Intermountain Healthcare
In a new study of more than 40,000 patients, researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City have found that patients who have no evidence of calcium in their coronary arteries are not only significantly less likely to die from heart conditions – including heart attacks and heart failure– but also are at reduced risk of death from non-cardiac medical conditions.
Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is a strong predictor of how likely someone is to develop clinical coronary artery disease. It is an excellent measure of coronary plaque burden.
When cholesterol-laden plaque builds up in the coronary arteries, blood flow to heart muscle is limited, and plaque rupture with coronary thrombosis can block off blood flow completely, leading to unstable angina or a heart attack…