This last week has been an absolute roller coaster. Long story short I have 0 history of heart disease in my family but do have a history of afib. This has lead to me having pretty frequent cardiologist visits (twice a year since I was 28, I'm now 34). Of all the tests that have been done over the years to ensure my cardiovascular health was there the one thing that was never done was a calcium score test.

Well Monday I started having heart palpitations that were stronger than they usually are to the point that they were taking my breath away and causing numbness in my fingers. Went to the ER to get checked out and there they ordered a calcium score test. The results were shocking to me. 185 CAC which means a moderate plaque buildup the the RCA and circumflex. My doctor told me that if this went unchecked I was on my way to a heart attack in 3-5 years.

I'm completely floored. I have 2 kids under 3 and never thought I'd be looking at something like this this early in life. If 6'2 220 and generally active.

Anybody been through something like this or have any advice. Was out on statins immediately and told I need to change my diet and lifestyle (more exercise) but little else. Any advice would be appreciated

A calcium score is just a piece of the puzzle, but it does mean that you and your doctor need to have a conversation about it and looking to lower your other risk factors.

The ER Dr told you this or your cardiologist? If you're getting regular checks from a cardiologist and they are not concerned I wouldn't worry yet. An appointment to discuss those ER results and what sent you in, absolutely is in order.

CA scores can be misleading. Do you by any chance take a statin? If so, that might be a factor.

I would discuss with your Cardiologist and ignore what you are told from others.

Btw, a Ca score of 0 can also be misleading if not interpreted in the context of your labs, history, etc.

Just for reference, I am 51, have a CAC of 1166 with over 1000 of it being in my LAD (Widowmaker). I would suggest finding a new doctor with a level head and is not saying stuff like this to you. I had an angiogram and have a 90% blockage in my LAD. I would encourage you to also change your diet and exercise. Get a Cardio IQ panel done from Quest. Focus on APO B and LP PLA2. They tell a pretty good story of what is going on. I would also encourage you to read "Beat The Heart Attack Gene" and "Deep Nutrition". You may also consider a LOW DOSE statin if your APO B and/or LP PLA2 are elevated. My doctor has me on medication only and I am jogging 1.6mi 4 times a week and lifting weights the other 3.

Just wanted to add - the name of the game for anyone with CAD is to stabilize and calcify your soft plaques and lower arterial inflammation to stop additional soft plaques from forming. Do some research on metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. As a poster said above, Triglyceride/HDL ratio should ideally be around 1 and is a good measure of your metabolic state. Look up Dr. Ford Brewer. He is a retired preventive medicine Doctor from John's Hopkins and is a great resource.

Definitely get with your cardiologist.

The big reason an ER doc is saying something alarming like that is because you're 34 with a 185. If you were 55, they'd probably wouldn't be so alarmist. 185 at 34 is definitely gonna put them on notice because it probably puts you in the 95-99%. Not saying it was the appropriate reaction, but that is the probably reason why