It was explained in last week’s article that the coronary artery calcium test can detect calcification in the arteries of the heart and help predict the risk of heart attack and sudden death. Knowing that risk is valuable, but the important question is: can you lower your risk? The answer is a definite YES by lowering your LDL cholesterol.
A recent landmark study (FOURIER-OLE) showed that lowering LDL cholesterol to extremely low levels (even below 40) reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events by 22% for every 39-point decrease in LDL cholesterol. In real numbers, among a group of 100 high-risk individuals, 14 patients in the placebo group suffered a stroke, heart attack or died within five years, compared to only seven in the low LDL cholesterol group.
While these numbers are impressive, the real promise lies in lowering LDL cholesterol at an early age. The seven lives saved in the example above were from a group with an average age of 63 years.
Coronary plaque buildup and its calcification are progressive, meaning that a calcium score of 100 today could increase to 300 in five years. If cholesterol-lowering measures are started as soon as the calcium score becomes positive —perhaps in the third or fourth decade of life — there is potential to delay a heart attack or stroke by 10-20 years, extending quality life well into the 80s or 90s. The grim reaper eventually comes for us all, but current research suggests we can hold him off for years.
Dr. Charlie Barnett is a contributor at KnoxTNToday for a weekly column, DocTalk, providing his expertise on health and wellness management.
