title: Association of breast arterial calcification and carotid intima-media thickness.
abstract: Breast arterial calcification (BAC) on mammography has been identified as calcific medial sclerosis of medium-sized breast arteries, and has been reported to be associated with cardiovascular risk factors, coronary artery disease, and cardiovascular mortality. Carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) is a well-known surrogate marker of atherosclerosis and predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Consequently, the present study was designed to investigate the association between the presence of BAC on mammography and C-IMT. Twenty-five postmenopausal cases with BAC and 29 subjects without BAC on mammography were included in the study. Cardiovascular risk factors, number of childbirths, postmenopausal duration, and age at menopause were all noted besides detailed physical and laboratory examination. In the whole study population C-IMT was measured with B-mode ultrasound. The women with BAC had significantly increased number of childbirths, postmenopausal duration, frequency of diabetes mellitus, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and CIMT (0.87 +/- 0.17 mm versus 0.60 +/- 0.19 mm) in comparison with the women without BAC (P < 0.05 for all). The C-IMT was correlated with age, number of childbirths, postmenopausal duration, presence of BAC, and serum triglyceride level (P < 0.05 for all). Independent predictors of C-IMT were the presence of BAC on mammography (beta = 0.463, P < 0.001) and serum triglyceride level (beta = 0.222, P = 0.042), whereas the only independent predictor of BAC was CIMT (chi(2) = 23.41, beta = 7.56, P = 0.004). Findings of the present study suggest that the BAC on mammography is independently associated with C-IMT. Screening mammographies merit to be evaluated for the presence of BAC, which might benefit cardiovascular preventive medicine in women by predicting atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Harran University School of Medicine, P.K.: 112, 63100 Sanliurfa, Turkey. drsemayildiz@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ertug
authors.forename: Ihsan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Remzi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Enis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yuksel
authors.forename: Salih Zeki
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Ziylan
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000098:blood supply*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008323:Mammary Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008327:Mammography; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D011379:Prognosis; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography