How's your coronary artery calcium? What's that, you ask? Like the more familiar tests used to assess your risk of future heart problems—cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar tests, for example—coronary artery calcium (CAC) testing helps reveal your risk of heart disease, often before other warning signs appear.
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.
Leave a reply