Understanding How Common Are Calcifications in the Body

October 2, 2025 •

4 min read

Calcifications appear on roughly half of all mammograms in women over age 50, highlighting just how common calcifications are in some parts of the body. These mineral deposits, often harmless, can sometimes signal an underlying health issue or disease process.

Quick Summary

Calcium deposits in soft tissues are very common and their prevalence often increases with age. While frequently benign, their significance depends heavily on their location and pattern. Many people have calcifications without knowing it.

Key Points

High Prevalence: Calcifications are very common and their frequency increases with age, often discovered incidentally during routine screenings.
Often Harmless: Many calcifications are benign and represent a natural response to aging, past injury, or inflammation without causing health problems.
Significance Varies by Location: The clinical importance of calcifications depends on where they are found. Deposits in arteries or specific patterns in breast tissue warrant closer attention.
Two Primary Types: Pathological calcification is classified as either dystrophic (in damaged tissue with normal calcium levels) or metastatic (in healthy tissue due to high blood calcium).
Not Caused by Diet: The presence of calcifications is not typically related to dietary calcium intake, but rather to cellular processes, inflammation, or metabolic issues.
Management Depends on the Cause: If calcifications are problematic, treatment focuses on managing the underlying condition, as the deposits themselves are not always treatable.

What Exactly is a Calcification?

In the context of health, a calcification is an abnormal buildup of calcium salts in soft tissues that are not meant to be mineralized, such as arteries, breasts, or tendons. It is important to distinguish this from the calcium that is naturally and purposefully integrated into your bones and teeth, which accounts for over 99% of the body's calcium supply. Calcifications are often the result of the body's protective or repair mechanisms responding to cell injury, death, or inflammation.

The High Prevalence of Calcifications

Understanding how common are calcifications is key to addressing any anxiety they might cause. Prevalence varies greatly depending on the location and age of the individual. As a whole, these deposits are a very common radiographic finding.

Here are some examples of their prevalence in different areas:

Breasts: Breast calcifications are extremely common, particularly in older women. One study found that they are present in about 50% of mammograms in women over 50 and in roughly 10% of women under 50. The majority of these are harmless.
Arteries: Vascular calcification, which is the hardening of arteries due to calcium deposits, also increases with age. For instance, coronary artery calcification is found in 90% of men and 67% of women over 70. It is a well-established sign of atherosclerosis.
Joints and Tendons: Calcific tendinitis, a condition caused by calcium deposits in tendons, is a common cause of shoulder pain. Many of these deposits are found incidentally during unrelated imaging.

The Different Types of Calcification

From a pathological standpoint, calcifications are typically categorized into two main types:

Dystrophic Calcification: This is the most common form and involves the deposition of calcium salts in dead or degenerating tissues, often as a result of injury, infection, or necrosis. It occurs with normal serum calcium levels and represents a hallmark of past cellular damage.
Metastatic Calcification: This type occurs in otherwise normal, healthy tissue but is caused by an abnormally high level of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia). Conditions like hyperparathyroidism or chronic kidney disease can cause such metabolic imbalances.

Comparing Dystrophic and Metastatic Calcification


Feature	Dystrophic Calcification	Metastatic Calcification
Underlying Cause	Tissue injury, necrosis, or degeneration	Hypercalcemia (abnormally high blood calcium)
Serum Calcium/Phosphate Levels	Normal levels of calcium and phosphate	Increased levels of calcium
Affected Tissue	Dead or damaged tissues	Normal, healthy tissues
Examples	Calcified atherosclerotic plaques, scars, or breast calcifications	Deposits in kidneys, lungs, or stomach lining due to systemic disease

Common Locations and Clinical Significance

Calcifications can occur in many different parts of the body. Their significance depends heavily on their location and morphology:

Cardiovascular System: Calcium deposits can affect arteries (coronary artery calcification) and heart valves (calcific aortic stenosis), stiffening the vessels and impairing function. This is a serious condition linked to heart disease.
Breast Tissue: Detected on mammograms, breast calcifications are usually harmless. However, specific patterns of microcalcifications, such as a cluster of tiny specks, might warrant further investigation like a biopsy to rule out early signs of cancer.
Kidneys: Excess calcium in the kidneys can lead to nephrocalcinosis, a condition where deposits occur within the kidney tissue itself, or contribute to the formation of kidney stones.
Joints and Tendons: Calcific tendinitis often affects the rotator cuff in the shoulder, causing pain and limited range of motion.
Brain: Intracranial calcifications can be a benign, age-related finding but can also be associated with infections, metabolic disorders, or rare genetic conditions, depending on the location and extent of the deposits.

What Causes Calcification?

Beyond age and generalized inflammation, several specific factors can trigger the development of calcifications:

Tissue Injury: Trauma, infection, or prior surgery can all lead to localized dystrophic calcification as a healing response.
Autoimmune Disorders: Conditions like scleroderma and dermatomyositis can trigger skin calcifications, known as calcinosis cutis.
Genetic Disorders: Rare genetic syndromes can cause systemic calcification, affecting various tissues and organs.
Metabolic Conditions: Disorders affecting how the body regulates calcium, such as chronic kidney disease or hyperparathyroidism, can lead to metastatic calcification.
Lifestyle Factors: Risk factors for conditions like atherosclerosis, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking, are also risk factors for arterial calcification.

Can Calcifications Be Prevented?

It's not always possible to prevent calcification, as many forms are part of the natural aging process or a reaction to unavoidable tissue damage. However, you can manage lifestyle factors to reduce your risk of associated diseases:

Manage Risk Factors: Control blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, especially for vascular health.
Healthy Habits: Regular exercise, a balanced diet, quitting smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight all contribute to overall health and can mitigate risks.
Monitor Underlying Conditions: Work with your doctor to manage any diagnosed metabolic or autoimmune disorders that could be contributing to calcification.

For a broader overview of calcium metabolism and bone health, consult resources from authoritative sources. Source: Overview of Calcium, NCBI Bookshelf.

The Takeaway: It's About Context

Finding calcifications on an imaging test is very common and not automatically a cause for alarm. The clinical concern arises when these deposits affect the function of a vital organ, such as the heart or kidneys, or when their pattern suggests a potentially serious underlying issue, as is occasionally the case with breast microcalcifications. A healthcare provider is best equipped to interpret imaging results, assess your overall health, and determine if further testing or treatment is necessary based on the location and characteristics of any detected calcifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Calcifications are very common, particularly as people age. For instance, breast calcifications appear on about half of mammograms for women over 50, and vascular calcification becomes more prevalent with age.

No, most calcifications are benign and harmless. However, their location, size, and pattern can sometimes indicate an underlying health issue that requires further investigation.

Generally, no. Calcification is not linked to excessive dietary calcium intake. The body carefully regulates calcium, and these deposits are typically a response to tissue injury or other conditions, not diet.

Dystrophic calcification occurs in dead or damaged tissue, while metastatic calcification happens in healthy tissue and is caused by abnormally high calcium levels in the blood (hypercalcemia).

It is not always possible to prevent calcifications entirely, as they are often a natural part of aging or a reaction to unavoidable tissue damage. However, managing underlying conditions and adopting a healthy lifestyle can help mitigate risk factors.

Most calcifications, like those in the breast or arteries, do not go away. However, some conditions, such as calcific tendinitis, can sometimes resolve naturally.

Calcifications are most often discovered incidentally through imaging tests like mammograms, CT scans, X-rays, and ultrasounds. They are often too small to be felt or to cause symptoms.

The prognosis depends on the location and cause. Many calcifications are benign and have no effect on health. In more serious cases, the outlook depends on the successful management of the underlying condition.