Heart disease is the common name for
"coronary artery disease" (CAD). This condition is
the end result of a progressive hardening of the arteries, a
process in which arteries become clogged and prevent oxygen-rich
blood from reaching the heart. Over time, deposits of cholesterol
and other substances build up along vessel walls and become
calcified. Blood flows slow until a blood clot forms, completely
sealing off the passage of blood to the heart. At that point,
a heart attack occurs.
An
overview of Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring
Coronary
artery calcium scoring (CASC) is one of the most advanced
methods available to detect heart disease in its earliest
stages. And, there's no better time than now to prevent heart
disease, because statistics' like these continue to remind
us of its tragic effects.
Every 29 seconds an
American suffers a heart attack.
Every minute an American
dies from a heart attack.
50% of men and 63% of women who
die suddenly of heart disease have no previous symptoms.
About 80% of the people under 65
who died of heart disease did so during their first attack.
Calcification
in the coronary arteries is the earliest indicator of heart
disease. CACS uses noninvasive, high speed computerized tomogrpahy
(CT) to scan your heart and detect calcium deposits along the
walls of arteries.
What
is a coronary artery calcium score?
Click
here to see a sample report. (This is
a graphic. After closing it, this page will still be open.)
A coronary artery calcium scoring exam that identifies your
level of deposits.Additional factors such as age, family history
and cholesterol level enable your doctor to measure your potential
for heart disease.
