The Relationship between the Breast Arterial Calcification Detected by Mammography and the Hypertensive Retinopathy in Hypertensive Women
Year: 2008
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: by Mammography and the Hypertensive Retinopathy in Hypertensive WomenObjective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the breast arterial calcification (BAC) detected by mammograms and the hypertensive retinopathy (HR) in hypertensive women who underwent ophthalmologic examination. Materials and Methods:Screening mammography was performed in 99 hypertensive women and these women also underwent an ophthalmologic examination.The presence of arterial calcification and the number of calcified blood vessels in each breast were evaluated.The grade of HR was determined.The presence of BAC and the number of blood vessels involved was compared according to the presence of HR and the grade of HR.Results: Among the 99 patients, HR was detected in 70 patients, and of these 70 patients, 42 patients had grade I HR and 28 had grade II HR.BAC was detected in 54 cases.Forty-six patients with HR (66%) and eight patients without HR (27%) were diagnosed with BAC after they underwent mammographic examination.The prevalence of BAC in the subjects who had HR was statistically higher than that in those subjects who did not have HR (p < 0.01).The grade of HR was not significantly associated with BAC (p > 0.05).The positive predictive value of the BAC detected on mammography for HR was 0.80 in those subjects who were 60 years old. Conclusion:The detection of BAC by mammography is associated with an increased risk of HR, and particularly for patients after the age of 60.The findings of BAC may be related to hypertensive end-organ damage, and performing mammograms might contribute to predicting the presence of ophthalmologic hypertensive complications in these patients.ypertension has profound effects on the structure and function of the eye (1).The retinal circulation undergoes a series of pathophysiological changes in response to elevated blood pressure.These changes are clinically displayed as a spectrum of signs that are commonly referred to as hypertensive retinopathy (HR) (2, 3).The signs of HR are frequently seen in adults 40 years and older, and they are predictive of the incident of stroke, cerebral atrophy, a reduced cognitive performance and congestive heart failure and the cardiovascular mortality (1, 4).Breast arterial calcifications (BACs) are common findings on screening mammography.The prevalence of BAC increases with increasing age and this is observed in 9 12% of women older than 50 years (5, 6).BAC is classified as medial arterial calcification, which is different from intimal calcification (7).Several studies have found BAC to be associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or hypertension, but few of
Source: Korean Journal of Radiology
Authors: Cuneyt Calisir, Ulas Savas Yavas, Nazmiye Erol
Institution: Eskişehir Osmangazi University
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2123397701