Could blood tests detect heart disease decades in advance? Study says yes
FOX 2 - If you could get a warning about a potential heart attack or stroke about 30 years in advance, that would be the best case scenario for those who are prone to heart disease.
Now, blood tests may be able to do just that.
In Healthworks, a doctor explained how and who can get the blood work done.
We know our blood can tell a story about our health, but a new study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) looked at about 28,000 women for 30 years and found a certain blood test measuring three things relating to inflammation and fat predicted stroke and heart attack risk decades out.
"What they found was, that when all of these three are increased together, it increases the likelihood of a stroke by 1.5 times," said Ascension Health Interventional Cardiologist Nishta Sareen. "And heart attacks by up to three times."
Sareen explained that regular blood work might measure cholesterol, but this study shines light on the risk connected to inflammation.
During the study, "researchers assessed high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, along with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a lipid partly made of LDL," according to the NIH.
Blood tests that measure these compounds provide more accurate indications of stroke and heart attack risk than cholesterol levels.
The tricky part is – who should get this blood test done? And how do we get it?
CRP and Lp(a) are not part of typical blood work during annual physicals. If you have risk factors, your doctor might order the screening, or you might want to ask your physician for it.
And what happens next if your levels are elevated?
"Liproprotein(a), once it's high, what we want to do is manage the other risk factors in these women," Sareen said. "Make sure they are constanly monitored for high blood pressure."
The goal is to know your risk and control what you are able to – such as your diet, sleep, stress, exercise, and smoking.