Artery Calcium May Help Predict Heart Risk

Measuring calcium in arteries can help show whether someone might benefit from taking a statin drug, a new study suggests. The new study included 2,083 adults who did not have known heart disease. Nearly half of them had a high level of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood. A previous study found that people with high CRP levels are less likely to have a heart attack if they take a statin drug. These drugs reduce heart attack risk by reducing LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and inflammation. In the new study, everyone received a high-speed computed tomography (CT) scan. The test measured calcium deposits in the arteries around the heart. Researchers kept track of people for 6 years. In that time, 3 out of 4 heart attacks occurred in people who had high calcium scores. Researchers said calcium scores predicted heart attack risk better than CRP levels did.