1. < Heart & Blood Health

I have a very high calcium score. What next?

Posted by dpframing @dpframing, Aug 24, 2018

Just joined the site and I'm looking to share with others who have had a high calcium score. I found out today that mine is 2996 and I am scared by this. I am 61 and I am totally asymptomatic. Now I feel like a walking time bomb. I am thinking of requesting an angiogram to see if there's any narrowing anywhere and if it can be corrected with a stent. After a second heart doctor told me that the plaque buildup might be uniform over the course of years with no big problem areas, I am encouraged. But the score still freaks me out, specifically my LAD at 1333. I don't smoke or drink but I have to lose 40 lbs.

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lgdrn81 | @lgdrn81 | Apr 21, 2023
In reply to @bluesdoc "As the owner of a CAC score >2600 with normal treadmill and perfusion studies (no angio..." + (show)
@bluesdoc

As the owner of a CAC score >2600 with normal treadmill and perfusion studies (no angio because of horrid reaction to IV contrast), and fwiw, a practicing doc for ~49 years (ie, I'm old, but still in the game), I should remind the group that 1. very high CAC scores are not understood by the cardio community 2. A few patients I know in my age cohort with high scores who have gotten an angio have not showed calcified intima plaque but rather Ca++ at the outer portions of the coronary vessels (ymmv) 3. with normal treadmill and perfusion studies we probably do NOT have a time bomb in our chest any more than age-predicted 4. Consider carotid US as carotid and coronary lesions often parallel one another. In my case with my very high CAC score, my carotids are completely clear of atheroma. Just another piece of the puzzle. The most direct way of addressing our anxieties about coronary Ca++ is to get functional studies - treadmill/perfusion testing. And, this is NOT medical advice as that is not appropriate here, but consider statins (or other LDL lowering approaches) to stabilize whatever plaque you might have, esp if lipids are high.

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As an old nurse that just had a calcium score test done, thank you for this explanation!

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1 reply
mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Apr 11, 2023
In reply to @christianzane "Thanks for the update. So his CAC progression is: 2003: 84 2016: 176 2022: 553 Something..." + (show)
@christianzane

Thanks for the update. So his CAC progression is:

2003: 84
2016: 176
2022: 553

Something doesn't make sense with that. He had an 8% annual increase for 13 years then a 35% annual increase for the last six years 2016-2022. So something isn't right with that.

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My math is a bit different - I get about 21% give or take - doing quick multiplier year over year for six years.

Don't have the timeline on when he started statins (or, at least I surmise he did) ... but this would account for quite a bit of it?

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christianzane | @christianzane | Apr 11, 2023
In reply to @mayoconnectuser1 "So, Mr Stamford say his three tests were: 84, 182, 553 (latest) ... perhaps because he..." + (show)
@mayoconnectuser1

So, Mr Stamford say his three tests were: 84, 182, 553 (latest) ... perhaps because he started meds to reduce LDL (he noted his were now in upper 30s). I assume this means statins.

I invited him to post his story here.

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Thanks for the update. So his CAC progression is:

2003: 84
2016: 176
2022: 553

Something doesn't make sense with that. He had an 8% annual increase for 13 years then a 35% annual increase for the last six years 2016-2022. So something isn't right with that.

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1 reply
mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Apr 10, 2023

So, Mr Stamford say his three tests were: 84, 182, 553 (latest) ... perhaps because he started meds to reduce LDL (he noted his were now in upper 30s). I assume this means statins.

I invited him to post his story here.

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1 reply
writer418 | @writer418 | Apr 10, 2023
In reply to @mayoconnectuser1 "Hmmm ... odd that he would not publish it in some way. Sent him a note...." + (show)
@mayoconnectuser1

Hmmm ... odd that he would not publish it in some way.

Sent him a note.

And, I'm guessing it did not go down - even though he went to great lengths to get it to do so.

Still looking for glimmer.

OTOH - the more I read, the more I keep seeing that in many cases a cath is done, with findings that indicate the calcium is in the walls of the arteries, vs inside ... but, lots of variability.

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Your doc should check blood flow with nuclear stress test and sonogram etc. if the blood flow is good, don’t worry. That’s my story. And I’m 70 with 642 score after having taken statins for years.

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writer418 | @writer418 | Apr 10, 2023
In reply to @hikerguy62 "I just found out this past week that my CAC is 2534. It was quite a..." + (show)
@hikerguy62

I just found out this past week that my CAC is 2534. It was quite a shock given I've always been an active person, non-smoker/non-drinker, ate VERY little red meat the past 10 years, walk or hike quite a bit still, and exercise at least 3x / week (I'm a 60 year old male). No family history except my dad dying at 84 from a heart attack (but he had a HORRIBLE diet and was on BP and cholesterol meds).

I'm seeing a cardiologist at Duke in two weeks thankfully to give me more answers to this score. My biggest number was 1639 on my right coronary artery. I wish you the best. I'll post here in a few weeks to provide an update on what the cardiologist says. I'm hoping he suggests more tests before doing anything invasive. Thankfully I'm completely asymptomatic at this time.

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Have you been taking statins? That might be the cause as statins are designed to harden plaque. Loose plaque is worse. In any case, more tests are in order to be sure your blood flow is good. If it is, don’t worry. It’s not a death sentence. I’m not a doctor but I’d say keep doing what you’re doing if you get a good nuclear stress test etc to check blood flow. That’s the key.

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christianzane | @christianzane | Apr 9, 2023
In reply to @mayoconnectuser1 "Hmmm ... odd that he would not publish it in some way. Sent him a note...." + (show)
@mayoconnectuser1

Hmmm ... odd that he would not publish it in some way.

Sent him a note.

And, I'm guessing it did not go down - even though he went to great lengths to get it to do so.

Still looking for glimmer.

OTOH - the more I read, the more I keep seeing that in many cases a cath is done, with findings that indicate the calcium is in the walls of the arteries, vs inside ... but, lots of variability.

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It would not go down, I think that's very difficult. What we're looking for is retardation of the progression, so instead of 20% annual growth something more like 10 or 7%. Statins inherently increase calcification which in essence is good as it's stabilization of the plaque, it's that soft gooey stuff that causes a lot of people problems. As I've mentioned before, my doctor has patients in their mid-90s with CAC scores in the 1000s so living with it is do-able with lifestyle changes and awareness/monitoring of the condition.

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Apr 9, 2023
In reply to @christianzane "It says he has since retired but lists his e-mail after the article as stamford@hanover.edu, perhaps..." + (show)
@christianzane

It says he has since retired but lists his e-mail after the article as stamford@hanover.edu, perhaps you could inquire about his third CAC Score results.

Jump to this post

Hmmm ... odd that he would not publish it in some way.

Sent him a note.

And, I'm guessing it did not go down - even though he went to great lengths to get it to do so.

Still looking for glimmer.

OTOH - the more I read, the more I keep seeing that in many cases a cath is done, with findings that indicate the calcium is in the walls of the arteries, vs inside ... but, lots of variability.

REPLY
2 replies
christianzane | @christianzane | Apr 9, 2023
In reply to @mayoconnectuser1 "christianzane, Did the author of the article update their CAC as promised?" + (show)
@mayoconnectuser1

christianzane,

Did the author of the article update their CAC as promised?

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It says he has since retired but lists his e-mail after the article as stamford@hanover.edu, perhaps you could inquire about his third CAC Score results.

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1 reply
mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Apr 9, 2023

christianzane,

Did the author of the article update their CAC as promised?

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