3 ms·
I've had high-ish LDL for ages and diet alone couldn't knock it all the way down. It's only the CAC score that provided me with peace of mind that I didn't nee
by JeremyNT 1y ago
I've had high-ish LDL for ages and diet alone couldn't knock it all the way down.
It's only the CAC score that provided me with peace of mind that I didn't need to reach for statins.
The way I view this is that, if you can get more information, why wouldn't you? Cost of course, and I understand why insurance might not cover the procedure, but anybody of a certain age with any risk factors who is in a position to afford it benefits from doing so.
- fivestones 1y agoThe problem we’ve found is that when you get more information, you are more likely to find things that look off somewhere, which may have no real bearing on your actual health but definitely can cause you to have a worse quality of life—whether because of stress or subsequent more invasive tests or just the time and energy it costs you. This is why there are tests which previously were recommended to a wide range of people on a regular basis which are now only recommended in more limited settings. PSA is a good example of this. The question to ask is, is doing this test likely to improve my life, or not? And while you probably can’t know the answer for a specific test in your specific case without trying, you can often know the probability that it will improve your life based on statistical analysis of other people who have gotten that test and how it went for them.
- 31carmichael 1y agoI have a CAC score of zero (no calcified plaque) and I take both a statin and ezetimibe to lower my LDL and ApoB. I disagree with your assessment that your CAC score along means that I statin wouldn't lower your risk.