In the fight against heart disease, a heart scan can be your best ally.
Heart disease is often a “silent” disease with no symptoms, or ones that are barely noticeable. You could be at risk and not realize it.
Heart scans can help identify early build-up of calcium in the coronary arteries, the most common cause of heart disease, before you feel any symptoms.
The painless, 5-minute scan measures calcium buildup in the coronary arteries. This matters because heart disease begins when plaque forms, builds up and calcifies in the arteries. When plaque and other materials sufficiently block the flow of blood to the heart, the result is a heart attack.
The heart scan is appropriate for patients over the age of 40 who have any of the following risk factors: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, a family history of heart disease or a past or current smoking habit.
A heart scan involves getting a quick, painless CT scan of the chest. After the scan, you will receive a calcium score and, if you request it, your blood can be drawn to check cholesterol and glucose levels. You will want to follow up with your primary care physician to further review your test results.
Your calcium score and other risk indicators will determine what type of follow-up treatment you will need. The result of the test is given as a number called a calcium score, which reflects the extent of calcium in the arteries. It is important you discuss your individual results with your physician to determine next steps.
If you have little or no calcium build up and moderate risk factors, your doctor may simply remind you to stay on top of cholesterol and blood pressure management and watch your diet and exercise.
Some patients with higher scores may need additional cardiac testing. This might be followed by putting you on one or more medications to lower your blood pressure, reduce cholesterol levels and/or prevent blood clots. Sometimes medical interventions are needed, such as stents, to address plaque buildup or blockage of the arteries.
A heart scan provides information people need to avoid or minimize heart disease. Lifestyle changes, such as adopting a healthy diet, exercising and quitting smoking can make a difference when heart disease is detected early.
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