According to a new study, routine mammography can provide key information on cardiovascular diseases.According to the study authors, a new study published in Circulation suggests that breast artery calcification screening on mammograms may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women.: A peer-reviewed journal by the American Heart Association Cardiovascular imaging.
According to the study authors, this finding could be useful in determining the risk of heart disease and stroke in women. Breast artery calcification is the accumulation of calcium in the middle layer of the breast artery wall, which is associated with aging, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and inflammation, and is an indicator of stiffness in the arteries.
It is not the same as calcification of the inner layer of the artery (the layer in contact with the blood), which is usually found in people who smoke or have high cholesterol levels.Breast artery calcification is a common finding bin mammography as a white area in the mammary arteries, but it is not thought to be related to cancer.
“In the previous study, we reported that 26% of women between the ages of 60 and 79 had breast artery calcification, and as they grew older, the percentage increased to more than half of women who had evidence for the discovery between 75 and 79 years of age.” Carlos Iribarren, lead author of the study, said a scientist at the Kaiser Permanant Research Department in Northern California, in Oakland, USA.
“Studies have confirmed that the calculator we use to assess the risk of developing cardiovascular disease for the current 10 years is not as accurate in women as in men. In the current study, we evaluated whether the calcification of the mammary arteries, which is easily seen on mammography, provides more information about the risk of developing heart disease in women.” He added.
In this study, scientists reviewed the medical records of ba subset of more than 5,000 women who were selected from more than 200,000 women who underwent mammography as part of MINERVA (Multiethnic Study on Breast Artery Calcium Grades and Cardiovascular Disease). The initiative includes a group of racially and ethnically diverse menopausal women who are currently actively enrolled in the same health insurance plan and were between 60 and 79 years of age, at least one with digital mammography at one of nine facilities in Northern California. times At the time of registration, I had no history of cardiovascular disease or breast cancer. Researchers assessed women's overall health and tracked electronic health records for about six years.
The analysis showed that women who had arterial breast calcification on mammography were 51% more likely to develop heart disease or develop a stroke compared to women who did not have arterial breast calcification.
Patients with breast artery calcification were 23% more likely to develop all types of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and peripheral arterial disease.
Breast artery calcification was more common among women who identified themselves as white or Hispanic/Latino, and less likely in women identified as black or Asian.
“Currently, breast artery calcification seen in mammography is not considered a reported norm. Some radiologists include this data in their mammography tests, but they are not required.” We hope that our study encourages the update of guidelines for reporting breast artery calcification. This study shifted the needle to the recommendation of routine evaluation and reporting of arterial breast calcification in postmenopausal women.”
“Integrating this information into the cardiovascular risk calculator and using this new information can help improve cardiovascular risk reduction strategies,” the expert emphasized. Iribarren also pointed out that there is no need to add additional costs or exposure to the radiation already available in the mammography currently being performed.
Followed by cardiovascular disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death among women in the United States, according to the 2020 Stroke and Heart Statistics Update of the American Heart Association. “However, in the United States, more women report concern about breast cancer risk than heart disease, and only half of them know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women.” bNatalie A. Cameron concludes in the document.
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