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Coronary calcium scores highly effective in identifying heart disease in people without any known risk factors: Study
Medical Xpress / Intermountain Healthcare / American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2023 ^ | Nov. 11, 2023 | Jeffrey L. Anderson et al

Posted on 11/14/2023 10:02:34 PM PST by ConservativeMind

While high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking are well known heart disease risks, not everyone who has a heart attack has them. In fact, previous research has shown that 14% to 27% of heart attack patients have none of these risk factors.

Now, a new study finds that these patients had one thing in common: they all tended to have high levels of coronary calcium.

Results of the study show that scans that detect this kind of plaque buildup should be considered as part of their standard care, even in the absence of the four standard modifiable risk factors, so that these patients can be diagnosed and treated before their first heart attack event occurs.

In the study, Intermountain researchers identified 429 heart attack patients who also had coronary artery calcium scans. Of those, 369 had standard modifiable risk factors (SMuRF), like a diagnosis or treatment of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and or smoking; and 60 did not (SMuRF-less).

Researchers examined these patients' calcium artery scan scores, and then also major adverse cardiovascular events, like another heart attack, stroke, or death, at 60-days and long term.

Researchers found that SMuRF-less patients had high rates of, and higher percentile of, coronary calcium scores. They also found that 77% of these patients met their criteria for preventative therapy, like statins and/or aspirin. Patients with SMuRF, as expected, also had high CAC scores and percentiles. Outcomes were more favorable overall for SMuRF-less patients and for those patients with lower coronary artery calcium scores.

While coronary artery calcium scans are becoming more common and affordable, they're still not part of guideline-directed standard of care.

(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: coronarycalciumscore; smurf
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These coronary calcium heart scans don’t use contrast and take about 15 minutes. It typically just does the heart.

I have had this done twice in my life. The first one was $600 and the second was a $99 promo.

I found in the second one I had a small calcium buildup. I got rid of the buildup with supplements, shown in a follow up X-ray I needed for an unrelated event.

1 posted on 11/14/2023 10:02:34 PM PST by ConservativeMind
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To: Mazey; ckilmer; goodnesswins; Jane Long; BusterDog; jy8z; ProtectOurFreedom; matthew fuller; ...

The “Take Charge Of Your Health” Ping List

This high volume ping list is for health articles and studies which describe something you or your doctor, when informed, may be able to immediately implement for your benefit.

Email me to get on either the “Common/Top Issues” (20 - 25% fewer pings) or “Everything” list.

2 posted on 11/14/2023 10:03:10 PM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: ConservativeMind

No cheese?


3 posted on 11/14/2023 10:06:12 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: ConservativeMind

What supplements did you use to remove your cardiac calcium?


4 posted on 11/14/2023 10:38:23 PM PST by Magic Fingers (Political correctness mutates in order to remain virulent.)
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To: ConservativeMind
I got rid of the buildup with supplements

What supplements?

5 posted on 11/14/2023 10:40:11 PM PST by IncPen ("Inside of every progressive is a Totalitarian screaming to get out" ~ David Horowitz)
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To: Paladin2

And no milk?

I would rather die a little younger


6 posted on 11/14/2023 11:01:44 PM PST by NWFree (Sigma male 🤪)
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To: Paladin2

I just bought some white Chedder for my Mac and cheese not giving that up anytime soon


7 posted on 11/14/2023 11:03:27 PM PST by NWFree (Sigma male 🤪)
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To: NWFree

No whey my bones will break in my old age.....


8 posted on 11/14/2023 11:18:10 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: ConservativeMind

Yes, I’ve had two also. I’m a firm believer in these. One in 2006 and again this spring. $99 each time. Around 20 of us at work took the Heartsaver CT scan in 2006. The person with the worst score did have a heart attack later. In 2006 I had 5 calcium spots with 2 being more than minor. This spring those 2 being more than minor became much worse. So it is tractable.

What thoroughly convinced me my VA cardiologist was a POS was because he was uninterested in the results. I entered my results through the VA messaging system as “for the record” to several individuals...


9 posted on 11/15/2023 1:22:24 AM PST by OftheOhio (never could dance but always could fight - Romeo company)
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To: OftheOhio

As a side note. The “hammer” 50,000 iu of Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) (prescribed to many vets from what I’ve seen) has a very good possibility of giving one Hypercalcemia.

I was pretty livid about getting Hypercalcemia and reading about how rat poison works. The mechanism is calcium is leached out of your bones and enters your blood stream. Whole bone pain was the symptom.


10 posted on 11/15/2023 1:40:50 AM PST by OftheOhio (never could dance but always could fight - Romeo company)
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To: ConservativeMind

.


11 posted on 11/15/2023 1:49:11 AM PST by sauropod (The obedient always think of themselves as virtuous rather than cowardly.)
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To: OftheOhio

I think anyone over 50 should get a heart scan. They offered a $49 special here I’m glad I did it, 0 calcium for me.


12 posted on 11/15/2023 2:40:46 AM PST by LumberJack53213
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To: ConservativeMind

I’m 70, I took the test. My calcium score was 0%, so apparently I’m doing OK.


13 posted on 11/15/2023 4:24:18 AM PST by proxy_user
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To: proxy_user

My friend also had a reading of 0 calcium and had a massive heart attack a year later.


14 posted on 11/15/2023 5:05:22 AM PST by Salvey
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To: ConservativeMind

You are talking “apples and oranges”.
The calcium that shows up on a CAC can’t be seen with a normal plain-vanilla X-ray.
CAC uses an ultra-fast CT.
Like I said, apples and oranges


15 posted on 11/15/2023 8:29:53 AM PST by Honest Nigerian
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To: OftheOhio; Magic Fingers; IncPen

“how rat poison works. The mechanism is calcium is leached out of your bones and enters your blood stream”:

indeed ... when folks that were prescribed warfarin for permanent afib and other purposes started dropping like flies from infarct heart attacks, it triggered research that showed that warfarin destroyed vitamin K2 ... subsequent research showed that vitamin K2 was essential for maintaining the calcium balance in the body, keeping calcium in the bones and out of the tissues, specifically out of the arteries ... the original research involved testing with supplementing with milligram quantities of vitamin K2, but subsequent research showed microgram quantities were effective ...

doctors in the know prescribe (non-prescription) vitamin K2 (MK-7 form) for osteopenia/osteoporosis and for preventing calcium plaques in the arteries ... personally, i take 360 micrograms of Jarrow vitamin K2 MK-7, half in the morning and half at night ... also take pantethine (NOT pantothenic acid) ...


16 posted on 11/15/2023 8:34:17 AM PST by catnipman (A Vote For The Lesser Of Two Evils Still Counts As A Vote For Evil)
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To: Honest Nigerian

Hope this helps…

“When dense and heavy, calcifications can be detected by chest x-rays.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557689/

Even dentists are doing it:

“Carotid calcium identified in panoramic radiographs was associated with high coronary artery calcium. Awareness of carotid calcium recognized by dental practitioners in low-cost, low radiation and commonly done panoramic radiographs may be useful to identify patients at risk of coronary disease with potential future cardiovascular events.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7860958/

I have no coronary calcium in my dental 360 or my chest X-ray, since having my CT scan. Chest X-rays and dental 360 images can’t compute CAC scores, but they, most definitely, can show calcium sitting where it shouldn’t be.


17 posted on 11/15/2023 8:45:10 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: catnipman

I’ve wondered too about Co Q-10 being sucked out of your heart because of certain prescriptions.

The Echocardiogram I had was interesting. A grand older woman with skills gave me the test. Calcium and boogers hanging off my heart valves was hypnotizing as I watched her work.


18 posted on 11/15/2023 9:10:26 AM PST by OftheOhio (never could dance but always could fight - Romeo company)
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To: catnipman

Thanks - what’s your dosage of pantethine?


19 posted on 11/15/2023 9:36:33 AM PST by Magic Fingers (Political correctness mutates in order to remain virulent.)
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To: ConservativeMind

I have plaque build up in my carotids. Its big question for me as to how that happened — plus whether or not the plaque is the dangerous soft plaque or the less dangerous hard plaque.

I’m thinking of going to a cardiovascular specialist. Its no cost since I’m on medicare plus supplemental insurance.

Then ask the guy to run some tests for me. I think if he prescribes the tests—then my insurance will cover it.

I’m reading a book by daniel trevor called the “unholy trinity” that refers to sugars carbs and the bad oils. In the back he has a group of tests inserted by a famous doctor—I’ve forgotten the guy’s name—maybe ford brewer—that will give a better definition of your cardio vascular health than what you get for your annual check ups.

My last numbers were kind of wierd. 47 ldl 48 hdl and about 9 for vldl. triglicerides were 43. I would think with those kind of numbers —I would not have a problem with plaque build up.

So I’m going to need more better testing.


20 posted on 11/15/2023 9:37:40 AM PST by ckilmer (ui)
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