Coronary artery calcification is a build-up of calcium in the two main arteries of the heart, also called coronary arteries. This occurs after plaque (fat and cholesterol) has formed in the arteries (atherosclerosis) for about five years. Calcium deposits in the arteries are not related to diet or to any supplements you are taking. They are produced because blood vessel cells don't work as they should.
They may be a sign of heart disease or simply of getting older. So what can you do if you're told you have calcified arteries? First, take any medications your doctor has prescribed. This is very important if you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or kidney failure, as these conditions can accelerate the buildup of plaque and calcium in your arteries. Exercising and eating a healthy diet will help keep your arteries healthy.
Risk factors for developing aortic stenosis include high blood pressure, abnormal lipids, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Some people are considered to have a genetically predisposed aortic stenosis. Aortic stenosis is, in general, a progressive disease. Progressive valve calcification causes progressive narrowing and a phenomenon of pressure overload in the heart.
This can cause the heart muscle to thicken and stiffen.
Coronary artery calcification
increases with age and is more common in men than in women. In addition, people with metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, smoking, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and a high baseline level of C-reactive protein are at greater risk of developing coronary artery calcification. It should be noted that coronary artery calcification has 2 main subtypes, the intimate and the medial.Intimate arterial calcification correlates with older age, tobacco use, dyslipidemia and hypertension. In contrast, medial calcification is associated with kidney disease. Although coronary artery calcification itself has no specific clinical manifestations, it has important prognostic implications. Coronary artery calcification is a build-up of calcium in the two main arteries of the heart, known as coronary arteries.
You've probably heard of the term “hardening of the arteries,” which is the same as calcification. If arteries start to calcify early, it may go unnoticed for several years, as younger people usually have no reason to get images, and if images are taken, the amount of calcium at this point may be so small that you can't see it. There are a variety of tests your doctor may request to determine if you have coronary artery calcification. Calcification occurs very early in the atherosclerosis process; however, the presence of coronary calcification is universal in all patients with documented coronary artery disease.
The main problem caused by coronary calcification is the heart muscle's inability to pump enough blood. These include intravascular lithotripsy, in which a catheter is connected to a device that, when inserted, sends pressure waves designed to break up calcification. In the later stages of coronary calcification, the doctor may suggest surgical procedures to combat the disease. Medications that treat coronary calcification can have adverse side effects, and sometimes surgical procedures can cause unfortunate complications, such as arrhythmias, aneurysms, bleeding, arterial dissections, strokes, heart attacks, and even death.
Intimate coronary artery calcification occurs in the inner arterial layer, while medial coronary calcification occurs in the middle arterial layer. In addition, the presence of coronary artery calcification makes percutaneous coronary intervention during cardiac catheterization more difficult. .
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