You may be in good shape. You might be symptom-free. You could also have heart disease. If something's wrong with your heart, you might not always know. Luckily, a coronary calcium scan can detect heart disease — one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. — long before symptoms show up.
Who should get the calcium scan?
Men at medium risk for a heart attack — a 10 to 20 percent chance — can benefit most from the calcium score test. For example, if you are a 55-year-old man who does not smoke but has high cholesterol, low HDL, or "good," cholesterol, and high blood pressure, you are at medium risk for heart attack. Other risk factors include diabetes, obesity and an unhealthy diet.
How does the calcium scan work?
Heart disease happens when plaque — a mixture of cholesterol, fat, calcium and other substances — builds up in the arteries of the heart. This causes arteries to narrow, making it harder for oxygen-rich blood to reach the heart. The result? Chest pain or, at worst, heart attack. Using a CT scan, doctors look for bits of calcium, called calcifications, in the arteries of the heart. These specks of calcium are early signs of heart disease. The test is quick and painless — it only takes 10 minutes.
What do the results mean?
If there is no calcium in the arteries, your test is negative. This means you don't have heart disease and your chance of having a heart attack in the next two to five years is low. If calcium deposits are found in your arteries, the test is positive. The amount of calcium in your arteries — the calcium score — predicts how likely you are to have a heart attack. Scores range from zero to 400. A score of zero is normal. The higher your score, the more likely you are to have heart disease.
What happens next?
If your calcium score is high, follow-up testing may be necessary. Your doctor may prescribe medications and recommend lifestyle changes, such as:
--Striving for a balanced diet. Build your meals around vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans. Include lean meats, poultry, fish and fat-free or low-fat milk products.
--Being regular about exercise. Ideally, aim for at least 30 minutes a day. However, even 60 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity has heart benefits.
-Source: Good Neighbor Pharmacy Health Connection, June 2013
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