Breast microcalcifications tied to cardiometabolic risk: study

But more research is needed on how to utilise the information from screening without alarming patients, authors say
Reuters Health
woman in her 60s having mammogram

Microcalcifications seen on mammograms are associated with cardiometabolic risk and mortality, according to a Swedish cohort study.

The finding could enable routine assessment of cardiometabolic health in women undergoing mammographic screening, researchers suggest.

As reported in European Heart Journal, the authors analysed data on nearly 58,000 women with an average age of about 55 from a prospective mammographic screening cohort (KARMA) and close to 50,000 of their sisters.

“We found that a higher number of microcalcifications were associated with increased risk for multiple cardiometabolic diseases, particularly in women with pre-existing cardiometabolic diseases,” the authors wrote.