Dr. Keith Roach is a physician at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. He writes an educational column on infectious diseases, public health and sports medicine. DEAR DR.

A coronary artery calcium scan is a quick and painless scan of the heart. Doctors are looking for calcium and plaque buildup ...

I'm a 79-year-old female.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Coronary artery calcium scores are very effective in identifying men and women at risk for heart attacks. as well as death from ...

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of Americans. In the United States, it's estimated that someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds. These are scary statistics, but there's one test that can give ...

Memorial Hermann-Katy doctor Khilan Pindoria says he tries taking good care of his health because his father passed away suddenly when he was just a teenager. His father was only 52 years old. Now, as ...

Dear Dr. Roach: You mentioned checking a calcium score to help determine risk of having a heart attack. Please explain what that is. Thank you. — J.S. Dear J.S.: A coronary artery calcium score is a ...

I’m a 79-year-old female. Recently, I was diagnosed with moderate calcification of leaflets on my mitral valve. I have no symptoms but heard from a recent talk that even moderate calcification could ...

An imaging test called coronary calcium scoring can help doctors to make the right recommendation about the use of statin therapy. The test is a 10-minute CT (computed tomography) scan looking for ...

Dear Dr. Roach: I am 74 and in good health except for osteoporosis. I’m 5 foot, 3 inches tall and weigh 106 pounds, and have followed a plant-based diet for eight years. I take no medications, walk ...

Understanding your risk for developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) plays an important role in deciding whether to start statin therapy. While there are recommendations and risk ...

When it comes to heart health, prevention is the name of the game. Cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes are more than 75% preventable by having healthy diet and lifestyle habits in place.