Wellness Wednesday is Sponsored by Intermountain Health
February is National Heart Month and a great time to make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your ticker in top shape.
There’s an inexpensive scan available that has proven effective to help men predict heart risk, and some doctors want to know if it works well for women too.
Researcher Dr. Jeffrey Anderson from Intermountain Health asked just that in a major new study, and the answer will likely save lives.
“What we're talking about are what we call coronary plaques. These are bumps in the arteries that grow, and they fill up with cholesterol. But as they age, they also attract little flex or specks of calcium,” said Anderson.
Why should we care about those flecks or specks of calcium? Because a simple scan can see them and show your coronary artery calcium (CAC) score.
The scan is simple, expensive, and effective.
Anderson said, “It occurs in seconds. You lie on the table, zip, zip, and you're done. And I think the cost is less than $100.”
$100 for peace of mind? That may be worth it for many, even if the cost is out of pocket.
“It hasn't been routinely covered by insurance. So, they keep saying we need more research and particularly in women, you know, does it work in women? We'll give you some in men, but what about women? And so, we hope that this moves the needle, so to speak, to help with prevention in women,” said Anderson.
It should, because the results were clear, and it's not a small study.
“It was from a population of 40,000 people that came to get their scans that hadn't had heart attack or weren’t in the midst of a heart attack, and about half were women and half were men. But the women were 7 years older than men, which is what we expect,” said Anderson.
They expect that because women get heart disease at rates similar to men, but it tends to show up a little later in life.
Dr. Anderson heads up Intermountain’s Prevention Clinic and said this heart scan is a big weapon in their healthcare arsenal.
“The people that come to us usually have some questions about their risk, and so we use it very frequently to augment to provide a more precise definition of risk.”
Anderson said this scan can also help you understand your risk for stroke and other issues.
“Atherosclerosis is a body wide problem in our arteries. So, there's a pretty good correlation between plaque in our heart, plaque in our brain, plaque in our legs, and other blood vessels,” said Anderson.
So, the test may show you need to take more steps to protect your heart.
But the flip side of that, “The other thing I just want to emphasize though if you have a quarter of calcium of 0, then you don't need to be on statins in most cases, which is nice. So, a lot of times people come to us, do I need to be taking medicine? If you have a zero calcium, you've got a great 5-year prognosis. You don't need it. Just work on lifestyle, come back in 5 years, we'll repeat it and go from there,” said Anderson.
If you are concerned about your heart health, ask your doctor about getting a Coronary Calcium Scan. It works for both men and women and can make a huge difference in your health.
