Heart attacks are often silent killers.  Sometimes, people don’t even know they have heart problems until they have their first heart attack.  Now, according to researchers from Northwestern University led by Dr Philip Greenland and Dr. Tamar Polonsky, there might be a key for detection in the form of coronary artery calcium deposits.   Traditional screening factors, when combined with the CAC assessment, moved 25% of intermediate risk patients into new categories of higher or lower risk.

The key to prevention is early diagnosis for higher risk patients.  The testing is expensive, at $600 per screening, and difficult since it involves CT scanning and radiation, but this key finding may yet become another important part in detecting and preventing America’s #1 killer, heart disease.  Given how crucial risk classification is in treatment (drugs for high risk patients, diet and exercise for low risk patients), the presence of calcium in the arteries just might become a life-saver for those on the fence between treatment options.

Tags: calcium helps predict heart attacks, heart attacks, heart health, calcium, medical news, heart attack prediction, coronary artery calcium deposits, Dr. Philip Greenland, Dr. Tamar Polonsky, Northwestern University

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