- Artificial intelligence (AI) can detect early indicators of heart disease during routine breast cancer screenings, according to new research.
- Experts utilised AI to identify calcification in breast arteries from mammograms, a substance known to increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and early death.
- A study of 123,762 women revealed that those with mild calcification had a 30 per cent higher risk of serious heart disease, increasing to over 70 per cent for moderate and two to three times higher for severe calcification.
- This integration of AI into existing screening programmes holds the potential to uncover undiagnosed heart conditions in thousands of women, addressing the issue of women being consistently underdiagnosed for heart disease.
- Researchers suggest this approach could prompt earlier conversations with doctors about preventive steps and could be integrated into national mammography programmes without requiring additional infrastructure.
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