Coronary Calcification: A Warning for Your Heart

You have more calcium in your body than any other mineral, and for good reason — your body depends on calcium for a variety of important functions, most unseen and unfelt. However, calcium isn’t always beneficial. When it builds up in the arteries that supply the heart with blood, it’s known as coronary calcification. This can put your heart at risk.

A special type of CT scan can detect coronary calcification. The results can help you and your cardiologist or primary care provider (PCP) understand your risk for heart problems. Knowing your risk level can help the two of you create a plan to reduce it.

Read More: What Is Heart Calcium Scoring?

When Calcium Is Concerning

Your body runs, in part, on calcium. This mineral strengthens your teeth and bones. It also helps muscles move and nerves transmit signals, among other important roles. Calcium becomes problematic when it contributes to the formation of a substance called plaque in the coronary arteries. Coronary calcification is a clue that plaque may be present.

“Calcium is an ingredient in plaque,” says Dr. Stuart Smalheiser, a board-certified general, nuclear and interventional cardiologist at Beaufort Memorial Heart Specialists. “Plaque is a fatty substance that accumulates inside arteries, making their walls thicker and narrowing the blood vessels. This process is called atherosclerosis. If you have atherosclerosis in your coronary arteries, it’s known as coronary artery disease.”

The risk of coronary calcification lies in its potential to contribute to atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Plaque can block the flow of blood — and the oxygen it carries — to a portion of the heart muscle, causing a heart attack. Studies have shown that patients with increased coronary calcium have an increased risk for future cardiac events.

Read More: For Women, Classic Heart Attack Signs Aren’t Always ‘Classic’

Detecting and Treating Coronary Calcification

Coronary artery calcification takes place silently, without causing symptoms. However, that doesn’t mean it’s undetectable. A CT scan of the heart called a coronary artery calcium screening can detect and measure the amount of calcium in the coronary arteries. This noninvasive imaging test can be an important part of heart disease prevention and early detection for certain patients. Coronary artery calcium scoring may be right for you if you have an intermediate risk for heart disease. The test can also be valuable for borderline-risk patients.

The results of a coronary artery calcium screening are known as a calcium score. Your cardiologist or PCP will use your calcium score and other indicators of heart health, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels, to determine your risk for heart disease and what to do about it.

If coronary calcification is present, it could be a sign that atherosclerosis is taking place. As a result, the next step may be to treat this accumulation of plaque. Your cardiologist or PCP may recommend:

• Lifestyle changes. Following a heart-healthy diet, exercising regularly and quitting smoking, among other steps, can help protect your heart.
• Medications. You may need to take medicines to treat factors that can contribute to heart disease, such as high blood pressure or unhealthy cholesterol levels.
• Procedures. If you have significant narrowing or a blockage in a coronary artery, you may need a procedure to restore blood flow. Options range from a minimally invasive procedure, such as angioplasty, to coronary artery bypass surgery.

Find out if you are at risk of having a heart attack or heart disease in the next three to five years, ask your doctor if a coronary artery calcium screening is right for you.