Living with high calcium score

You look fantastic and 15 years younger than your age. While I do not fully understand your numbers, my take away is that notwithstanding your negative deviations from the norms, one can do just fine with clean living and proper medical treatment. If there is more to it then that, please let us know. Thank you very much for sharing.

Thank you for such a clear, concise explanation- very helpful to me! Good luck! Best, Jim B

I got involved in one of these high CAC score threads a few years ago. Mine is 2600, no symptoms, age 77, but history of Lyme carditis. History of bad reaction to IV contrast so no angio. I have high exercise tolerance, neg treadmill and perfusion tests. Then I got very symptomatic PVCs starting about 6 months ago. Not worse with exercise, but very uncomfortable. No benefit from beta blocker increase or flecainide. I'm not going to go to amiodarone or it's unaffordable milder form. I and my cardiologist decided to bite the bullet, take high dose prednisone to try to avoid the contrast reaction (delayed systemic hypersensitivity reaction - like total body poison oak unresponsive to meds once it starts 20-24hrs after dose), and we did the angio yesterday. As expected, the Ca++ is everywhere - intima, media, and adventia of vessels. There's a few small plaque lesions here and there but the star of the show is a 70% mid LAD lesion (in the 'widow maker' ) with OK pressure gradient. No procedure (ie stenting) indicated - just medical management - cholesterol and BP control, as I've been doing for at least 7 years. That plaque is probably stable and has likely been there a long time. Cardio says it shouldn't be exercise limiting. So, I'm OK for now, AND sobered as a life long health freak with some bad medical luck along the way. So it goes. As the saying is, 'I ain't dead yet'!! btw, I'm an MD with 50yrs of front line medical experience, ex ER doc (life long runner until the past few years when my back and knee said stop, no FH of heart disease, never smoker, etc). But we know that the overarching risk factor for all this stuff is AGE. Which sucks... Pic is part of my effort at keeping the reaper at bay.

sw431c,

Cardiologist - IF he reviewed your numbers isn't prioritizing you because there isn't much he can do ...

Now, if he has not seen he information and used it to tailor your appointment? I would search for another cardiologist - and, ensure they are an interventional cardiologist, fellowship trained, good schools, preferably not too old, etc - it DOES matter.

70 Year old male. Stress test-Echo was negative but EKG had a minor abnormality. I requested a CTA. CTA was stopped due to high CAC score of 1090. LM 68, LAD 474, CX 197, RCA 350. No symptoms. Cholesterol has always been 160 on statins. Recent diet change and Cholesterol is down to 124. Cardiologist is out 3 weeks for a phone conversation to review. Have always been active outdoors and 30 min daily workout. 3 weeks seems a bit long to address my concerns.
Any thoughts

High calcium score does not mean artery is blocked. More so it’s calcified plaque which is not prone to rupture. It’s unstable plaque which is problematic. I am 65 years and has 560score in LAD. AHA guide line says CAT is not required for asymptomatic and blockage of 70% can be well managed with medication and diet. So not to worry at all.

questionofbalance,

You quote ... what is the quote from?

Anyone taking K2 supplements? How do you measure progress?

Interesting Danish study:
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/7/e073233
The effect of supplementation with high-dose vitamin K2 (720 µg/day) and vitamin D (25 µg/day) over 2 years was examined in the very recent Danish AVADEC (Aortic Valve DECalcification) Trial.21 Aortic valve calcification progression was non-significantly decreased.22 However, the supplementation appeared to slow down the progression of CAC, especially in patients with severe CAC (score>400). It also reduced progression of the non-calcified coronary plaque volume. Very importantly, the total number of cardiac events and all-cause death was significantly lower (unpublished data). As these findings were secondary outcomes, the results are only hypothesis generating and a confirmatory trial is requested.

Hypothesis
In a randomised setup, we test the hypothesis that supplementation with vitamin K2 (720 µg/day) and vitamin D3 (25 µg/day) in comparison to placebo will reduce the progression of CAC in patients with severe CAC.

What food lifestyle changes are cardiologists recommending besides the obvious. I've read that eggs, cheese, and beef are out. But pasture raised organic eggs have high omega-3. Some low-processed high end cheeses are high in vitamin K2, which is good (see below). I no longer eat red meat but used to eat mainly grass-fed beef which is also high in omega-3. Most studies generalize our foods which removes potential benefits from non-traditional foods. Do we need an update?

"Optimal Vitamin K2 intake is crucial to avoid the calcium plaque buildup of atherosclerosis, thus keeping the risk and rate of calcification as low as possible. Matrix GLA protein (MGP)—found in the tissues of the heart, kidneys, and lungs—plays a dominant role in vascular calcium metabolism."

what lifestyle changes did you have to make? thanks.