Mammograms For Your Heart?

By Janice M. Horowitz

The controversy may have died down over whether women should have routine mammograms (they should, say most experts). But now comes news that the X ray may offer an entirely new benefit: detecting heart disease. Tiny calcium deposits in the breast's arteries may be an early sign of trouble in the arteries of the heart. In a 10-year study presented last week to the Radiological Society of North America, Mayo Clinic researchers reported a 20% increase in the risk of heart disease in women with a significant number of breast-arterial calcifications. (These calcifications--streaky white lines on a mammogram--are not to be confused with the kind of calcium deposits that appear elsewhere in the breast and may signal cancer.) No one suggests that women rush out for a mammogram just to check their heart. But, says Dr. Kirk Doerger, lead investigator of the study, "if you're already having a mammogram, you can get additional information with no extra radiation or cost." What to do if a radiologist spots arterial calcifications on your mammogram? Get to your doctor for a physical. --By Janice M. Horowitz