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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jasper1072 | @jasper1072 | Mar 12, 2023
In reply to @christianzane "I'm glad I found this discussion as I was diagnosed with a 108 CAC score when..." + (show)
@christianzane

I'm glad I found this discussion as I was diagnosed with a 108 CAC score when I was 50 and had some anxiety and worry as a result of it, I had a hard time finding any support groups for it. Anyways five years later and hundreds of hours of research I can comment on a few things:

1. A high CAC score is not a death sentence! The first thing I asked my doctor when I found out about my high score was if he had any patients in their 80s' or 90's with calcium scores in the thousands and he says he has a ton of them. And every year for my annual exam I ask the same question, and he still has many patients with scores in the 4000s who are 90 years old. Change your diet, get on a statin, quit smoking and exercise regularly. My doctor informed me that my arteries were flexible and have possibly expanded to compensate for the calcification. I took a treadmill stress test and after a few minutes the doctor actually go perturbed and asked why I was there and told me to go home, so calcification isn't not the end of the world there are many factors at play. So live a lifestyle that will keep your arteries flexible.

2. I was put on Crestor 10 mg and my LDL went down from 180 to 65. I won't post the URL's but studies have shown that lowering LDL below 65 can actually regress arterial calcification.

3. I'm a Jim Fixx case where I run every day and lead a very healthy lifestyle but have genetic issues which my father warned me about for years. Don't hesitate to get on a statin, it will calcify your soft plaque and make it way more stable. My father has been on a statin since 1989 and is now 83 years old, so the stuff must work (and he doesn't have dementia or any other issues).

4. And I see a lot of comments about quitting drinking. I have a glass of red wine with dinner almost every night and I haven't been able to find any evidence that this can cause arteriosclerosis, EXCEPT for cases where the red wine might raise one's blood pressure. In fact I've seen studies that show that moderate amounts of red wine can actually be good for your heart. So that is personal decision but I did not make that change. I did go vegetarian, stopped eating processed foods and keep an eye on my total cholesterol, LDL/HDL, tris and inflammation levels. It's pretty simple: when you go the supermarket, buy everything from the edges of the market (fruits/veggies/grains/non-fat dairy etc), don't shop for anything in the middle aisles which is all mostly junk and high in sodium.

5. I'll report back in 20 years hopefully and see if I'm still around. At this point with the stain, knowledge about the disease and lifestyle factors now I'm not concerned about my calcium score but about other things like cancer and getting in car accident or slipping in the shower.

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Thank you for the run down @christianzane,

It's nice to know there are many other individuals going through this also...not that I wish this on anyone. Your story is basically identical to me, I started also shopping the outer fringes of the supermarket and my wife and I are closer to the Mediterranean diet. I am not an alcoholic but enjoy the occasional glass of wine or a glass of bourbon. My brother's cardiologist is very proactive according to my brother, but he reminds him also to LIVE. That is not a statement to be careless and eat buffalo wings, chips and bacon every day, but his "OK" to periodically cheat and enjoy something that may not be too good for you is ok.

I exercise 6 days a week now---about 2-2.5 miles with an incline and at an alternating pace to make me break a sweat. Again, no symptoms just a CAC score that was in the in the 100+ range that made me realize I may not actually be invincible. My father did have a heart attack---but thankfully survived and followed a better diet, exercise 3 days a week...he lived for another 25 years into his eighties. So... life will go on and I keep telling myself that. Out of curiosity did you ever go see a Cardiologist?

BTW....Ironically, I worked as a Chief Administrative Officer for Cancer Services for a large Academic Healthsystem for a decade---I know more about cancer than I did with Heart issues.

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1 reply
mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 2, 2023
In reply to @christianzane "High calcium in the arteries in not the all due to the 'aging process'. Yes as..." + (show)
@christianzane

High calcium in the arteries in not the all due to the 'aging process'. Yes as people get older 'some' and probably will get some degree of calcium in their arteries. I know people in their late 60s with scores of 0, and teenagers with scores over 100. Genetic disposition, lifestyle factors, diet, vascular injury, inflammation, and repair all play a huge role beyond aging. It is present in 90% of men and 67% of women older than the age of 70, thus it leave the rest of those older folks with none.

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Well said, christianzane.

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christianzane | @christianzane | Mar 1, 2023
In reply to @SusanEllen66 "@christianzane Blood calcium is different. It is measured when you have blood drawn. Calcification of the..." + (show)
@SusanEllen66

@christianzane
Blood calcium is different. It is measured when you have blood drawn.
Calcification of the arteries is basically the aging process

Blood calcium is regulated by the 4 parathyroid glands we have behind our thyroid gland.
Please “Google” parathyroid gland so you can check it out.

I had to have one removed because it caused high blood calcium levels and gave me a stroke.

Susan

Jump to this post

High calcium in the arteries in not the all due to the 'aging process'. Yes as people get older 'some' and probably will get some degree of calcium in their arteries. I know people in their late 60s with scores of 0, and teenagers with scores over 100. Genetic disposition, lifestyle factors, diet, vascular injury, inflammation, and repair all play a huge role beyond aging. It is present in 90% of men and 67% of women older than the age of 70, thus it leave the rest of those older folks with none.

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1 reply
SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Feb 27, 2023
In reply to @christianzane "Calcium forms plaque which stickx to the walls of the artery, this can harden the arterial..." + (show)
@christianzane

Calcium forms plaque which stickx to the walls of the artery, this can harden the arterial walls and also block the arteries.

Jump to this post

@christianzane
Blood calcium is different. It is measured when you have blood drawn.
Calcification of the arteries is basically the aging process

Blood calcium is regulated by the 4 parathyroid glands we have behind our thyroid gland.
Please “Google” parathyroid gland so you can check it out.

I had to have one removed because it caused high blood calcium levels and gave me a stroke.

Susan

REPLY
1 reply
SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Feb 27, 2023
In reply to @elizaolson "Should I get excited about it, if no one has mentioned it to me?" + (show)
@elizaolson

Should I get excited about it, if no one has mentioned it to me?

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Yes! I just wrote you
Susan

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SusanEllen66 | @SusanEllen66 | Feb 27, 2023

@elizaolson Hi, is your blood calcium level high? Is it over 10?
If so, have you been feeling crappy lately kinda like you have the flu but it comes in waves?

If so, please lookup Parathyroid Glands. You have 4 of them behind your thyroid. They regulate your blood calcium levels for your brain. If a parathyroid gland is not working properly your calcium levels will be high and your brain will not function properly in some areas. This is important!

I had this happen to me and I ended up having a stroke! My calcium level went up to 11.1.
Please see a specialist like an endocrinologist if you can.

Take care
Susan

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Feb 25, 2023
In reply to @elizaolson "Should I get excited about it, if no one has mentioned it to me?" + (show)
@elizaolson

Should I get excited about it, if no one has mentioned it to me?

Jump to this post

I'm trying not to respond flippantly ... but, do you care about your health?

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Feb 25, 2023
In reply to @christianzane "Calcium forms plaque which stickx to the walls of the artery, this can harden the arterial..." + (show)
@christianzane

Calcium forms plaque which stickx to the walls of the artery, this can harden the arterial walls and also block the arteries.

Jump to this post

No. Plaques are formed by cholesterol and other substances. Calcification of the plaques occurs over time.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350613h

REPLY
elizaolson | @elizaolson | Feb 24, 2023
In reply to @christianzane "Calcium forms plaque which stickx to the walls of the artery, this can harden the arterial..." + (show)
@christianzane

Calcium forms plaque which stickx to the walls of the artery, this can harden the arterial walls and also block the arteries.

Jump to this post

Should I get excited about it, if no one has mentioned it to me?

REPLY
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