Calcium scans can predict heart disease in healthy men

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that scans which detect calcium deposits in the arteries can detect heart disease in men who appear to be healthy.
Sometimes heart disease and heart attacks occur without any warning symptoms. Clearly it may therefore be beneficial to detect any early signs among such symptomless individuals so they can be helped before the disease takes a hold.

A team at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, now reveal that doing computed tomography (CT) scans of the coronary artery can be helpful in revealing calcium deposits. Where coronary calcium was found, the individual had an 11 fold increased risk of developing heart disease in the next three years compared to those with no calcium deposits.

However, these findings don't mean that widespread calcium scans would necessarily be useful. Further research ought to identify those individuals who may benefit most from having such a scan. Studies including more women should also be done to see if they, too, have an increased risk of heart disease if they have calcium deposits.

Source
Journal of the American College of Cardiology 6th September 2005