WEDNESDAY, March 16, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Your annual screening mammogram may do more than spot early — it may give you a heads up on your heart disease risk, too.
Digital breast X-rays can also detect a build-up of calcium in the of your breasts, an early sign of heart disease. These white areas — known as breast , high blood pressure and inflammation. (It is not the same as calcification of the inner layer of the arteries that is often found in smokers or people with high cholesterol.)
“A single test that is universally accepted can address the two leading causes of death in women,” said study author Dr. Carlos Iribarren. He is a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, in Oakland.
For the study, his team reviewed health records of more than 5,000 women, aged 60 to 79, who underwent one or more stroke compared with women without calcium build-up in their arteries, the study found.
In addition, women with calcium build-up were 23% more likely to develop any type of heart or vascular disorder, including heart disease, stroke, heart failure and related diseases, the study showed.
“BAC provides additional information and is not intended to replace any current risk factors for heart disease,” Iribarren said.
Counseling should be done in the context of a woman’s overall heart disease risk, he said.
“For women with low risk, BAC presence should be a trigger of adhering to each year,”>
But, Cameron noted, women without calcium build-up on their breast arteries can still develop heart disease.
“We should be assessing heart disease risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, and discussing how to optimize heart health through lifestyle changes such as eating a plant-based diet and staying active, regardless of BAC status,” she said.
Knowledge of BAC status could be powerful and potentially life-saving information, said cardiologist Dr. Nieca Goldberg, who reviewed the findings. She’s medical director at Atria New York City and a clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University.
“Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, yet many women are more worried about breast cancer,” Goldberg said. “Women’s health issues are not siloed. A test for breast cancer can give us clues to heart disease risk, too.”
Calcium build-up in arteries is an early sign of heart disease risk, she said.
“We don’t know how any intervention would change calcifications, but exercising, quitting smoking, getting diabetes under control, eating a healthier diet, and managing cholesterol and blood pressure can help lower risk for heart attack,” Goldberg said.
More information
Women can learn more about their risk for heart attack and strokes at Go Red for Women.
SOURCES: Carlos Iribarren, MD, MPH, PhD, research scientist, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, Oakland; Natalie Avella Cameron, MD, instructor, medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago; Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director, Atria New York City, and clinical associate professor, medicine, New York University, New York City; Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, March 15, 2022