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Kay McGrath had already been told she had coronary heart disease when her fiancé Richard Moore suffered a fatal heart attack while the couple were holidaying in India.

Both had undergone calcium score tests revealing plaque in their arteries, but neither fully understood the significance of the results at the time.

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WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Kay McGrath reveals heart warning signs she wishes she and fiancé Richard had understood

It was only after losing Richard that the former 7NEWS Brisbane presenter began to understand her own risk differently, and the role medication could play in reducing it.

Kay underwent her coronary artery calcium score in 2023 after her GP wanted to better understand her risk of heart disease. Her mother had died from a stroke at 63.

The CT scan looks for calcified plaque in the coronary arteries.

Kay McGrath’s mother died from a stroke at 63, prompting her GP to investigate her own heart health. Credit: 7NEWS

Kay undergoes a CT scan to assess calcium build-up in her coronary arteries. Credit: 7NEWS

Qscan cardiothoracic radiologist Dr Jeff Hocking explains what calcium can reveal about the arteries Credit: 7NEWS

Calcium scores are not subsidised or recommended for everyone, and they do not provide a complete picture of a person’s heart health.

“It’s a useful indicator of heart disease but it doesn’t answer all the questions,” Qscan cardiothoracic radiologist Dr Jeff Hocking said.

“It’s a small slice of a bigger pie.”

Kay’s result was concerning.

“You’ve got coronary heart disease and we need to work hard to manage your risk factors,” clinical cardiologist Dr Mahala Hudaverdi told Kay.

Coronary heart disease occurs when plaque builds up inside an artery supplying the heart. It can restrict blood flow — causing chest pain known as angina — or rupture and cause a blockage that leads to a heart attack.

Looking at Kay’s scan, Hudaverdi pointed out the calcium deposits.

“This bright white is the calcium in your artery,” she said.

Clinical cardiologist Dr Mahala Hudaverdi discusses Kay McGrath’s heart scan results with her. Credit: 7NEWS

A scan reveals calcium build-up in the coronary arteries, an indicator of coronary artery disease. Credit: 7NEWS

Not all plaque, however, can be seen on a calcium score. Early, softer plaque, which can be more prone to rupture, does not show up.

“The hard plaque is the end stage of it, just like leaving an apple out it eventually gets old and wrinkly and hard and tough,” Hocking said.

Kay had a significant amount of plaque in her left anterior descending artery, commonly known as the “Widow Maker”.

“That’s going to stay there and it’s always going to stay there and it may or may not cause some narrowing of the coronary arteries,” Hocking said.

Further testing was needed to determine whether the plaque was limiting blood flow and Kay underwent a stress test, beginning with checks including her blood pressure before walking on a treadmill as the speed and incline were increased.

Under stress, the heart pumps harder. If a blockage is restricting blood flow, the increased workload can help reveal it. The results were reassuring: “I think that looks normal, you get a pass,” Hudaverdi told her.

“I get a pass, that’s great news,” McGrath replied.

That level of follow-up care is something Kay wishes Richard had received. His calcium score had been higher than hers and showed a “moderate” risk, but he was not referred to a cardiologist.

Like Kay initially, he also chose not to take medication. Neither fully understood what their results could mean.

McGrath later underwent further testing to determine whether the plaque was restricting blood flow to her heart. Credit: 7NEWS

Kay McGrath and her fiancé Richard Moore, who died after suffering a heart attack while the couple were holidaying in India. Credit: Supplied

Kay McGrath and her fiancé Richard Moore visit the Taj Mahal in India, the day before Moore suffered a major heart attack. Credit: Supplied

One afternoon, Kay and Richard were marvelling at the Taj Mahal. By the following morning, Richard had suffered a major heart attack and they were racing to hospital.

“Looking back, not specifically at Richard, but how often do you see situations where more understanding, closer follow-up, could have changed the outcome?” Kay asked Hudaverdi.

“These opportunities are common. It is rare that even my own patient will come back to clinic with everything optimised,” Hudaverdi said.

The experience has changed how Kay thinks about tests and, importantly, what happens after receiving the results.

“If you do decide to have a test, such as a calcium score, then it’s really important that you follow up on the results, discuss them thoroughly with your doctor and understand your own personal risk,” she said.

“Now there’s no one size fits all answer to heart disease, and some treatments can be a little controversial.”

High cholesterol is a major risk factor for plaque build-up and affects 6.5 million Australians.

Statins are Australia’s most prescribed drugs, with more than 27 million scripts filled in the 2023-24 financial year, but a US study found one in five people at high risk of heart disease resisted taking statins.

Kay was once among them, worried about possible side effects. Losing Richard changed her mind.

“Now I’m on them. Have they made a difference?” Kay asked Hudaverdi.

“Lowering your LDL cholesterol by 1 millimole per litre reduces your risk of heart and attack or stroke by about 20 per cent,” she replied.

“And you got a reduction of almost two, or about two. So your risk has been significantly reduced.”

Kay now takes the medication daily. The experience has also reinforced the importance of taking symptoms seriously and seeking medical help, even when it is difficult to know whether something is wrong.

“You don’t know if it’s a heart attack unless we talk about how you’re feeling, we take an ECG and we do a blood test. That’s how we diagnose it,” Hudaverdi said.

“You need to come in.”

“Because that’s where we went wrong with Richard. He didn’t like to make a fuss,” Kay said.

“And his symptoms were atypical. It was very difficult. It was very difficult,” Hudaverdi added.