These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Rose, age 48: My mom had a heart attack in her early 60s, followed by bypass surgery. She didn't have a clue that she had heart disease. I don't want that to happen to me. I'm going to ask my doctor about getting a coronary calcium scan to check my risk.

Jeffrey, age 56: My wife has been bugging me to get this test. So I asked my doctor about it. He said my risk for getting heart disease is pretty low even though I have high blood pressure. I'm taking medicine for that and for high cholesterol. I'm also trying to eat better and exercise. I just don't think the test is going to tell me more about my risk than I already know.

Tony, age 53: My doctor says I'm headed for a heart attack unless I quit smoking. It's not that I haven't tried. But until something bad happens, it's hard to stay away from cigarettes. My doctor wants me to have a coronary calcium scan to find out if I already have heart disease. Maybe the results will give me the push I need to try to quit again—this time for good.

Maria, age 54: I get a physical exam from my doctor every year, and she says I'm in pretty good shape. But ever since I passed 50, I've been worried about heart disease. I saw an ad for this test in the newspaper and asked my doctor about it. It turns out that in healthy people like me, the test results aren't very reliable. I'm going to just keep getting an annual checkup.