What is a Calcium Heart Score, and Why is it Important for Your Heart?
Early detection is critical for effective prevention, management, and treatment. The calcium heart score is one of the most valuable tools for assessing cardiovascular health. In this article, you will learn what a calcium heart score is, why it is important for your heart, and how it can be calculated.
Understanding Calcium Heart Scores
The coronary calcium score (also called coronary-artery-calcium-scoring or coronary-calcium scan) is an imaging test performed non-invasively to evaluate the presence and severity of calcified plaques that have formed in the coronary-artery blood vessels. These blood vessels supply the heart muscles with oxygen, nutrients, and other essentials. This test will give you a score based on the amount of calcium that has built up in your coronary arteries. The higher the number, the more likely it is that there’s been calcification.
How is the Calcium Heart Score determined?
A specialized imaging technology called computed tomography (CT scanning) is used to calculate a calcium score. During procedure:
- Prepare: Most patients can prepare or fast after the test. Inform your healthcare provider if you have any allergies or conditions that pre-exist. Also, tell them if you are on any medications.
- CT-Scan: The technician will place you on a CT-scanning table. The CT Scanner will take different angles of multiple X-ray images to show your heart and chest.
- Calcium measurement: A CT scan generates images showing the coronary arteries. A computer algorithm calculates a score for calcium based on the density and amount of calcium deposits in the arteries.
Why Is It Important to Your Heart Health?
- Assessing Heart Disease Risk: The Calcium Heart Score is a valuable instrument for assessing the risk of heart disease. The higher your calcium level, the more likely you are to develop heart problems.
- Early detection: Calcium heart scoring detects coronary artery problems at the earliest stage, usually before symptoms manifest. Early detection of problems allows early interventions and preventive actions.
- Personalized risk: Assessment is a tool that allows you to customize your treatment and prevention strategies.
- Prognostic Score: Research has shown the calcium heart score to be of great prognostic value. High calcium heart scores are associated with an increased chance of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular events.
- Treatment Advice: Your healthcare provider will be able to recommend the appropriate lifestyle changes, medications, and interventions based on your calcium-heart score.
- Motivating Lifestyle Changes: For many, seeing high calcium scores can act as a powerful incentive to make positive changes in their lifestyle, such as eating a heart-healthy, low-fat diet, exercising more, quitting smoking, and managing stress.
- Monitoring Progress: After an initial heart calcium score, subsequent scanning can be used to monitor the progression and effectiveness of treatments and preventative measures.
Conclusion
Knowledge is power when it comes to cardiovascular health. The calcium heart score provides valuable information about your heart risk. It gives you information on how much-calcified artery plaque is present in your arteries. This allows for an earlier detection of the disease and a more personalized risk assessment. It doesn’t matter if you have heart disease risk factors or want to monitor your health more proactively; discussing a calcium heart test with your physician is a proactive move toward a healthier, longer life.
