Cardiac Calcium Scoring

By Abid Fakhri, Cardiologist and Director of Cardiac CT
University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Heart Associates

Early detection of risks is crucial for preventing serious conditions like heart attacks and strokes. One powerful tool for assessing heart disease risk is cardiac calcium scoring.

Cardiac calcium scoring visualizes plaque buildup in the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with oxygen and nutrients. As people age, atherosclerosis (plaque buildup) can clog these arteries, reducing oxygen flow and leading to heart attacks or heart muscle weakness.

In the past, doctors used risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol to assess heart disease risk. Calcium scoring takes a different approach. It uses a CT scan to measure the amount of plaque present and provides specific data to help doctors and patients make informed decisions about heart health. This method is safe and noninvasive and offers direct insight into heart disease risk.

The scoring breakdown follows these metrics:

• Zero indicates no calcium (and is ideal)
• One to 100 is low
• 101 to 300 is intermediate
• Above 300 is high, signaling significant plaque buildup

One important consideration with this test is that cardiac calcium scoring is a valuable screening tool for assessing underlying risk. However, it’s not ideal for diagnosing symptomatic heart disease. This is because it doesn’t show whether plaque buildup is blocking blood flow, a factor that causes symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath. In such cases, a CT angiogram, which uses intravenous dye to show blockage percentages, may be more informative.

Individuals who should consider a cardiac calcium scoring test are men over 38 and women over 45 with certain heart disease risk factors. These factors include:

• Diabetes
• Tobacco use
• High blood pressure
• Abnormal cholesterol levels
• Family history of heart disease

For many people, knowing a family member has had heart disease raises concerns about their own risk. Yet, blood tests alone cannot measure that risk. Cardiac calcium scoring can be an important screening tool for those with these risk factors in the specified age groups. It’s important to note that this test may not be covered by health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Check with your insurance provider to find out.

Alongside cardiac calcium scoring, individuals should focus on essential lifestyle measures to minimize their risk for heart disease, including:

• Quitting smoking
• Eating a balanced diet with fruits, vegetables and whole grains
• Maintaining a regular exercise routine

A proactive partnership between advanced screening and healthy habits empowers individuals to reduce their risk of heart disease and live longer, healthier lives.

The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Heart Associates offers calcium scoring, CT angiography, and other preventive services at its new location in the Outpatient Care Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center. Individuals who may be at risk for heart disease based on the above criteria can schedule an appointment for a calcium scoring test by calling the practice at 410-768-0919.

To learn more about heart care services available at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Heart Associates, visit www.umbwmc.org/heart.