Coronary CT Calcium Score 

A long list of Payel Sen’s paternal relatives had heart disease, and several had undergone major surgeries. So when she hit her mid-50s and saw her cholesterol levels creeping up after menopause, she said, “I didn’t want to take a chance.”

A cardiologist told Payel that, based on factors including age, sex, cholesterol and blood pressure, she faced a moderate risk of a major cardiac event, like a heart attack, in the next 10 years.

Doctors typically counsel such patients about the importance of diet and exercise. But Payel, now 54, a dancer by proffession, didn’t have much room for improvement. She already was a serious runner, and, though she says, “I sometime deviated once in a while,” her diet was basically healthy. Still, her efforts to lose weight didn’t lower her cholesterol.

Her doctor explained that a CT Calcium scoring could provide a more precise estimate of her risk of atherosclerotic heart disease. This brief and painless CT scan would ‌indicate whether the fatty deposits called plaque were developing in the arteries leading to her heart.When plaque ruptures, it can cause clots that block blood flow and trigger heart attacks. The scan would help determine whether Payel would benefit from taking a statin, which could reduce plaque and prevent more from forming.

Also known as a Cardiac CT calcium score, it’s one of the newer—and more accurate—assessment tools being used. “A coronary calcium scan isn’t for everyone, but it’s the finest way for those who are uncertain about their heart disease risk to make better decisions about treatment and medications,” says Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., director of clinical research at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease at Johns Hopkins.

Coronary artery calcium test  is used by more people every year nowadays says Dr. Michael Blaha, co-director of the preventive cardiology program at Johns Hopkins University.The number of calcium scans quadrupled from 2006 to 2017, his research team found. And Google searches for related terms have risen even more sharply.

Patients with a CAC score of zero — no calcification — have a lower risk than their initial assessments indicate and aren’t candidates for cholesterol-lowering drugs. But Payel’s score was in the 50s — not high but not negligible.“It was the first indication of what was going on inside my arteries,” she says.

Though guidelines vary, cardiologists generally offer statins to people with calcium scores over zero and suggest higher-intensity statins when scores exceed 100. At over 300, patients’ risks approach those of people who’ve already had heart attacks. They might need even more aggressive treatment.

This is the way calcium testing is supposed to work. It’s not a screening test for everyone. It’s intended only for selected asymptomatic patients, 40 to 75 years old, who have never had a heart attack or a stroke and aren’t already on cholesterol drugs.

What is Coronary CT Calcium Score

A calcium score is a number from a CT scan that indicates the amount of calcified plaque in your coronary arteries, which is linked to the risk of a heart attack. A score of 0 means no plaque, while higher scores show increasing amounts of plaque and a higher risk of heart attack, with scores over 400 often indicating severe disease and very high risk. The score helps doctors assess coronary artery disease risk and guide preventive treatments, like medication and lifestyle changes.