With the help of an easy-to-do blood test and an online tool, the risk of suffering a heart attack within the next six months can be reliably predicted.
A new study involving experts from the University of Cambridge identified biomarkers for impending first myocardial infarction and developed a model to predict the disease. The results can be read in the English-language journal “Nature”.
Effectively predict heart attack
A heart attack is usually difficult to predict. As a result, many people are not recognized as having an increased risk and those affected are unable to take preventative measures. This is one reason why heart attacks are now a leading cause of death worldwide, the team says.
In order to be able to predict a heart attack using biomarkers, the researchers examined a total of 2,018 participants without previous cardiovascular diseases from six European cohorts. Their hypothesis was that several important biological processes occur in the months before a heart attack that can be detected with a simple blood test.
One problem with predicting heart attacks at an early stage has so far been that possible risk factors have been examined in studies with a follow-up period of five to ten years. However, the team explains that they were only able to identify factors that are stable over time.
Living conditions influence the risk of heart attack
“But we know that the time shortly before a heart attack is very dynamic. For example, the risk of a heart attack doubles in the month after a divorce, and the risk of a fatal heart attack is five times higher in the week after a cancer diagnosis,” explains study author Professor Johan Sundström in a press release.
420 of the participants developed their first heart attack within six months of the first blood draw, the team reports. These blood samples were then compared with those from healthy participants.
Almost 90 molecules were identified that indicate the risk of a first heart attack. Thus, normal blood tests already used in healthcare could be used to predict the risk of a heart attack, the experts emphasize.
Early prevention measures thanks to blood tests
If an increased risk is then detected through a blood test, this could encourage those affected to take preventive medication or to stop smoking, the researchers hope.
The team also developed a simple online tool that allows people to use the results of their blood test to determine their risk of a heart attack within the next six months.
“This was one of the aims of the entire study because we know that people feel relatively little motivation to take preventative measures. If you find out that you have an increased risk of having a heart attack soon, you may be more motivated to prevent it,” explains Professor Sundström.
Identify new treatment options
According to the experts, the newly identified molecules will be examined in more detail in the future in order to find out whether the findings achieved could result in effective treatment options for heart attacks. (as)
