NUCCA News - Breast X-ray can show signs of heart disease

December 5, 2002 Sun Times

BY JIM RITTER HEALTH REPORTER

Besides screening for breast cancer, a mammogram can show a woman might have undetected heart disease, a study has found.

The Mayo Clinic study found that women who have calcium deposits in at least half of their breast arteries are 20 percent more likely to have clogged heart arteries.

And while breast tumors can be difficult to detect on mammograms, calcium deposits in breast arteries show up as distinct white lines. "Any radiologist would be able to see them," said radiology resident Dr. Kirk Doerger, who studied 1,803 women whose average age was 65.

Doerger announced the results at a meeting in Chicago of the Radiological Society of North America.

Heart disease begins when plaque builds up on artery walls. Plaque consists of cholesterol, calcium and other gunk. Blood clots can form on cracks in the plaque, obstructing blood flow and causing a heart attack.

The new study illustrates how this hardening of the arteries can occur throughout the body. "If you have it in one area, you have it in other areas," said Dr. Stephen Devries, medical director of the Outpatient Heart Center at University of Illinois at Chicago.

But Devries said the Mayo Clinic study needs to be confirmed by researchers at other centers. And he cautioned that not having calcium deposits in the breast does not necessarily mean a woman is free of heart disease.

Moreover, the study included only women who presumably were at high risk for heart disease because they had had angiograms. It's not known whether the results apply to lower-risk women.

Breast calcium deposits are a relatively small risk factor for clogged heart arteries. By comparison, the study found that diabetes and high blood pressure increased the risk by 110 percent.

Heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases kill more than 500,000 women in the United States each year. Breast cancer kills about 41,000 women. Yet many women fear breast cancer more than heart disease.

Doerger said his findings could prove useful for woman who have undiagnosed heart disease. He suggested that when a radiologist finds artery calcium deposits in a mammogram, he or she should report the finding to the patient's doctor. "Having something tangible a physician can show a woman may be beneficial," Doerger said.

In such cases, Doerger said, the woman's doctor should screen for heart disease with such tests as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. But Devries said all women should be screened for heart disease, regardless of what their mammograms show.

Many radiologists complain they aren't paid enough for mammograms. Would they resist adding to their workloads by spending a few extra minutes on each mammogram looking for artery calcium deposits? "That could be a concern with some people," Doerger said.