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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Ingegerd Enscoe, Alumni Mentor | @astaingegerdm | Dec 30, 2021

@glennmcc - You will do well with statins, once you find the best dose for you.
Diet is important- low-fat- and you are already exercising.
What is your blood sugar like? You don’t want to develop Type 2 diabetes- it increases your risk of coronary artery disease.
Have you had a stress test yet? Echocardiogram?
I see my internist twice a year for screening- lab work. Also stress test once a year or so. Echocardiogram annually.
The goal is to lower your cholesterol as much as possible, blood pressure control and a healthy diet.
I have genetic predisposition for coronary artery disease- my doctor is working hard to keep me healthy!

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1 reply
glennmcc | @glennmcc | Dec 30, 2021
In reply to @astaingegerdm "@glennmcc - You will do well with statins, once you find the best dose for you...." + (show)
@astaingegerdm

@glennmcc - You will do well with statins, once you find the best dose for you.
Diet is important- low-fat- and you are already exercising.
What is your blood sugar like? You don’t want to develop Type 2 diabetes- it increases your risk of coronary artery disease.
Have you had a stress test yet? Echocardiogram?
I see my internist twice a year for screening- lab work. Also stress test once a year or so. Echocardiogram annually.
The goal is to lower your cholesterol as much as possible, blood pressure control and a healthy diet.
I have genetic predisposition for coronary artery disease- my doctor is working hard to keep me healthy!

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@astaingegerdm Thanks for your response. I will test blood sugar tomorrow morning with home kit (I just ate and tested and it was 122 mg/dl but that was after eating). I have a stress echocardiogram scheduled. Your maintenance schedule of labs and Echocardiogram sounds good. Appreciate your feedback!

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jtito001 | @jtito001 | May 6, 2022
In reply to @glennmcc "I am 61 yr old male and just had a CAC test with score of 2699...." + (show)
@glennmcc

I am 61 yr old male and just had a CAC test with score of 2699. My Total Cholesteraol is 231 with HDL 90. Blood Pressure ranges from 120/60 to 140/80. I workout regularly including HIIT with peaking heart rate around 150 at the high end and no physical issues at that level. So I am asymptomatic but younger brother had stent to fix 100% blocked artery so have a family history. Currently discussing possible next tests with my cardiologist. Hopeful that the calcium is in the arteries not inside them. Have just started statins and aspirin per my cardiologist. Thoughts?

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Almost identical here. 60, nonsmoker, former heavy drinker. Stopped 17 years ago. High intensity workouts 180 minutes per week. Sub 2 hour half marathons. Decent diet except for sweets, but curbing that. Just got 2540 score! Really frightened. Stress test Monday…hell, I’m already stressed!

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1 reply
glennmcc | @glennmcc | May 6, 2022

Good that you are getting a stress test. When I did my stress test there were no physical symptomes until I hit 136 bpm. I did not feel any symptoms but the ekg recognized issues that I did not feel. Took me up to 162 bpm and still no physical symptoms but the ekg results led me to a heart catheterization and diagnosis of significant blockage in 3 arteries with largest in LAD (widowmaker). Recommendation was bypass surgery due to location and number of blockages. Had surgery 10 weeks ago and it went well (as most of them do). Now well on the way to recovery. Stressfull but I got through it a day at a time. What kept me sane was focusing on making the best decisions each step of the way. Be your own advocate. Good Luck!

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jkluv7 | @jkluv7 | May 7, 2022
In reply to @jtito001 "Almost identical here. 60, nonsmoker, former heavy drinker. Stopped 17 years ago. High intensity workouts 180..." + (show)
@jtito001

Almost identical here. 60, nonsmoker, former heavy drinker. Stopped 17 years ago. High intensity workouts 180 minutes per week. Sub 2 hour half marathons. Decent diet except for sweets, but curbing that. Just got 2540 score! Really frightened. Stress test Monday…hell, I’m already stressed!

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My first was 3,600. My second was 2,800 and my third was 2,200. As you can see, my trend line is going down, which is what we want it to do. I am following the protocol laid out by the doctor in this video (it is not his alone, but also given by my PCP).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oeZeJRp0WY
You got this!!!

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realitytest | @realitytest | May 7, 2022

Please, someone!
I wrote earlier that my nice but (I suspect) subpar cardiologist told me calcium tests have been proven to be uninformative."

I suspect he's wrong, even if it isn't the end all, be all.
I asked PCP's nurse yesterday about the PCP's ordering me a calcium test for my heart and she said my last metabolic panel showed my calcium level was normal so I didn't have to worry.

Now, I see c/o Dr. Google that in fact, the heart calcium test involves a CT scan or other fancier test! (You see what I mean about my area being "medically underserved? She thought it was a blood test!)

Are there more than one kind of scan or are all CT scans? I gather it helps evaluate levels of plaque (containing calcium),. Having an inherited lipid disorder I really want to know my score.

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drjosh619 | @drjosh619 | Jul 12, 2022
In reply to @dpframing "Exaclty what I had- check out my post today2 hours ago · Coronary artery Ectasia (CAE)..." + (show)
@dpframing

Exaclty what I had- check out my post today2 hours ago · Coronary artery Ectasia (CAE) in Heart & Blood Health

I got a 2996 score on the Agatston test. I got scared, and I successfully pleaded to my doctor to authorize an Angiogram.
Before the test, I met with the procedure doctor and he said possibly the majority of the calcium was in the walls of my arteries, and
not in the arteries themselves, which would cause a blockage or narrowing. That turned out to be the case, and he said a stent was not needed.
However, the angiogram did show a significant amount of ectasia in the top sections of the 4 main arteries. A serious and rare condition,
affecting 5% of heart patients,it's the enlargement of the arteries to at least 1.5 times their regular size which can create a slowdown of bloodflow, and most seriously, clots. It is best managed by diet, exercise and medication, especially aspirin and Plavix. I'm on BP meds and a statin too. And I have to lose 35 pounds.

I would be grateful to hear from others who have this condition, and how they are dealing with it.

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Did you get a Catheterized Angiogram or a CT Angiogram?

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drjosh619 | @drjosh619 | Jul 12, 2022
In reply to @seaera "The calcification with little or no stenosis." + (show)
@seaera

The calcification with little or no stenosis.

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Did you have the Cath Lab test done?

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Jul 13, 2022
In reply to @pcspetpro "Seeing a cardiologist is a good idea. Unstable plaques seem to be the biggest danger for..." + (show)
@pcspetpro

Seeing a cardiologist is a good idea. Unstable plaques seem to be the biggest danger for heart attacks. The calcium is stabilizing factor in plaque. Low carb high protein can cause problems for some people. There is still a huge online debate about 'fat' and heart disease. You are invited to join The High CAC Club facebook.com/groups/ 2390693934337849/ A place to discuss and share knowledge.
Accumulating evidence pose new horizons for the study, understanding and treatment of atherosclerotic lesions.

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If this fb group is the same one I joined - stand by for all sorts of crazy sounding advice - from made up concepts to conspiracy theories. Everything the internet has brought to the news is present.

After pushing back on what I considered to be nutty stuff they terminated my access.

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1 reply
callalloo | @callalloo | Jul 13, 2022
In reply to @mayoconnectuser1 "If this fb group is the same one I joined - stand by for all sorts..." + (show)
@mayoconnectuser1

If this fb group is the same one I joined - stand by for all sorts of crazy sounding advice - from made up concepts to conspiracy theories. Everything the internet has brought to the news is present.

After pushing back on what I considered to be nutty stuff they terminated my access.

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Doing due diligence on the web on anything, yet alone anything medical (or, worsen political) is not for the faint of heart or those, well, less than diligent.

Google Scholar and peer-reviewed studies are a safer neighborhood to wander through. But nothing is foolproof. There are a hundreds of, in a sense, faux medical journals that people pay a lot of money to get published in to pad a resume. (I know someone who whose editorship of one financed has grad school education. I'd never of them before that.)

So caveat emptor remains good advice. But there are actual nuggets of truth out there that might change one's medical choices or decisions. So, no rest for the weary remains the applicable adage in my opinion. I think that I've mixed one too many metaphors with that observation...

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