Coronary Calcium Scan Could Help Detect Potential Arterial Blockages

One of the country's top cardiologists says half of the people who die suddenly from a heart attack have no prior symptoms. A calcium scan can be a game changer because it shows exactly how much calcium is or is not blocking your coronary arteries.

"Fifty percent of people die of a heart attack or stroke. Let's find out before you have a problem whether you're at risk and do something about it,” says Dr. Dennis Goodman, Director of Integrative Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center.

He says people are usually asymptomatic until their arteries are 70 percent blocked, so you need to be proactive.

"Most patients are not at that level, they've got plaques or they have blockages that are less than 70 percent. They will most likely be asymptomatic. How do we screen those people? Calcium scan is an excellent way,” says Goodman.

The calcium scan will reveal your age, based on the health of your arteries.

"So if you end up with someone, say, 50 years old and they've got a lot of calcium, they could have arteries looking like someone 60 or 70. If you're 50 and you have very low calcium, you could feel good, we would say your arteries are ten years younger than your biological age," Goodman explains.

The calcium scan only takes a few minutes. Dr. Goodman says if you have high cholesterol or other risk factors, you should consider it.

"You have a family history, hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, smoking, overweight, lot of stress. These are major risk factors," he says.

Dr. Goodman says scans should run around $100. They are not covered by insurance but they do give very good information.

"There are very often times we're trying to decide should you or shouldn't you be on a statin and a calcium scan helps me decide whether to put someone on a stent or can we use a more natural approach or lifestyle changes," he says.

There is a little bit of radiation with the scan, so Dr. Goodman says it is not for those with a history of cancer or those who have been exposed to a lot of radiation. Otherwise, he says it is worth the risk.