calcium score of 1 at 35 years old good?

[buzzbomb138]

so recently had some screening done with a NP at a local cardio clinic as i have a family history of CAD (dad died at 55 of MI) along with my history of AAS use to see how everythings going. got blood pulled, a echo and CAC score taken. lipid score came back decent, HDL was a hair low at 38 but overall ratio was good at 3.4:1 and echo came back normal (NP didnt tell me ejection fraction but i wasnt worried about it). my CAC score came back at 1, which isnt the 0 is was hoping for lol, but im assuming thats still pretty damn good considering a decade of AAS use, 10 yrs of cycles with the last 6 yrs being B/C on self-scripted TRT. always kept cycles moderate but the self-scripted TRT always kinda concerned me as i havent been too good about getting BW while on it.

so is a CAC score of 1 the lowest non-zero score one can get? or is fractions like .1/.01/etc possible too? and is this a good score considering my age and AAS use history? i know age kinda determines how good a certain score is as well as a lower score is more impressive at an older age than a younger as CAD is progressive and degenerative.

thx!

 

[GaJoe]

On the results of the imaging place I'm familiar with they give you a score from 1-5 and there are ranges for each score. On a 1 you have a minimal amount of plaque built up. So yes 1 is the lowest non 0 score you can get. I know some guys who can use for years and have a score of 0 then again some guys never use at all and be at a 5 before they are 40. If it were me I'd focus on getting and keeping the hdl up, keeping blood pressure good, and some cardio in there a few times a week with at least 1 hit session per week. Especially since you have family history. Personally think it's a well spent 100 bucks to get the road signs of where you are heading should lifestyle remain the same. On a side note I think I heard the "anabolic doc" say that when HDL is over 58 heart attacks don't seem to exist.

 

[buzzbomb138]

On the results of the imaging place I'm familiar with they give you a score from 1-5 and there are ranges for each score. On a 1 you have a minimal amount of plaque built up. So yes 1 is the lowest non 0 score you can get. I know some guys who can use for years and have a score of 0 then again some guys never use at all and be at a 5 before they are 40. If it were me I'd focus on getting and keeping the hdl up, keeping blood pressure good, and some cardio in there a few times a week with at least 1 hit session per week. Especially since you have family history. Personally think it's a well spent 100 bucks to get the road signs of where you are heading should lifestyle remain the same. On a side note I think I heard the "anabolic doc" say that when HDL is over 58 heart attacks don't seem to exist.

ok that makes sense. ive also read online that the scale is like 0 to in the hundreds where anything over 400 is considering high risk for a CV event. is there a reason why ur clinic uses 1-5? is it just a scaled down version of like 0-500 or something?

 

[Reno911]

Here's the scoring breakdown:

Zero: No plaque. Your risk of heart attack is low.

1 - 10: Small amount of plaque. You have less than a 10 percent chance of having heart disease, and your risk of heart attack is low.

11-100: Some plaque. You have mild heart disease and a moderate chance of heart attack. Your doctor may recommend other treatment in addition to lifestyle changes.

101 - 400: Moderate amount of plaque. You have heart disease and plaque may be blocking an artery. Your chance of having a heart attack is moderate to high. Your health professional may want more tests and may start treatment.

Over 400: Large amount of plaque. You have more than a 90 percent chance that plaque is blocking one of your arteries. Your chance of heart attack is high. Your health professional will want more tests and will start treatment.

 

[Rot-Iron66]

And again, sometimes it doesnt tell the whole story. I know many who have 300-400 (me included) and have zero blockage or sticky plaque. Statins did their job by calcifying it, sealing it from rupture.
Then there are many who have scored zero, who have had widow-maker heart attacks. Calcium scores do not see the soft plaque that can clog your arteries.

Of course only the follow up tests can tell you where you are at. (Nuclear stress test, Stress-echo, etc)...

 

[Rot-Iron66]

When it gets past 'calcium' and starts to rupture, therein lies the danger... (For those who show calcium in your scans).

 

[deadliftsquates]

My Dr. gave me water pills for my BP and after taking that for about a month I noticed my rat hand would fall to sleep all that time and I started feeling off. That all I can explain. Anyway we got blood work done and my calcium was high which is what she thought. I stopped the pill and it all went back to normal.

 

[buzzbomb138]

Here's the scoring breakdown:

Zero: No plaque. Your risk of heart attack is low.

1 - 10: Small amount of plaque. You have less than a 10 percent chance of having heart disease, and your risk of heart attack is low.

11-100: Some plaque. You have mild heart disease and a moderate chance of heart attack. Your doctor may recommend other treatment in addition to lifestyle changes.

101 - 400: Moderate amount of plaque. You have heart disease and plaque may be blocking an artery. Your chance of having a heart attack is moderate to high. Your health professional may want more tests and may start treatment.

Over 400: Large amount of plaque. You have more than a 90 percent chance that plaque is blocking one of your arteries. Your chance of heart attack is high. Your health professional will want more tests and will start treatment.

ya i saw this chart online as well and thats what told me the >400 is the danger zone as i stated above. its just kinda @GaJoe's 1-5 thing kinda threw me off. but i also know how good a score is is also kinda dependent on ur age, like a 1 might be amazing for a 70 year old but kinda meh for a 25 year old, so thats why i asked.

 

[GaJoe]

ok that makes sense. ive also read online that the scale is like 0 to in the hundreds where anything over 400 is considering high risk for a CV event. is there a reason why ur clinic uses 1-5? is it just a scaled down version of like 0-500 or something?

I'm sorry I said that wrong...looking back at the results it's 0-4. So it would mean if I fell into a 1 the score would be between 1 and 10. A 2 would be a score of 11-100 etc etc.

FWIW I have a client who scored over 2000 when he was in his 20's. Non smoker and had just went through Army basic training. His dad passed young from heart attack and his brother also has had heart issues. This guy had a double bypass and has been on statins for years and years (he is about to turn 73). He checks out good year after year with his cardiologist but he hasn't taken another score....I wish he would just out of curiosity.

You should have gotten a % score which will tell you more statistically where you stand in relation to your age group. Here is a calculator but looks like the youngest age you can calculate is 45:

Calcium Calculator

www.mesa-nhlbi.org

Here is another cool calculator in relation to your age and the health of your arteries. Not your age but the health in "years" of your arteries:

ArterialAge

www.mesa-nhlbi.org

Another cool calculator to check out:

ACC/AHA ASCVD Risk Calculator

Calculate your risk for heart disease and stroke using the ASCVD algorithm published in the 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines.

www.cvriskcalculator.com

 

[deadliftsquates]

Ok I just got mine back and here is what my Dr said.

Results reviewed. Total calcium score of 349 implies moderate identifiable plaque and moderate non-obstructive coronary artery disease highly likely.
In regards to CT calcium score, it did show likely moderate nonobstructive coronary artery disease. I think this is something that does require some attention and further follow-up. My suggestion is a referral to consult with a cardiologist. Also potentially may need to consider adjusting or discontinuing certain medications such as stimulants (adderall) or testosterone. That's not going to happen. I only have a few vices and I need to survive them. I am 50 years old and I cruise at 200 usually but I ramp different things up for fun but this sound horrible. I want to try and change some things in my diet or take hopefully a natural pill. Before he starts taking crazy. What do you recommend to lower it. Thanks buddy

 

[Bio]

Ok I just got mine back and here is what my Dr said.

Results reviewed. Total calcium score of 349 implies moderate identifiable plaque and moderate non-obstructive coronary artery disease highly likely.
In regards to CT calcium score, it did show likely moderate nonobstructive coronary artery disease. I think this is something that does require some attention and further follow-up. My suggestion is a referral to consult with a cardiologist. Also potentially may need to consider adjusting or discontinuing certain medications such as stimulants (adderall) or testosterone. That's not going to happen. I only have a few vices and I need to survive them. I am 50 years old and I cruise at 200 usually but I ramp different things up for fun but this sound horrible. I want to try and change some things in my diet or take hopefully a natural pill. Before he starts taking crazy. What do you recommend to lower it. Thanks buddy

Talk to a cardiologist and see what their recommendation is for medication.