Why A Stress Test May Not Be EnoughThe widely used stress test, or treadmill test, may not be finely-tuned enough to catch early heart disease, says a study in the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers found that 56% of the more than 1,000 patients who passed a treadmill test, which measures how well the heart withstands exercise, scored above
100 on a follow-up screen for coronary calcium deposits. That puts them at elevated risk for a heart attack within five years.
The study's authors say at-risk patients -- such as smokers, diabetics or those with
high cholesterol or blood pressure -- should get a coronary calcium scan, even if they ace their stress test.
