Abstract
Background
A number of studies have linked the presence of breast arterial calcifications (BACs) with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), and cardiovascular mortality. Because there is a well-established screening system for breast cancer, it has been proposed that the presence of BACs can be used as a warning sign indicating an increased risk of metabolic and vascular diseases.
Purpose
To determine the relation between BAC and early renal dysfunction.
Material and Methods
A retrospective review of 6118 mammograms identified 701 cases with BACs. Women with BACs were compared to a random selection of 362 women without BACs based on available laboratory data. Univariate analysis was conducted according to age groups.
Results
The prevalence of BACs was 11.5% in our study. Hyperglycemia increased the odds of BACs by 8.1 (95% CI 3.0–22.1, P < 0.001) in the 50–59-year age group. The presence of an elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine increased the odds of BACs by 2.6 (95% CI 1.2–6.0, P = 0.016) and 2.3 (95% CI 1.0–5.2, P = 0.045) in women ≥70 years of age. Hyperlipidemia was not a significant risk factor for BACs in any age group.
Conclusion
Our results support the view that the presence of BACs on mammography may be indicative of diabetes in middle-aged women. On the other hand, BACs are not very useful for predicting early renal dysfunction in women <70 years of age.
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