Research presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual congress has found that artificial intelligence can analyse routine breast cancer screening mammograms to also flag a woman’s risk of heart disease. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in women worldwide. It is also frequently underdiagnosed compared to men.
What the Research Found
The AI model, developed by a team led by Dr Hari Trivedi at Emory University, analysed calcium deposits in the arteries of the breast visible on standard mammogram X-rays, a feature not typically used in current heart disease risk assessments. Researchers followed more than 123,000 women for approximately seven years and found that even mild calcification was linked to a meaningfully higher risk of serious cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, with the risk rising further at moderate and severe calcification levels.
Notably, the pattern held even in women under 50, a group often considered lower-risk for heart disease, and remained significant after accounting for other risk factors like diabetes and smoking.
A separate study from The George Institute for Global Health, published in the journal Heart, similarly found that a deep learning model using only mammogram images and age could predict major cardiac events with accuracy comparable to established cardiovascular risk calculators.
Why This Matters
Dr Trivedi noted that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women worldwide, yet women are consistently underdiagnosed and undertreated compared to men. Since mammograms are already a routine part of breast cancer screening that many women attend regularly, using the same scan to flag cardiovascular risk could offer an efficient way to catch a serious, often-missed risk factor without requiring additional tests or appointments.
Elena Arbelo of the European Society of Cardiology’s communication committee described the findings as compelling, while noting that establishing accuracy and reliability at a larger scale is the next step before this becomes standard clinical practice.
What This Doesn’t Mean Yet
This research is promising but still developing. Experts involved are clear that the technology needs further validation before it becomes a standard part of cardiovascular risk assessment, and it isn’t yet something available as a routine clinical tool. Mammograms currently remain focused on breast cancer screening, and any additional cardiovascular insight from this research is not yet part of standard reporting.
Underdiagnosed health risks in women are a recurring theme, something we’ve also touched on in our monsoon health guide.
FAQs
Can a mammogram already tell me my heart disease risk?
Not yet as standard practice. While researchers have shown AI can extract this information from mammogram images, the technology is still being validated and isn’t currently part of routine clinical mammogram reporting.
Why is heart disease often missed in women?
Research cited by cardiologists involved in this study notes that women are consistently underdiagnosed and undertreated for cardiovascular disease compared to men, and risk factors specific to women aren’t always captured by standard risk assessment tools.
Does this mean mammograms will change in the future?
It’s possible. Researchers suggest mammography could eventually serve as a dual-purpose screening tool, checking for both breast cancer and cardiovascular risk, but this depends on further validation and clinical adoption, which hasn’t happened yet.