Oops I just realised that I didn’t post the article about CAC score and risk stratification
I really think that I was expecting something similar for myself. My lipid profile wasn’t so different… LDL-C just a bit higher at around 125-130. I started reading this blog a few years ago purely out of academic interest and because Anthony Pearson is an engaging author.
My CT angiogram was the real decider though…3 coronary arteries with >80% blockage and Fractional Flow Reserve showing figures that tend to be decision makers for stent placement. Or rather did. These newer lipid lowering meds (PCSK9 inhibitors etc) seem to be real game changers. My cardiologist is very upbeat about the future of intervention cardiology…real intervention tools that make a difference rather than just slowing down the inevitable
Also worth noting the advances in technology that allow for better, non invasive diagnostics. It doesn’t seem that long ago that “angiography” meant catheterisation with attendant risks. Now it’s starting to look like even stents and other revascularisation procedures are set to become a quaint historical footnote for a good many