the.com/cac
the acronym that decides whether your cells still know how to be a heart.
means a blood test measuring calcium buildup in coronary arteries, used to score your future heart attack risk before symptoms show up.
from short for coronary artery calcium score, developed from electron beam CT scans in the late 1980s when cardiologists realized calcium deposits show up on scans decades before a heart attack does.
score of zeromeans near-zero risk for roughly a decade
score over 400puts you in the highest risk bracket immediately
scan timetakes under 10 minutes, no contrast dye needed
radiation doseabout one mammogram worth of exposure
for instance
agatston score — the 1990 scoring method still used to calculate cac today
maesa study — multi-ethnic cohort of 6800+ adults proving cac predicts events
cleveland clinic protocol — popularized cac screening for asymptomatic middle-aged patients