Relationship between arterial vascular calcifications seen on screening mammograms and biochemical markers of endothelial injury.
To assess whether breast arterial calcifications (BAC) are associated with altered serum markers of cardiovascular risk, mammograms and records from 1759 women (age range: 45-65 years) screened for breast cancer were revised. One hundred and forty seven (8.36%) women showed BAC. A total of 136 women with BAC and controls (mean age: 57 and 55 years, respectively) accepted entering the study. There were no significant differences in serum levels of urea, glucose, uric acid, creatinine, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, folic acid, vitamin B(12), TSH or cysteine, between both groups of patients. However, women with BAC showed higher serum levels of triglycerides (p=0.006), homocysteine (p=0.002) and hs-CRP (p=0.003) than women without BAC. Likewise, we found a significantly higher percentage of cases with an elevated LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (coronary risk index >2) amongst women with BAC than in women without BAC (56.7 and 38.2%, respectively; p=0.04). Our results indicate that the finding of BAC identify women showing altered serum markers of cardiovascular risk.
Pidal
Diego
D
Unidad de Investigación del, Hospital de Jove, Gijón, Spain. dpidal@hotmail.com
Sánchez Vidal
M Teresa
MT
Rodríguez
Juan Carlos
JC
Corte
M Daniela
MD
Pravia
Paz
P
Guinea
Oscar
O
Pidal
Iván
I
Bongera
Miguel
M
Escribano
Dámaso
D
González
Luis O
LO
Díez
M Cruz
MC
Venta
Rafael
R
Vizoso
Francisco J
FJ
D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011859:Radiography; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D014280:Triglycerides; D006710:Homocysteine; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002784:Cholesterol