Simple blood test can predict 30-year heart disease risks for women

Scientists on Saturday said they have developed a simple blood test that can predict 30-year cardiovascular disease risks for women.

Research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US found that measuring two types of fat in the bloodstream, along with C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, can predict a woman’s risk for cardiovascular disease decades later.

“We can’t treat what we don’t measure, and we hope these findings move the field closer to identifying even earlier ways to detect and prevent heart disease,” said Paul M Ridker, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston.

For the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the team collected blood samples and medical information from 27,939 healthcare providers living in the US who participated in the Women’s Health Study.

Women, who started the study between 1992-1995 at an average age of 55, were followed for 30 years.

During this period, 3,662 study participants experienced a heart attack, stroke, surgery to restore circulation, or a cardiovascular-related death.

Researchers assessed how high-sensitivity CRP, along with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) -- a lipid partly made of LDL -- singularly and collectively predicted these events.

When all three measures were assessed together, participants with the highest levels had more than a 1.5-times increased associated risk for stroke and more than a 3-times increased associated risk for coronary heart disease compared to women with the lowest levels.

While only women were assessed in this study, they would expect to find similar results in men.

“In recent years, we’ve learned more about how increased levels of inflammation can interact with lipids to compound cardiovascular disease risks,” said Ahmed AK Hasan, programme director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). “This helps explain why lower levels are often better.”

The researchers suggest regular physical activity, a heart-healthful diet, manage stress, avoid tobacco and quit smoking to minimise heart disease risk.