| Featured Research  Can coronary calcium scans help identify who will develop heart disease?
Coronary calcium scans (measured by X-ray) reveal specks of calcium in the walls of coronary arteries. The specks, showing calcifications, are an early sign of coronary heart disease (CHD), and may indicate that an individual is at increased risk for a heart attack or other heart problems before other signs and symptoms occur. Should coronary calcium scans be added to a prediction model based on traditional CHD risk factors to improve classification of risk? Read a summary of the research study Tip Sheet Risk Assessment Tool for Estimating 10-year Risk of Developing Hard Coronary Heart Disease This risk assessment tool uses data from the Framingham Heart Study to estimate 10-year risk for "hard" coronary heart disease outcomes (myocardial infarction and coronary death). This tool is designed to estimate risk in adults aged 20 and older who do not already have heart disease or diabetes. Try the online calculator NHLBI Diseases and Conditions Index (DCI) Coronary Calcium Scans A coronary calcium scan can help show whether an individual has coronary heart disease. The scan is simple and easy for the patient, who lies in the scanner machine for about 10 minutes, periodically holding his or her breath, as directed by a technician. Based on the amount of calcium found in the coronary arteries, an “Agatston” score for each major artery and a total score is calculated. Learn more about coronary calcium scans Researcher Profile  Stephen Rich, Ph.D., is combing through all the segments of the human genome that make protein to find undiscovered variations in genes that might contribute to heart disease. Supported by an NHLBI American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded grant, he hopes to uncover the basis of why people get heart disease. "Even when you're mowing the grass or walking the dogs, you're thinking about science," said Dr. Rich. "It's like how musicians have inspiration while they're asleep, and they wake up and write down lyrics. Except we think about genomics instead of songs."
Meet Dr. Rich and learn about his research NHLBI Resources |
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