Melissa Claire Egan Opens up About Heart Disease Diagnosis

womansworld.com · Feb 27, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Heart Health ‘Young and the Restless’ Star Melissa Claire Egan, 44, Opens up About Her Heart Disease Diagnosis See the crucial scan that the soap star urges women to get Comments TOP STORIES Melissa Claire Egan in 2024 Paul Archuleta When soap opera star Melissa Claire Egan got routine bloodwork done recently, she wasn’t expecting life-changing news. But at 44, the Young and the Restless star learned she had coronary heart disease. Her story is a wake-up call—and it comes with specific steps you can bring to your next doctor’s appointment, including asking about a potentially life-saving test. The test that caught Melissa Claire Egan’s heart disease Egan, who plays Chelsea on the long-running CBS soap, shared her diagnosis on Instagram on February 26, explaining that her doctor of more than 20 years, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, flagged something abnormal in her bloodwork and referred her to cardiologist Dr. Mo Ghalichi for further testing. “I wanted to share that in late January I was diagnosed with Coronary heart disease,” she captioned the social media post. What happened next is the part worth paying extra close attention to. Dr. Ghalichi ordered a heart calcium scan, also known as a coronary calcium scan, which detected plaque in her LAD artery—sometimes called the “widow maker.” Egan described the condition as mild so far and likely genetic, “but rare for a 44 year old woman.” Without that scan, the plaque could have continued to build up silently. “This could have caused the plaque to chip off and cause a fatal heart attack or stroke any time over the next 5-10 years, maybe even sooner,” Egan cautioned. “Thanks to early detection, and medicine, I will be okay!” A coronary calcium scan isn’t routine Here’s what makes Egan’s story especially relevant to women over 40: The coronary calcium scan that caught her disease isn’t a routine screening. And cardiovascular disease is a “silent disease” that can prove fatal, “causing 1 in 3 deaths each year,” as Egan noted. “We all are so good about getting our mammograms every year, but we don’t check our heart health,” she continued. “It is imperative that you do!” She called heart disease “under-tested and under-recognized.” If you’ve been diligent about your annual mammogram (and you should be), Egan’s message is simple: Bring that same energy to your heart health. The heart disease screening Egan urges women to get “Tell your doctor you want to be evaluated for coronary heart disease risk,” she advised. “A takeaway from my situation, for your blood tests ask your doctor to specifically look for Lipoprotein(a) and ApoB levels. Also you MUST ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT A ‘Heart Calcium scan,'” Egan stressed. Those two blood markers—Lipoprotein(a) and ApoB—aren’t part of a standard lipid panel. That means they won’t show up in your typical cholesterol check unless you specifically request them. That’s the gap Egan is trying to close, especially for women with risk factors for heart disease or who have a family history of heart disease. A mother’s motivation to speak up Egan is a mother to sons Caden, 4, and Jake, 2. She described lying with them the night of her diagnosis, “feeling so grateful to God and my doctors that I found this early.” But gratitude wasn’t where she stopped. “I couldn’t stop thinking about all the other women (and men) that might have this disease and not know it,” she wrote. She said she is now working with the American Heart Association to raise awareness and went into greater depth about her diagnosis on the AHA website. “I’m a relatively private person, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t share my story,” Egan declared. On Instagram, she put it even more directly: “I’m a private person, but this seemed TOO IMPORTANT NOT TO SHARE. Especially for women.” The takeaway from Egan’s heart disease diagnosis Your one action step today: Call your doctor’s office and ask whether your most recent bloodwork included Lipoprotein(a) and ApoB levels. If it didn’t, ask to have them checked, especially if you’re at a higher risk for heart disease. And ask about a coronary calcium scan to check for a buildup of calcium. It’s the kind of conversation that takes five minutes—and it’s the conversation that changed Egan’s life. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.