Women who are overweight or obese are more likely to receive a positive, yet false result on their mammography screenings, according to a study reported in the May 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Joann G. Elmore, MD, of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and her colleagues studied the accuracy of 100,622 mammographies that were conducted on members of a non-profit health plan.

Participants were grouped into the following categories based on their body mass index: underweight or normal weight, overweight and obese and extremely obese.

The researchers found that compared with underweight or normal weight women, overweight and obese women were more likely to be recalled for additional tests after adjusting for age and breast density.

Specifically, overweight women were 17 percent more likely to be recalled, women in the obese group were 27 percent more likely to be recalled and women in the extremely obese category were 31 percent more likely to be recalled.

“Understanding the quality of mammography among obese women is important, especially since the American population is becoming more obese and obesity is a modifiable risk factor,” the researchers concluded.

Other sources: Archives of Internal Medicine 2004; 164: 1140-1148