What this tells us is that measuring the change in calcium buildup
just happens to be a strong predictor of heart disease. This can be
independent of other symptoms. In fact it would be beneficial to
have a way to even determine that progression throughout life.
It says nothing about cause and effect and we certainly have seen
plenty of speculation. The nanobacteria concept was at least
somewhat convincing. The fact remains that the calcium must
crystallize and that remains unclear. It certainly will not be
because there is any actual imbalance in the blood unless some other
part of the system is imbalanced.
Large micro crystals will surely stimulate inflammation and plausibly
produce the remaining effects. For that reason understanding what is
happening here happens to be important and has already spawned a
range of related therapies.
Question? Is it driven by vitamin C or vitamin D deficiency?
May 2, 2013 —
Patients with increasing accumulations of coronary artery calcium
were more than six times more likely to suffer from a heart attack or
die from heart disease than patients who didn't have increasing
accumulations, according to a recent study published in the Journal
of the American College of Cardiology.
The study, conducted
at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) and five
other sites, suggests more frequent monitoring of patients with
coronary artery calcium accumulations could help determine the risk
of heart attacks and give those patients time to make changes to
reduce the risk.
For the study,
researchers measured the coronary artery calcium in a diverse group
of 6,778 persons aged 45 to 84 years from the MESA (Multi-Ethnic
Study of Atherosclerosis) study. The participants had no history
of coronary heart disease prior to enrolling the MESA study.
Researchers found that
nearly half (49.9%) of the participants had coronary artery calcium
in their initial scans -- and most of them (84.8%) continued to
accumulate coronary artery calcium, as measured in subsequent CT
(computed tomography) scans approximately 2.5 years later. For those
with the greatest increase in coronary artery calcium buildup (300
units or more), the study found a more than six-fold increase in
coronary heart disease incidents independent of other risk factors
for heart disease.
"We have known
that coronary artery calcium can be related to heart disease, but
this study shows the progression of the accumulation of the calcium
in the arteries can be a significant factor in evaluating the risk
that a patient may suffer a heart attack in the future," said
Matthew Budoff, MD, the primary author of the study and an LA BioMed
principal investigator and director of Cardiac CT. "By
conducting serial CT scans, we may be able to identify people at high
risk of a heart attack and intervene to prevent that heart attack
through new therapies, lifestyle changes and other modifications.
Further study is needed to determine if more frequent CT scans would
be a cost-effective approach to reducing coronary heart disease, the
No. 1 cause of death for both men and women in the U.S."
About 600,000 people
in the U.S. die of heart disease every year, and coronary heart
disease costs the country nearly $109 billion annually, according the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CT scans can look for
specks of calcium, or calcifications, in the walls of the coronary
arteries to detect early signs of coronary heart disease, which is
caused by the buildup of plaque, a waxy substance in the coronary
arteries. Coronary heart disease can lead to heart attacks, heart
failure and arrhythmias, which are problems with the rate or rhythm
of the heart.
1 comment:
http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james59.htm
This from 2007
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