Tony Lambert delphine1939@videotron.ca
10 Jnavier 2007
Blood test predicts heart attack
A blood test may give doctors an early warning that a heart patient's condition is about to get worse.
High levels of a protein - NT-proBNP - may show when the heart muscle is damaged or under extra stress, even in apparently stable patients.
Doctors linked 'cardiovascular events' to protein levels
The University of California team say the test may be useful to target existing patients for more treatment - but not to diagnose heart problems.
The study features in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
It's clear that this marker is picking up something that we are otherwise unable to detect with standard tests
Dr Mary Whooley
University of California, San Francisco
During that period, 26 of them either died or had a serious circulation 'event' such as a heart attack, stroke or heart failure.
The researchers were able to link clearly the likelihood of one of these 'cardiovascular events' with the levels of the protein in the preceding months.
Patients in the group with the highest levels of the protein were almost eight times more at risk of having an event or dying than those in the group with the lowest levels.
Standard tests
Heart patients are normally be followed up with, among other tests, conventional measures such as blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass to predict further problems.
Researcher Dr Mary Whooley, from the University of California in San Francisco, said: "It's clear that this marker is picking up something that we are otherwise unable to detect with standard tests."
There is little long-term benefit in measuring BNP if it doesn't lead to effective treatment
Jeremy Pearson
British Heart Foundation
She said that the test might help pick out heart patients who, although appearing stable, actually needed more aggressive treatment.
Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, described the study as 'interesting'.
However, he said that evidence was required that anything could be done to improve the chances of patients who tested positive.
"It shows that measuring BNP(Brain-type natriuretic peptide) may be useful as a test to identify heart patients at high risk of heart failure.
"However, there is little long-term benefit in measuring BNP if it doesn't lead to effective treatment.
"Research is now needed to find out if treating people with high BNP levels significantly alters their outlook."
Joe Korner, from the Stroke Association, said that although the new test might prove useful to doctors, blood pressure checks remained vitally important.
"It is high blood pressure which is the single biggest risk factor for stroke, affecting 34% of men and 30% of women.
"It is vital that people get their blood pressure measured regularly as it usually has no symptoms."
