Leadership in The Power of CAC awareness is now coming from the youth in Ireland, through an excellent research project on CAC presented at the BT Young Scientist competition. Congratulations to young Ben Loughnane from Kinsale Community School who won both the HRB Special Prize and came first place in the Social and Behavioural Sciences. I think it’s time for the cardiologists and radiologists to step up their game, when people as young as this can provide clarity beyond anything we see in standard medical guidance! And his motivation to tackle this crucial area ?
“‘I got the idea for my BT Young Scientist project when my dad was diagnosed with high cholesterol and prescribed medication from his GP. Through advice from a friend he took a heart scan known as the calcification test. He received a zero score and after expert advice he found that he did not need to be taking any medication because this zero score supposedly meant that he was not in any danger of developing heart disease.”
Ben covered all of the main aspects of Heart Disease Risk and CAC technology in his comprehensive analysis and report, available to read here (summary results on page 7/8):
Full Report: A Statistical Analysis of the Power of Zero
Among his surveys and statistical analyses, Ben even explored the tricky arena of drug-induced side effects which can impact quality of life, highlighting that the top technology of coronary calcification scanning should be used to verify disease presence (and risk level), before lifelong medication decisions are made:
The Irish Health Board news release on Ben’s excellent achievement: https://www.hrb.ie/news/latest-news/news-story/article/time-to-rethink-heart-disease-risk-assessments/
Great job Ben!
