A family history, your diet or even your age can put you at risk for coronary artery disease. A quick and easy test, calcium scoring, can determine if the disease is developing. People 40 to 70 years old who have not had a heart attack should consider having the test, said cardiologist Bradley McElroy, M.D.

“Calcium scoring uses a special Xray called a computed tomography scan to find the buildup of calcium on coronary arteries,” said McElroy. “Normally, the coronary arteries do not contain calcium so the presence of calcium may indicate disease.”

The test, which takes less than 30 minutes, is painless. The patient lies on a table, which slides through a hole in the machine, allowing the scanner to take photos of the heart.

Cardiologist Bradley McElroy, M.D., examines patient Michael Nicholas of Gilbertsville.

“The amount of plaque, or calcium, found during the scan helps determine a patient’s risk level for disease,” said McElroy. “The higher a patient’s score, the more plaque he has in the coronary arteries. This makes his chance of having a heart attack higher.”

McElroy says that patients scoring 0 to 100 have a low to moderate risk of heart disease. Those scoring from 100 to 400 are at moderate risk and those scoring more than 400 are at high risk.

To reduce heart attack risk, McElroy advises changing eating habits, quitting smoking and exercising regularly. For those at moderate to high risk, additional medical intervention, including drug therapy and possible invasive procedures, may be required.