A woman's future risk of heart disease might be predicted with a simple blood test that checks for three key risk factors.
This is based on research published in *The New England Journal of Medicine* and presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress this weekend.
The study, which followed nearly 30,000 women with an average age of 55, tested their blood in 1993 for two types of fat and a specific protein. The participants' health was then monitored over a 30-year period.
"The most reliable predictor of risk was a blood measure of inflammation called high sensitivity C-reactive protein, or hsCRP, followed by cholesterol and lipoprotein(a)," said Dr. Paul Ridker, the lead author of the study and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
The passage highlights that knowing long-term predicted risks (20-30 years) can help tailor specific therapies for individual patients, moving away from a "one-size-fits-all" approach. It mentions that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, which increase with inflammation, are associated with a higher risk of heart disease. LDL cholesterol, particularly its subtype Lipoprotein(a), is also linked to heart disease risk. Women with high LDL cholesterol and Lp(a) levels face significantly increased risks, with CRP levels posing the highest risk at 70%.
The passage emphasizes that women with high levels of all three biomarkers—LDL cholesterol, Lipoprotein(a), and C-reactive protein—are significantly more likely to experience stroke or coronary heart disease. Despite the predictive power of these markers, most doctors only measure cholesterol, overlooking the importance of hsCRP and Lp(a). The study's finding that a single blood test can predict heart disease risk 30 years in advance is described as "astonishing," highlighting the potential for early preventive measures. Dr. Marc Siegel, who was not involved in the study, called it a significant advancement in assessing cardiac risk in women through combined blood tests.
The passage underscores the link between inflammation and heart disease, with elevated CRP levels indicating a 70% higher risk. LDL and Lp(a) have also been associated with increased heart disease risk. Dr. Siegel anticipates that future advancements will involve combining these blood markers with artificial intelligence to better predict heart disease and stroke risk. Given these findings, Dr. Ridker advises patients to request specific tests for hsCRP and Lp(a) from their physicians, suggesting that it's time for medical guidelines to evolve accordingly.
Dr. Ridker notes that women often show less concern about heart disease compared to men, which is problematic because traditional screening methods usually don't identify at-risk women until they are in their late 60s or 70s. However, effective prevention needs to begin much earlier, ideally in one's 30s and 40s. Ridker emphasizes that initial prevention should focus on lifestyle changes like a heart-healthy diet, regular exercise, quitting smoking, and managing stress. In some cases, drug therapies may be necessary to reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol levels for those at higher risk.
The study's primary limitation, as acknowledged by the researchers, is that the participants were all health professionals, which may not fully represent the general population. Dr. Ridker also noted that these findings likely apply to men and might be an even greater concern for minority groups. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The original article discussing these findings can be found on Fox News.
Researchers have identified a new blood testing method that could predict a woman's 30-year risk of heart disease, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that measuring two types of fat in the bloodstream—along with C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation—provides a more accurate assessment of heart disease risk than measuring low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol alone.
The study involved 27,939 health care providers in the U.S., with an average age of 55, who participated in the Women’s Health Study. Over the 30-year follow-up period, 3,662 participants experienced a heart attack, stroke, surgery to restore circulation, or a cardiovascular-related death.
Researchers found that women with the highest levels of CRP had a 70% increased risk of heart disease. Those with the highest levels of LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) had a 36% and 33% increased risk, respectively. When all three measures were assessed together, the participants with the highest levels had more than a 1.5-times increased risk of stroke and more than a three-times increased risk of coronary heart disease compared to those with the lowest levels.
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