As news about the CT heart scan helping save lives makes headlines, awareness of the procedure continues to increase. The scan, also known as a Calcium Score test or a coronary artery calcium scan, has gained significant popularity over the past few years. The procedure is frequently recommended by doctors, health influencers, and notable figures. The test can help you understand your risk of a cardiovascular event such as a stroke or heart attack and can be a good indicator of what lifestyle or other interventions would work best for your heart health.
Knowing what, when, and why this test is done is important. This can help you establish a baseline for your cardiovascular health, but also ensure you only opt for it if the test is likely to provide benefits. In the first of our calcium score test series, we’re examining the what, the why, and the when of the procedure.
What is the Calcium Score Test, and What Does It Do?
First, it is essential to understand that this is a type of CT scan. The test involves using a CT scan machine to create a detailed picture of the arteries that are directly connected to your heart. As the machine generates these pictures, it helps create visuals that can aid in better understanding the calcium deposits present in your coronary arteries. These are vital arteries that allow your heart to receive oxygen-rich blood.
This helps keep your heart healthy and ensures that blood is pumped to the rest of your body, where oxygen and nutrients in your blood circulatory system help cells function properly.
The procedure itself is non-invasive. It uses a computed tomography scan to create images of your heart and the main coronary vessels.
The images not only help to understand the calcium deposits that exist in these vessels but also provide critical information about the formation of plaque. High amounts of plaque in your coronary vessels can be dangerous. It can restrict blood flow to your heart and increase your risk of cardiovascular diseases and events.
When Should You Consider Getting a Calcium Score Test?
Many people aren’t sure about when it’s a good time for them to get a calcium score. There are a couple of factors that you can take into consideration to help you determine if this test is right for you, and when you should get it.
You first need to consider your own risk for heart disease. The test is usually preferred for people who have an intermediate risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but do not experience any clear symptoms.
You may be a good candidate for the calcium score test if you have a family history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, or if you live a sedentary lifestyle or are a smoker. These are all considered risk factors that contribute to the chances of developing heart conditions.
When you do not fit any of these criteria, you’re unlikely to get any real value from the procedure.
The same can be said for cases when you have already been diagnosed with a heart condition. A calcium score test focuses on helping you identify problems like coronary artery disease, as well as the potential risk for a stroke or heart attack before symptoms appear. If you already have a cardiovascular condition, then it does not offer much value, as your doctor can also give you a good indication of what the results would be.
Why It’s a Good Idea to Get a Calcium Score Test
One of the primary reasons for administering the test is to utilize it as a predictive tool. A global prevalence study revealed that in 2022, 315 million people had coronary artery disease. This figure indicates that a significant number of people have this condition, and when considering undiagnosed cases, the actual number may be much higher.
Coronary artery disease increases the likelihood of experiencing serious cardiovascular events, including a heart attack or a stroke.
Early detection of coronary artery disease can be extremely helpful when it comes to reducing the risk of serious complications. When a calcium score test is done, it can reveal a buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries. This is often considered an early sign of cardiovascular disease and can help to ensure it’s identified before you start to experience any symptoms.
The outlook of treatment in cases where a condition such as coronary artery disease is detected at such an early stage is much better compared to late diagnosis.
When asking why a calcium artery test is done, it’s also important to understand that it can serve as a form of motivation for many people. When you get a visual presentation of calcium deposits and plaque building up in your coronary arteries, it can help to motivate you to make impactful lifestyle changes. This may include quitting smoking, which can already make a significant difference in your heart health.
People who receive a score above zero for a calcium artery test are often also seen making changes to their exercise regimen and diet. These are everyday lifestyle changes that can make a significant difference in long-term heart health.
Up Next
Now that we’ve established a baseline for what a calcium score is, why it’s done, and when it’s a good idea to get one, we’re going to move on to explain what you can expect from the scan in the next part of the series. We’ll discuss the actual procedure, how you can prepare, and what happens after you’re done.
References
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22973-coronary-arteries
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/S0735-1097%2824%2904310-9
Author
Bio
Laila is the Co-founder and CEO of Fitnescity.
She is an early adopter and advocate of personal health tracking. Her work on the topic has appeared in numerous media outlets and venues such as Stanford Medicine X, MIT, NYU, Harvard, Forbes, the United Nations, Future Healthcare Week and HyperWellbeing. She was named one of the top 18 female leaders in the NYC Tech Scene, a Legatum fellow in Entrepreneurial Leadership and a MasterCard Foundation fellow at MIT. Prior to Fitnescity, she was a founding employee at Dataxis, a global data analysis firm. Laila has an MBA from MIT Sloan. As an undergraduate, she studied engineering and management at Télécom ParisTech.