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A therosclerosis (also called "hardening of the arteries") begins with fatty streaks that develop very early in life. Incredible as it sounds, studies of premature babies show that fatty streaks can even develop before birth, particularly if the mom had high cholesterol. As cholesterol and other fatty materials continue to build up in the arteries, they initially form so plaque. In a study in which the arteries of teenagers were examined under ultrasound, 17 percent of kids studied already had small plaques. One of the ways the body tries to heal the damage from plaque is by depositing calcium in the injured area, resulting in calcified plaque. In fact, calcium can account for up to 20 percent of the volume of some plaque deposits. Calcium deposits are what put the hardness in the "hardening of the arteries." Since X-rays can detect calcifications in the arteries, one of the ways to locate plaque – without doing any tests – is by reviewing medical records. X-rays of any part of the body can potentially diagnose arterial disease by identifying calcium in arteries in the area that was imaged, including dental X-rays, chest X-rays, mammograms, and X-rays of the arms or legs, among others. If X-rays taken for other medical purposes don't show any arterial calcifications (which aren't always noticed on X-ray reports), or you haven't been X-rayed, high-tech imaging tests can detect even very tiny calcium deposits in your coronary arteries, thus diagnosing calcified plaque. Coronary Artery Calcium Score Also known as cardiac calcium score or coronary calcium scan, coronary artery calcium score (CACS) uses an electron beam tomography (EBT) or computed tomography (CT) scanner to look for flecks of calcium in coronary artery walls. e reason EBT or CT – rather than conventional X-rays – is required to find them is that the heart is in constant motion, so the images have to be taken very quickly. e amount of calcium is called a "calcium score" and is a strong predictor of heart attack risk, regardless of your risk factors. A 2012 study of patients with no symptoms of heart disease found that those with calcium in their arteries (as diagnosed by CACS) had more than double the risk for heart attack or stroke – even if their cholesterol levels were low, compared to people without calcium in their arteries. If your calcium score is 4 or higher, you have arterial disease and greater danger of a cardiovascular event. e higher the score, the more calcified plaque has been detected in your arteries. A score above 400 indicates extensive disease. Although low scores are sometimes termed "mild" coronary artery disease, in reality, "mild CAD" is an oxymoron. It's as ridiculous as saying that someone is "a little bit pregnant." Again, having any plaque in your arteries means that without aggressive prevention, you could have a heart attack or stroke. A calcium score of zero, however, doesn't rule out CAD, since you could have uncalcified (so) plaque that this test is unable to detect. CACS is less reliable in younger patients. Calcium in the Crosshairs Page 30 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com