After the surprising and untimely recent death of famous newsman Tim Russert, Los Angeles cardiology center APEX Cardiology reminds us that heart disease is still America’s number one killer. Every year more than one million Americans suffer a heart attack, more unfortunately, many do not survive. Renown Los Angeles Cardiologist Dr. Mason Weiss and his staff urge local residents to schedule regular screenings. Very simple and inexpensive tests can help save lives. A Coronary Calcium Heart Scan costs only $99 and can indicate a heightened risk of heart attack or other heart problems even before any symptoms are experienced. Plaque which builds up in the arteries deposits as cholesterol, which attracts calcium.
The more calcium deposits are found in the lining of the arteries, the more at risk a person is for a heart attack, which is exactly what the test shows. This test is a type of CT scan which gives out a calcium score based on the results found in coronary arteries. A Calcium Score of 100 and below is considered normal, while anything over 400 is considered high risk. Learning your calcium score is an essential step in reading heart health, and determining heart disease. Knowing the calcium score enables a doctor to then design an appropriate treatment program. Many patients are being over treated or undertreated because their risk is just based on those risk factors, not the calcium score.
Dr. Weiss received both his undergraduate and medical degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He then completed an internship at The Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal as well as medical residencies at both St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and Toronto General Hospital. Dr. Weiss then completed a cardiology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He has been an active member in medical societies such as American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions, American College of Chest Physicians and American College of Angiology, as well as the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. He holds board certifications from the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Internal Medicine: Cardiovascular Diseases and the American Board of Internal Medicine: Interventional Cardiology.
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