How to Know if You Need a Heart Scan

What You Should Know Most Center Scans

According to the CDC, heart affliction is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women, with more 600,000 Americans dying from the condition each twelvemonth.

Middle disease is not really a disease, it'south a term used to refer to many different types of heart conditions, including coronary avenue disease, the leading cause of heart attacks. Heart disease develops due to a buildup of calcified plaque in your arteries that can cause them to narrow over time, ultimately reducing the flow of oxygen-rich claret to your middle.

Fortunately, at that place's a fashion to detect plaque buildup in your arteries before it becomes a major problem. A uncomplicated heart scan tin give you a articulate picture of your eye'south current health years earlier symptoms, and center illness, develop.

What is a heart scan and why might you demand one?

Heart scans, also chosen coronary calcium scans, are a non-invasive method of detailing the presence, location and extent of calcified plaque buildup in the arteries. Using safe amounts of radiation (comparable to two chest x-rays), heart scans can reveal risk factors for heart disease or a heart attack by providing a picture of your heart and its adjacent claret vessels.

"A heart scan is considered a screening test, meaning that it is designed to detect disease at a very early phase, before symptoms develop, and earlier any complications from the illness," says Dr. Jon Blaschke, a cardiologist at the INTEGRIS Heart Hospital. "Eye scans really permit us come across atherosclerosis, which is the disease that ultimately results in heart attacks and strokes, and tin be very helpful in estimating hazard of future vascular events for patients."

The plaque found in arteries is a combination of fats, cholesterol, calcium and other substances found in claret. Plaque deposits will gradually develop over time, with buildup starting years before you lot may detect any symptoms. High levels of plaque tin can restrict blood flow to your eye. Plaque may likewise burst and trigger a blood clot, increasing your take a chance of centre assail. If calcium is plant in your center browse, it's an early indication that your arteries are already stiffening and narrowing due to the presence of plaque.

"This is a test that I employ in my practice daily to help reduce hazard of events for patients and to develop private handling regimens," says Dr. Blaschke.  "It is a elementary, inexpensive and quick examination."

Heart scans are usually painless and can be done without a referral. They usually taking less than x minutes, and do not require you to modify your apparel. Doctors may guild a heart browse if they desire a ameliorate agreement of your potential risk for heart illness, and they may too recommend a middle scan to exam for the following conditions.

• Congenital centre defects
• Defects or injury to the heart'due south four master valves
• Blood clots in the chambers of the middle
• Tumors in or on the heart

Who should receive heart scans?

Heart scans are considered most useful for those with a known "moderate" risk of heart disease or for those whose take a chance is uncertain. Your risk for heart illness tin be calculated based on your age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and tobacco use.

"Electric current guidelines signal that patients at intermediate risk for vascular events should consider heart scan testing as a tool for better understanding their true take chances of vascular events in the future," says Dr. Blaschke. "In some cases, even fairly healthy patients (those at "low" hazard for events) may wish to consider this testing modality, but only afterwards discussing with his or her physician."

It is recommended that those over the historic period of forty with one or more than of the following risk factors should receive a heart scan.

• Diabetes
• Smoking
• High cholesterol
• Loftier blood pressure
• Family history of heart disease
• Poor diet

Nonetheless, middle scans are non for anybody. "Patients who already take symptoms indicating centre disease should not have a center scan," says Dr. Blaschke. "Alternate tests are much more likely to be helpful, and delaying appropriate, timely care by outset obtaining a heart scan can actually put a patient at greater run a risk."

In addition, although these tests crave depression amounts of radiation, exposure is non recommended when there is no foreseeable benefit to getting the scan. In these cases, the run a risk of radiation exposure outweighs the benefits provided by the scan.

Hearts scans are besides not recommended for the following populations.

• Men nether the age of 40 and women under the historic period of 50 with no known gamble factors, as calcium buildup is harder to find at a younger age
• Young people with no family history of middle attacks at an early on age and no other known risks
• People who already have known "high" take chances of eye disease, as the scan may non provide any new data needed to develop a treatment plan
• People who take received an abnormal heart browse issue in the past

Heart scan results

The corporeality of calcium detected in your blood provides an estimated measurement of how much plaque has accumulated in your arteries. This measurement is then used to summate a number known every bit an Agatston score. This score represents a combination of the total area of calcium deposits in your arteries and the density of the calcium.

An Agatston score of zero indicates no calcium present in the eye and a low likelihood of hereafter centre attacks. A score between 100 and 300 indicates moderate plaque position and a relatively high risk of experiencing a heart attack or developing heart illness in the next 3 to five years. A score greater than 300 indicates a very high take a chance of centre set on and affliction.

"We know that the higher the calcium score, the greater the likelihood of vascular events in the next five years," says Dr. Blaschke. "The problem is that about two-thirds of vascular events in the U.South. occur in people who have not had prior diagnosed coronary disease or stroke, and who qualify as low to intermediate risk by our current available models. As such, a calcium score gives us a real window into our patients' futures."

When combined with other health information, your doctor may utilize your score to create a treatment programme for reducing your run a risk, including whatsoever necessary medications or lifestyle changes. Some studies have demonstrated that a middle scan may be a motivational factor for people at moderate risk to make lifestyle changes and follow treatment plans including do, sensible nutrition, controlling blood pressure and managing weight.

For patients with an elevated calcium score, an ambitious medical regimen to control blood pressure level, prevent plaque progression and to lower inflammation in the arteries is typically recommended. Patients with a very high calcium score will often exist recommended for a more aggressive regimen, and may fifty-fifty require stress testing or other cardiac studies.

INTEGRIS HeartScan

INTEGRIS is proud to offering heart scans using the 320 Aquilion 1 Estimator Technology (CT) Scanner. Following an INTEGRIS HeartScan, your physician will be able to study a 3-dimensional motion picture of your heart along with blood flow and role, allowing them to reduce the fourth dimension needed to diagnose center disease from days to mere minutes.

A $50 HeartScan from the INTEGRIS advanced imaging system can give you a precise measure of the calcium deposit in your arteries. Call 405-946-2273 today to schedule a HeartScan.

How to Know if You Need a Heart Scan

Source: https://integrisok.com/resources/on-your-health/2018/february/what-you-should-know-about-heart-scans

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