Hello all,
My 76 year old mother recently had a cardiac scan done. Her total coronary calcium score is 470 (ie 75 th - 90th percentile ).
It's got both her and I rather concerned.
Is there anything she can do to better things?
Any advice/tips/comments?
Much appreciated,
Sophie .
Hello 
I am so sorry I have no advice to offer but what I do know is we do have a lot of knowledgeable members who when they see your post which I hope they do will share their knowledge and give you the advice you need x
I’m sorry but I don’t have any knowledge of this measurement even though I’ve got congenital heart disease.
Maybe the cardiac nurse can help if it is not easy to speak to the consultant, they’re normally quite good at giving lifestyle change advice.
All the best!
Hi Sophie
I'm 56 and my Agatson (calcium) score last July was 987. What a shock. Apparently anything over 100 is classed as too high.
They don't understand why this gets so high in some people. It can be hereditary. The calcium attaches to the inside of your arteries alongside plaque. I can completely understand your concerns.
What have they said is the next step for your mum? High calcium score can be a sign of Coronary artery disease. If the arteries become too narrow due to calcium sticking to the inside of the arteries it can cause angina. I'm presuming your mum has symptons or she wouldn't have had tests?
You can't actually remove this calcium or reduce it. The aim is not to let it get any worse. Her cardiologist should be giving her medication and advice for this. If necessary she might need stents to open up the arteries or bypass sugery in the future. (I've had both!)
Let me know how she gets on
Susie x
Many thanks for your response. My mother has angina, yes. She suffers from regular palpitations and heaviness in her chest.
She hasn't had a talk with a doctor or cardiologist as yet.
She already takes tablets to help with cholesterol, high blood pressure, aspirin and I know there's something else I'm forgetting!
My mother hasn't had any operations as yet.
Sophie.
My calcium score was much higher than this when I was first tested. This basically was my first indication that I had any cardio vascular disease. One of those silent factors in my case.
To my knowledge there is nothing we can do about our calcium score- it just helps a GP or cardiologist to work out a testing regime for us and then treatment if it is necessary.
I do not think there is a linear relationship between calcium score and degree of disease either.
I am sure your mother’s cardiologist will be able to use this info to underpin more testing.
Sorry to hear about that. There is lots of info from 'Low Carb Down Under' on YouTube. Going low carbs might help. Have a look at Diet Doctor. dietdoctor.com/about
Hope this helps.
thanks for posting the link. Just when I thought I had read it all before you have sign posted a really useful source of information and no had sell 👍
About 4 years ago I was found to have a colon cancer. In the pre-operation checks I was found to have a calcium score of 1825. So I had a triple bypass at Papworth. Since then no effects, no symptoms and no further interest from the medics. I am 80 and generally feel fine. Dont worry, its only a number.
Thank you, Emjay18. Did you have a triple heart bypass because of the very high calcium score? I am very pleased to hear you no longer have any symptoms. I wish you well.
The advice about the link to Low carb down under will give a lot of information on it. One thing that is recommended is vitamin K2 which is supposed to have the property of taking calcium out of the blood and putting it back into the bones where it belongs. I am not sure it will reduce the calcium score though, but it might stabilise it and it is also supposed to help with osteopenia and osteoporosis. Something else to remember is that your 76 year old mother is also in the 75th to 90th percentile of age for the population, so it is not surprising that she has this score, but it is just one of dozens of risk factors that haven't been measured, so I wouldn't get too hung up on that one measurement. I have no medical qualifications so please don't take this as medical advice, just as a guide of where else to look for your own research into the subject.
Ask your GP to test calcium, parathyroid hormone and Vit D from the same blood draw, ideally first thing in the morning before eating. There is an illness called hyperparathroidism which is rarely diagnosed, but the first thing noticed is high calcium.
Has to be worth checking, but be prepared to be told it's extremely rare. It isn't.
What has just happened?
Calcium and arteries 
So been on the calcium channel blocker 2 days
Chf and 92 yr old mother
