A SIMPLE test could save thousands of lives as it predicts your risk of a fatal heart attack in the next three years, experts have found.
The blood test is already used in hospitals to diagnose other conditions but could now be used to streamline how patients are treated following a suspected heart attack.
Experts at the British heart Foundation say that every five minutes in the UK, someone is admitted to hospital with a heart attack.
It's estimated that there are also 1.4 million people who have survived a heart attack.
Researchers at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London found that measuring levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) – which is a sign of inflammation can be beneficial.
This can be present in the blood of people after a heart attack and testing for it can better identify if they are at risk of dying in the next three years.
The test will help as those identified as at high risk of death could be given more aggressive treatment and monitored more closely.
This is while those identified as low risk could be give reassurances and be sent home.
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At present, when doctors think a person has had a heart attack they conduct a blood test for troponin.
This is a protein which is released into the blood stream when the heart is damaged.
Scientists now say that measuring CRP levels at the same time can provide a more detailed picture to show which patients pose the biggest risk.
In order to garner the results, they looked at data of over 250,000 patients who had been admitted to hospital with a suspected heart attack.
Normally the level of CRP in the blood is 2 mg/L or under.
But the experts found a mildly raised measurement of 10-15 mg/L CRP in those with a positive troponin test predicted a greater than 35 per cent chance of death three years later.
The results of the study will also open the door for more targeted treatment for heart attack patients who suffer life-threatening inflammation.
EYE SPY
Previously, scientists revealed that a simple eye test could predict your risk of a deadly heart attack.
In January Scientists developed an artificial intelligence system that analyses scans taken during routine opticians visits.
t then identifies those patients at high risk of a problem that could lead to a heart attack.
Changes in tiny blood vessels in the retina can indicate vascular disease, which includes the heart.
The AI system was trained by University of Leeds scientists to read eye scans and find those people who were likely to have a heart attack in the following year.
SPIT IT OUT
Other tests also look at how spit could up your risk of high blood pressure – which in turn can lead to a heart attack.
Researchers at Queen Mary University London and Imperial College London have identified 535 genes linked to the condition.
The heart attack signs you must never ignore
The heart muscle is then robbed of vital oxygenated blood which, if left untreated, can cause the heart muscle to begin to die, but what are the symptoms?
Heart attack symptoms can be difficult to spot for sure, because they can vary from person to person.
The most common signs include:
- chest pain, tightness, heaviness, pain or a burning feeling in your chest
- pain in the arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach
- for some people the pain and tightness will be severe, while for others it will just feel uncomfortable
- sweating
- feeling light-headed
- becoming short of breath
- feeling nauseous or vomiting
The team says a third of the risk is inherited.
Identifying those with a high genetic risk at an early age would allow doctors to stress to them the importance of a healthy lifestyle sooner.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Now experts are hopeful that the can look to some anti-inflammatory drugs for help.
One anti-inflammatory drug, colchicine, has already been found to be effective against the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries that increases your chance of a heart attack
Dr Ramzi Khamis now hopes to test colchicine specifically in patients with increased CRP levels to determine whether it could be an effective treatment to increase the survival after a heart attack.
"Testing for this biological ‘red flag’ at the same time as other hospital tests identifies those more vulnerable patients who should be receiving closer medical attention.
"Importantly, we hope with more research, we can be successful in developing new therapies that specifically combat inflammation to improve outcomes in heart disease", he said.
Experts have said that the test could be a valuable new tool in doctors' arsenal to treat the millions of people who have suffered a heart attack.
Professor James Leiper, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation said: "By better identifying which people are most at risk, this simple blood test could help to direct anti-inflammatory treatments to those who most need it.”
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