Thursday March 28th, 2024 6:28AM

The Northeast Georgia Medical Center now offers a new test to detect heart disease

By Russell Brown

NGMC's Heart Center in Gainesville is offering cardiac calcium screenings to detect and measure the amount of calcium-containing plaque build-up in a patient's arteries.
 
According to Cardiologist at The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Ioannis Parastatidis, MD, PhD, the measurement helps calculate the person's risk of developing heart disease.
 
"When plaque grows in the arteries and begins to block blood flow to the heart, it can cause a heart attack," said Dr. Parastatidis.
 
"Cardiac calcium scoring uses a CT scanner, or special X-ray, to give physicians a clear picture of how much plaque is in a patient's arteries by providing detailed images of the heart and its vessels. The higher the score, the higher the patient's risk of heart attack."
Parastatidis states that the test is a quick, painless and non-invasive procedure that can help physicians identify heart disease before symptoms even appear.
 
"There have been several studies published the last 10 or 15 years that show calcium scores describe, very accurately, the amount of atherosclerosis in the heart and can identify people that are at risk for future heart attacks," he said.
 
NGMC recommends that men over the age of 45 and women over the age of 50, especially those at risk of a heart attack, should receive a cardiac calcium scoring test. People who smoke, are obese, have high blood pressure, have high cholesterol or a family history of heart disease are considered at risk of a heart attack.
 
Patients who want to receive a cardiac calcium scoring test can schedule an appointment by calling 770-219-7666 or by having their physician schedule the appointment for them through the Northeast Georgia Medical Center physician scheduling system.
 

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