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11/30/18 2:08 PM

#164257 RE: kvenne #164253

Kvenne- A possible explanation for the calcium score - this is a study with Statins but the "theory" may apply for EPA.

In 2015, a study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology which helps to clarify what an increase in calcium means.

Investigators reviewed eight separate studies which had used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS, a catheter technique) to assess the size and composition of atherosclerotic plaques in patients treated with statins. They found two things. First, high-dose statin therapy tended to shrink plaques. Second, while the plaques were shrinking, their composition was changing. After statin therapy, the volume of lipid deposits within plaques diminished, and the volume of fibrotic cells and calcium increased. These changes — converting an unstable “soft” plaque to a more stable “hard” plaque — may render a plaque less prone to sudden rupture. (This postulate is consistent with the fact that statin therapy significantly reduces the risk of heart attacks in patients with coronary artery disease.)

In summary, current evidence supports the idea that statin therapy not only reduces cholesterol levels, but also changes existing plaques to make them less dangerous.

As part of this process, the plaques may become more calcified — and thus, calcium score goes up. An increasing calcium score with statin therapy, therefore, may indicate treatment success, and should not be a cause for alarm.