Breast Arterial Calcifications May Be Marker for Future Heart Disease

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Breast arterial calcifications (BAC) identified on mammography are associated with the development of both atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events and risk factors over 18 years, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Menopause Society, held from Sept. 10 to 14 in Chicago. 

Schyler Said, from Drexel University in Philadelphia, and colleagues assessed the longitudinal association between BAC and ASCVD. The analysis included 1,995 women at baseline, which decreased to 383 at 18-year follow-up.

The researchers found a significant association between BAC and freedom of an ASCVD event for participants with and without known ASCVD at baseline. In those with an ASCVD risk factor at baseline, there was a significant association between BAC and freedom of an ASCVD risk factor and a nonsignificant association in those without an ASCVD risk factor at baseline. Women with BAC were more likely to cumulatively experience ASCVD events over 18 years of follow-up (23 percent in those with BAC versus 13.9 percent in those without).

“These results suggest that the identification of BAC on routine mammography may serve as a marker for increased ASCVD risk in women over time. The presence of BAC on a mammogram should be routinely reported,” the authors wrote.

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