Did you know that there is 1 death every 38 seconds in the US due to cardiovascular disease? Most people who have cardiovascular disease don't even know that they have it. This is why getting early diagnostic testing is so important. A calcium score actually helps PREDICT the occurrence of a future cardiac event, thus allowing for early preventative interventions as necessary. A Calcium Score is a CAT scan of the heart and arteries to detects that presence of calcium, a component of plaque, in the coronary vessels. The presence of plaque leads to obstruction of the vessels which can cause heart attack and stroke. The amount of calcium present in your arteries is closely correlated with the extent of underlying coronary artery disease.