It is October, the month to focus on breast cancer prevention and treatment. Good news – what you do to protect your breast health protects your heart health as well.
Did you know a mammogram is not only a tool for early detection of breast cancer, it can also detect early heart disease?
It is true!
Mammograms can predict heart disease too!
According to a study published in Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), along with detecting a lump, mammograms can also detect calcium deposits in the blood vessels of the breast, an indicator of early heart disease. Calcium deposits detected on mammograms correlated to a significantly increased risk of stroke, according to research.
What does this mean? Not only are mammograms an essential tool for diagnosing breast cancer but also they can be a useful in screening for heart disease and stroke as well. “It’s beautiful that you can start to pick up the risk on the mammogram,” said Arvind Ahuja, a neurosurgeon and co-director of the stroke center at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “(The mammogram) can serve two purposes.”
What should you do?
Have regular mammograms. Surprisingly, only half the women who should have annual mammograms actually get them—even when their insurance pays for them. Having previous tests to compare can be essential in picking up small changes. Talk to your doctor to determine how often you should be screened.
Ask your doctor specifically if your mammogram shows calcium deposits in the blood vessels of your breast, it may not be something he or she is in the habit of reporting.
Schedule a cardiac and stroke screening if you do have deposits and discuss ways to decrease your risk.
Women who have had open-heart surgery or other surgery in the chest area need to be especially consistent with mammograms because scar tissue can mask a lump. Even if you are not at the recommended age, discuss with your doctor the need to have a yearly mammogram to be safe. Scars and increased sensitivity may make a mammogram more challenging; discuss these issues with the mammogram technician before you begin. If you have an implanted device, such as a pace maker or internal defibrillator, make sure the technician understands the compression must be done slowly and cautiously so as not to dislodge the leads.
If you are scheduled to have chest surgery get a mammogram first if possible. “It is a good idea to have the mammogram before surgery to get a good baseline and then have 12 months to heal before you have the next one,” cautions Mellanie True Hills, founder of the American Foundation for Women’s Health. “The thought of having to deal with a mammogram within three to six months after surgery is frightening.”
If you are 40 or older and haven’t had mammogram in the last 24 months, call your doctor and schedule an appointment today.
Take care of your breast, and heart, health!
Eliz Greene works busy people to improve heart health, so they can work well, feel better, and stress less.
She is a heart attack survivor and the author of the Busy Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Heart as well as 3 other books on wellness. She writes one of the top 50 health and wellness blogs and is a sought-after wellness & stress management speaker.
If you are planning a women’s wellness program, workplace wellness program or programs for healthcare professionals check out EmbraceYourHeart.com to see if Eliz would be a good fit with your organization.
One Response to “Mammograms Detect More than Breast Cancer!”
For women at risk of breast CA, a mammogram is still the best diagnostic procedure. However, after confirmation of a a breast cancer and getting surgery for it, what every woman can do to improve on their feeling of incompleteness is to get breast enhancement in perth. Back home, most women who underwent a total mastectomy opt for this surgery.