calcium score

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, coronary artery disease (CAD) accounting for half of all such deaths. And at least 25% of patients experiencing nonfatal acute myocardial infarction or sudden death had no previous symptoms. Do you know that a 1999 study confirmed that coronary artery disease is ubiquitous between the ages of 17 and 34 years? The disease process at this stage is too early to cause coronary events but heralds their onset in the decades to follow. All of these facts make it clear how crucially important is to identify asymptomatic individuals for implementing preventive strategies. This is exactly the main focus of the Healsens platform. In this article, we will talk about another medical test that allows you to determine the presence of cholesterol deposits in the arteries. We’re talking about Coronary Artery Calcium Score Test or CAC test. This article was last reviewed by Svetlana Baloban, Healsens, on January 24, 2020. This article was last modified on 7 February 2020. Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment Models To assess the risk of heart disease it’s very useful and highly recommended to apply “Total risk scores” as the initial method of stratification. Although it is only able to predict only 65-80% of future cardiovascular events. The Framingham risk score is one of the most widely used methods and is also calculated by Healsens. The Framingham Risk Score was first developed based on data obtained from the Framingham Heart Study, to estimate the 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease There are other estimates of risk stratification assessment algorithms such as the PROCAM score or the European SCORE-system for an individual’s global 10-year risk of acute coronary events. So, pursuing the goal of preventive care and screening, which means finding problems long before they bring about health issues, and continuing the topic cardiovascular diseases, we take into account the assessment and correction of fats (such as cholesterol) in the blood, as well as such critical risk factors as homocysteine levels ​​and CRP, which are often overlooked. Taking into account all these tests let describe when and why Coronary Artery Calcium Score Test will be relevant and more preferred to the personal preventive program. IN THIS ARTICLE 1 Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment Models 2 Interpretation of the Сoronary Artery Calcium test result 3 Use of the Coronary Artery Calcium test in people with diabetes 4 Do I Need a Coronary Calcium Score? 5 How to reverse the growth of the calcium index 6 Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) RELATED ARTICLES Despite the fact that the majority of heart attacks are caused by soft, or unstable, plaques, the presence of hard, calcified plaques in your coronary arteries is a very important factor. So, there is a direct correlation between the content of hard and soft plaque in the arteries. This dependence is determined by the fact that the body isolates unstable plaques using calcined deposits, therefore, the rate of formation of hard plaque is also related to the number of soft plaques. You can find out how much hard plaque and indirectly much more dangerous soft plaque you have by using ultrafast or electron beam computed tomography (CRT). This study is also known as the Сoronary Artery Calcium Index or CAC test. CAC test takes cross-sectional images of the vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle, to check for the buildup of calcified plaque, which is composed of fats, cholesterol, calcium and other substances in the blood. This calcium is different from the calcium in bones and has nothing to to with too much calcium in a diet. The measurement can help a doctor identify who is at risk of getting a heart disease before that person shows any signs or symptoms. So, this screening test should be assigned in an early detection program. Below we can determine the criteria for adding this test to a personal preventive medicine list. The CAC score was studied in association with other traditional risk score systems, especially the Framingham risk score, showing the following advantages: independent added value in the prediction of all-cause mortality and mortality due to coronary disease in asymptomatic individuals; and shifting in the category of coronary artery disease risk-60% of atherosclerotic coronary events occur in patients categorized as being at low or intermediate risk according to the Framingham risk score. As an example, among patients at intermediate risk according to the Framingham risk score and with a CAC score > 300, which would place them in a high-risk category, the 10-year event frequency therefore is approximately 28%. And that means, the CAC score adds value to the Framingham risk score and to other methods, providing a substantial increase in the accuracy of the risk stratification. The CAC score is also an independent predictor of the risk of major cardiovascular events, with demonstrated superiority over the Framingham risk score, C-reactive protein level, and carotid intima-media thickness. Interpretation of the Coronary Artery Calcium test result The values obtained from the CAC score can be interpreted and classified in two ways: The result of the test is usually given as a number called an Agatston score. The score reflects the total area of calcium deposits and the density of the calcium. Normal Coronary Artery Calcium Score Based on the Agatston method, the percentile can be calculated on the MESA website (http://www.mesa-nhlbi.org/Calcium/input.aspx) by inserting the patient CAC score, age, gender, and ethnicity. Patients diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease (acute myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, or atrial fibrillation), those using nitroglycerin, and those with a pacemaker, as well as those having undergone angioplasty, myocardial revascularization, or any other cardiac/arterial surgery, along with those under treatment for diabetes, should not be included in this analysis, given that they were not included in the MESA population. National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines recommend intensification of low-density lipoprotein (ldl) cholesterol reduction in patients with multiple risk factors and a CAC score above the 75th percentile. Other studies have correlated CAC scores with the use of statins and aspirin in primary prevention. Use of the