Mammograms could be used to identify heart disease in women, study finds

Key Points:

• New research indicates that artificial intelligence (AI) applied to routine breast mammograms can help detect women at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and hypertension earlier.
• The study analyzed data from nearly 30,000 women undergoing almost 100,000 mammography exams, finding the AI model achieved strong accuracy with AUROC scores of 0.79 for hypertension, 0.78 for ischaemic heart disease, and 0.86 for stroke.
• Researchers highlighted that CVD is the leading cause of death in women globally but is often under-diagnosed and treated late, whereas many women regularly attend breast cancer screenings, presenting an opportunity for earlier CVD detection.
• Experts emphasized the potential of mammograms to serve a dual purpose in women's health by screening for both breast cancer and cardiovascular risks, though further validation is needed before clinical adoption.
• Coronary heart disease remains the single biggest killer of women worldwide, including in the UK where it causes twice as many deaths as breast cancer annually, underscoring the importance of improved early detection methods.