. I eat well for the most part. I was very upset too but my doctor explained that it’s just one marker for risk. I have been taking a statin and he added Zetia. He didn’t seem terribly concerned about it. I have also read that statins can raise your calcium score. Doc really wouldn’t comment on that. Makes me wonder if the test is the best option when you’re taking a statin. Causes a lot of anxiety if it comes back with a high score.

Jump to this post

People on Statin should not take this test. Will give you anxiety for no reason especially you are on Statin for a while. Statin increase calcium score 20 to 30% per year. Read
“ how statins can increase calcium scores while reducing cardiac risk” in very well health.com
And also read
“ the annual rate of coronary artery calcification with combination therapy with a PCSK9 inhibitor and a statin is lower than that statin mono therapy “ in nature.com

REPLY
2 replies
rochelle369 | @rochelle369 | Mar 17, 2023
In reply to @jasper1072 "I think for me getting a calcium score was a wake up call--my was not horrible..." + (show)
@jasper1072

I think for me getting a calcium score was a wake up call--my was not horrible compared to many, but it made me think about the bigger picture. Their is a saying by Confucius “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” I modified this quote a little bit in my mind. I believe we have two lives---the first we are born into, the second is when we learn we are not immortal. For me that 2nd life opportunity is eating better, exercising, taking meds when necessary and trying not to stress too much. CAC scores is but one part of the equation.

Jump to this post

It certainly was a wakeup call for me and started my second life.

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