Vascular calcification

[Minklewinkle]

Hello, I wanted to know how bad it is to develop vascular calcification and it continuing to increase over a period? Is it an immediate concern that is dangerous or a really long term health concern that in 20years or more could maybe lead to cardiac arrest.

Basically, ive been taking a probiotic with lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG and i recently read an article published on sciencedirect that suggests Lactobacillus Rhamnosus aggravates vascular calcification.

So I'm wondering if i should continue taking the probiotic or stop taking it.

[Hidden]

calcification leads to cardiovascular damage in the end, though I think as we age it happens anyway.

So you balance one against the other - but I would suggest you seek advice from your dispensing pharmacist as they are the experts on this sort of thing.

Maybe the articles you’ve been reading are on a small population ?

A read of the websites of British Heart Foundation and of Blood Pressure UK might give you some insights.

[Redfloyd in reply to Hidden]

I had an AVR recently and my surgeon said my op was very difficult because of the amount of calcification. On checking my blood levels my calcium level was slightly below normal. My surgeon said it happens, no rhyme or reason.

[Happypainter]

Hi, I’m sorry to hear of your concerns, I can’t comment on the probiotic but I have severe calcification. It is taken seriously and the aim is to prevent it from getting worse. I’m on Atorvastatin and Ezetimibe and Asprin to reduce cholesterol which leads to the calcification. They diagnose the calcification score with a coronary CT scan. It pays to be pro active these days so if you are worried ask the GP for a scan to see what your score is and if it is high get on the meds to prevent a cardiac arrest in the future. Good luck. X

[Minklewinkle in reply to Happypainter]

So I guess it would be best to not risk taking the probiotic and increasing calcification. The probiotic was helping me..so that's a bummer. Anyway I'll get the scan done to check my Calcification score. Thank you. This has helped me immensely. I was really confused. But now I know I should probably try other probiotic strains.

[cardamom]

Hello! The research I've read on this seems to suggest that the vascular calcification happened in rats with chronic kidney disease. I'm not sure how well that translates to humans who don't have kidney disease? Has there been any more recent research?

[Minklewinkle in reply to cardamom]

Nope. I've just found this one research and I'm not certain how seriously I should consider it. I am a CKD patient. I tried contacting the Culturelle team and they asked me to contact my medical practitioner - as if he would know the side effects of the probiotics! I'm not certain if any such tests have been conducted for humans with no kidney disease.

[cardamom in reply to Minklewinkle]

Thank-you for the information. There might be benefits in caution, if you feel that the research applies to your situation? Or might reducing the amount you take be an option if you're deriving benefit from it?

[Carbis]

Is it all of your heart valves that are affected or any particular one? My wife recently had this issue with her Aortic Valve and those clever people replaced the valve by a TAVI procedure, It took less than an hour and she was only in hospital for a couple of days!

[Hidden]

your GP wouldn’t know necessarily as you say. But in the UK almost all groups of surgeries employ at least one pharmacist and they are the ones with the knowledge. And have access to your medical notes.

[Dta721]

All I know about vascular calcification is probably due to the diet without sufficient fermented foods. This would mean include hard-aged cheese, Kimchi, sauerkraut in the diet would help regulate calcium in the arteries to deposit to the bones, preventing buildup in the arteries. Look up vitamin K2-D3 supplements, if I may suggest.

[iCat in reply to Dta721]

Exactly the point - the medical studies suggest that calcification is progressing when D3 has been taken WITHOUT vit. K2. Vitamin K2 is responsible for calcium going into bones, and NOT into arteries.