Heart Risk

What’s your risk for heart disease?

Every year, heart disease tops the list nationwide as the most common killer of men and women. By 2035, nearly half of all Americans will have at least one health issue related to heart disease.

One of the most important things we can do to help protect our hearts from the ravages of heart disease is prevention. This requires people to take action – to reduce consumption of low-density, high-fat foods; to lead more active and less sedentary lifestyles; to reduce stress; to achieve and maintain healthy weight; and to avoid tobacco and nicotine in all forms (including vaping).

Another important thing you can do to reduce your risk of developing heart disease? Know your risk! King's Daughters is pleased to offer two important tools to help you better understand your risk: calcium scoring (also sometimes called a heart scan) and an online risk assessment, HeartAware.

Calcium Scoring

Calcium scoring is a simple, non-invasive test that uses advanced x-ray technology to measure calcified (hardened) plaque in the arteries of the heart. The exam allows the physician to calculate a patient's risk of developing coronary artery disease-related events, such as heart attack and stroke.

Calcium scoring is typically recommended for patients who are at risk for coronary artery disease but have no symptoms. This includes men and women over the age of 40 as well as postmenopausal women of any age. The presence of other risk factors may make you a candidate for the screening.

Calcium scoring is quick and painless. The individual lies upon a table that slides into the center of a CT scanner. The scanner uses X-rays and highly advanced computer programming to produce multiple images of the heart. The images are processed by the computer and a calcium "score" is calculated. Scores ranging from 0 to 100 are considered mild; 101-400 moderate; and over 400 severe.

Calcium scoring can be a valuable tool when it comes to determining your risk for heart attack or stroke. Unfortunately, most insurances will not pay for calcium scoring for individuals who don't have symptoms.

Because heart disease is so widespread in our community, we are pleased to offer this potentially life-saving test for just $80. We do require an order from your physician/healthcare provider to complete the test. We cannot bill insurance, but we accept cash, checks and debit cards and the cost is eligible for reimbursement through your FSA/HSA. Testing is performed at KDMC and the Imaging Center in Ashland, and at King's Daughters Ohio in Portsmouth.

For more information or to schedule a test, talk with your healthcare provider and mention that you are interested in having a "calcium scoring screening test."

HeartAware Risk Assessment

King’s Daughters has partnered with HealthAware, one of the nation’s leading providers of online health risk assessments, to provide HeartAware to our communities. HeartAware is based upon the groundbreaking Framingham Heart Study, a project of Boston University and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

The Framingham Risk score is a gender-specific algorithm used to estimate the 10-year cardiovascular risk of an individual. The risk assessment looks at a wide range of health indicators that affect the development of heart disease.

TAKE OUR FREE HEART RISK ASSESSMENT