What To Do After a Coronary Artery Calcium CT Scan: The Definitive Guide

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is wise counsel. Although not as lofty a goal, early detection of existing heart disease is worth at least half a pound of cure, agreed?

Heart disease, officially called coronary artery disease (CAD), remains the number one risk to your health. Silent clogging of your heart arteries can suddenly choke off the blood supply to your pump. This can initiate an uncomfortable tightness in your chest called angina, progress to a heart attack, or even lead to sudden cardiac death.

The introduction of a simple, inexpensive, and safe screening test for silent CAD over a decade ago (coronary artery calcium CT scan or CACS) should have been a complete gamechanger in the approach to “winning the war” against CAD. The CACS was recommended as early as 2005 by the SHAPE society.

The CACS does not involve injecting any chemicals or contrast, is painless, takes under a minute, and is widely available at hospitals worldwide. Unfortunately, the introduction of the CACS, sometimes called the “heart’s mammogram”, has been very slow and many have suffered heart attacks and deaths that could have been predicted months to years before their tragic events. The tide seems to be changing however as the cost of the CACS has dropped as low as $50 in…