A famous female star revealed that she has "calcification". This phenomenon occurs to many people! Learn how to deal with and prevent it in one article

Recently, the topic of a famous female star's "arm calcification" has become a hot topic. According to reports, the actress found it difficult to lift her right arm while skiing, so she went for a check-up and found that some parts of her arm had calcified.

I believe that many people have heard of "calcification" for the first time. In fact, calcification can occur in any part of the body, such as lung calcification, thyroid calcification, arterial calcification, muscle calcification, etc.

Some people will also see the word calcification in their medical examination reports. Many people who don't know much about it will become extremely anxious when they see this word, and even wonder if they have a serious illness. So, what exactly is calcification? Does it really mean a serious illness? Which situations need to be taken seriously? Today's article will explain it clearly.

Arterial calcification under a microscope. This is a copyrighted image from the gallery. Any reproduction or use may result in copyright disputes.

Calcification is not a disease, but a sign

Calcification refers to the deposition of calcium in certain tissues in the body, that is, the deposition of calcium ions in the form of phosphates or carbonates. It is not a disease, but a phenomenon usually discovered through imaging examinations such as B-ultrasound and CT scans. It can occur in a variety of tissues and organs, including blood vessels, soft tissues, bones, and teeth.

Calcification can be both physiological and pathological. Physiological calcification is usually part of the normal physiological process of the human body, such as the bones of children need to calcify to become adult bones. Pathological calcification, such as vascular calcification, soft tissue calcification, kidney stones, tumor calcification, etc., are mostly caused by diseases, metabolic disorders, tissue damage, drug side effects or genetic factors.

Whether calcification affects health depends on the location of the calcification, clinical symptoms, and imaging characteristics. We list some common calcifications found on physical examination reports to answer your questions.

1. Arterial calcification

Causes: Calcification can occur in any blood vessel in the body. It is usually a natural phenomenon of aging, but it may also be the result of certain diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hyperparathyroidism, etc.

How to deal with it: Regardless of the cause, arterial calcification will eventually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events. Therefore, if arterial calcification is found during a physical examination, one must first actively treat the underlying disease, and second, actively adjust the lifestyle, exercise moderately, and avoid high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar diets.

2. Pulmonary calcification

Causes: Common causes of pulmonary calcification are healing scars from tuberculosis and pneumonia. If there is a history of occupational exposure to silica dust or coal mines, it may also be a manifestation of pneumoconiosis itself. Lung tumors, such as benign pulmonary hamartomas, malignant lung cancer, and metastatic cancer from other organs may also cause calcification. It may also be a manifestation of rare diseases such as alveolar microlithiasis and diffuse pulmonary ossification.

How to deal with it: There are many reasons for pulmonary calcification. If pulmonary calcification is caused by infection, the calcification itself does not need to be treated after the infection is controlled, but you can maintain the habit of lung examination once a year , which is also the most common situation; if pulmonary calcification is caused by other reasons, treatment of the primary disease is required.

Therefore, if calcification of the lungs is found for the first time during a physical examination, you can go to the respiratory department to let a professional physician determine the situation ; if it is a scar left over from an infection, you can continue to have follow-up examinations as long as the scar does not grow larger or increase in number.

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3. Breast calcification

Causes of formation: Calcification found in the breast may come from benign lesions in the breast, such as fibrocystic changes, fibroadenomas, and sclerosing adenosis; it may also come from precancerous lesions such as breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ, atypical ductal hyperplasia; it may also come from systemic diseases, such as vascular calcification.

How to deal with it: ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍For breast calcification, we can look at the BI-RADS grade of the corresponding nodule in the report : if it is grade 1 or 2, a routine physical examination is sufficient; if it is grade 3, another breast examination will be required in a short period of time (within 3-6 months); if it is grade 0, 4, or 5, it is recommended to go to the general surgery or breast surgery department for further examination.

If there is no BI-RADS classification information in the report, it is recommended to go to the general surgery or breast surgery department for another breast ultrasound . If the report shows that the breast calcification is less than 0.5mm, indicating breast microcalcification, you should go to the general surgery or breast surgery department for treatment .

4. Thyroid calcification

Causes: Thyroid calcification may come from benign nodules, such as nodular goiter and Graves' disease, especially when these nodules have existed for a long time and have led to degeneration and fibrosis; it can also come from autoimmune thyroid diseases (such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis); it may also be thyroid cancer, especially classic papillary thyroid cancer and medullary thyroid cancer.

How to deal with it: If thyroid calcification is found during a physical examination, you can also look at the BI-RADS grade of the corresponding nodule : if it is grade 1 or 2, a routine physical examination is sufficient; if it is grade 3, you will need to have another thyroid examination in the short term (within 3-6 months); if it is grade 0, 4, or 5, it is recommended to go to the general surgery department or thyroid surgery department for further examination.

If there is no BI-RADS classification information in the report, it is recommended to go to the general surgery or thyroid surgery department for another thyroid ultrasound.

If the report shows that there are multiple calcifications in the thyroid gland that are less than 1 mm, indicating thyroid microcalcification, the patient should go to the general surgery department or thyroid surgery department for treatment.

If thyroid calcification occurs and thyroid dysfunction occurs at the same time, you should go to the endocrinology department for treatment.

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5. Renal calcification

Causes: Kidneys are important metabolic organs in the human body. Therefore, diseases that affect calcium metabolism (such as hyperparathyroidism, Bartter syndrome) and degeneration or diseases of the kidneys themselves may cause calcium deposition in the kidneys and lead to renal calcification.

How to deal with it: If kidney calcification is found during a physical examination, and there is no discomfort or other diseases, regular check-ups are sufficient and no additional treatment is required; if there is hematuria, oliguria, dysuria, low back pain, etc., it is recommended that you visit the nephrology department ; if there are other diseases, continue to treat those diseases.

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6. Liver calcification

Causes: Liver calcification may be a manifestation of bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection, or it may be a manifestation of hepatic artery aneurysm, hemangioma, or liver cancer.

How to deal with it: Liver calcification is mainly treated for the primary disease, and liver cancer is a relatively rare cause, so there is no need to worry too much. In the absence of obvious symptoms and signs, regular checkups are sufficient and generally no special treatment is required.

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7. Prostate calcification

Causes: Prostate calcification is a very common sign in middle-aged and elderly men's physical examinations, and most of them have no symptoms. It is caused by two reasons: one is benign prostatic hyperplasia and chronic inflammation leading to prostate duct obstruction, and the other is bladder dysfunction or chronic urinary tract infection leading to urine reflux.

What to do: In most cases, no treatment is needed unless prostate calcification causes noticeable symptoms such as urinary tract obstruction or chronic pain.

8. Heart valve calcification

Causes: Heart valve calcification may be a normal phenomenon of human aging, or it may be a manifestation of diseases such as atherosclerosis, renal insufficiency, and valve infection. Having genes such as LPA, PALMD, and TEX41 will also increase the risk of heart valve calcification.

How to deal with it: Valvular calcification may lead to valvular stenosis, which in turn affects heart function. Therefore, if heart valve calcification is discovered for the first time during a physical examination, you should go to the cardiology department for evaluation to decide whether treatment is needed and to do regular follow-up.

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9. Brain Calcification

Causes: Brain calcification can occur naturally as a result of aging or as scarring from an infection. It can also be a manifestation of diseases such as hypoparathyroidism, Sturge-Weber syndrome, turge-Weber syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis.

How to deal with it: If it is an aging phenomenon discovered by chance, no treatment is needed; if it is accompanied by other diseases, the primary disease should be treated. When it is discovered during a physical examination, it is necessary to see if there are symptoms such as headaches, epileptic seizures, cognitive impairment, and impaired motor function. If there are no symptoms, no treatment is needed.

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How to prevent calcification?

Some calcification is a natural phenomenon of aging. It cannot be prevented and there is no need to prevent it. What we need to do is manage our mentality and avoid getting anxious when seeing calcification.

Other calcifications are mostly related to diseases. It is better to prevent diseases than to prevent calcification. The key to preventing diseases is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage potential risk factors.

Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption are also important steps in preventing calcification. Smoking and alcohol abuse can damage blood vessel health and accelerate the process of arteriosclerosis and calcification. At the same time, the damage caused by tobacco and alcohol to organs such as the lungs and liver may also increase the risk of calcification in these parts. Therefore, developing good living habits and staying away from tobacco and alcohol can help reduce the occurrence of calcification.

Regular physical examinations cannot be ignored. Regular physical examinations can help us detect potential calcification problems in a timely manner, especially for high-risk groups, such as patients with underlying diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and renal insufficiency. Through regular examinations, early detection and early treatment can avoid further health problems caused by calcification.

In addition to quitting smoking, limiting alcohol consumption and having regular physical examinations, you should also pay attention to the maintenance of your blood vessels. Because arterial calcification is closely related to cardiovascular disease, it is important to control cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. It is recommended to reduce high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar diets, especially avoid fried foods and processed foods. At the same time, insist on moderate exercise. Maintaining 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day can help improve blood circulation and maintain blood vessel elasticity.

In short, take a rational attitude towards calcification, don't panic too much, and don't ignore it completely.

At the same time, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and active disease management, early prevention, early detection, and early response can reduce the impact of calcification on health.

References

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Planning and production

Author: Jiang Yongyuan, Master of Internal Medicine, Third Military Medical University

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association, National Health Science Popularization Expert

Planning丨He Tong

Editor: He Tong

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin