A Simple test could detect heart attack 15yrs earlier. Scientists say it could help doctors spot high-risk patients.
Key facts:
- When heart muscle is damaged it leaks a protein called troponin into the blood
- Testing for this protein can be used to detect the early signs of damage early
- The simple test would take just 30 minutes to deliver a result straight to doctors
- It would identify people who would benefit from cholesterol-busting statins
- It can also assess how well statins are working – and help find another treatment
British scientists have discovered that a simple blood test could identify patients at risk of having a heart attack,15yrs earlier. The tests cost £5, takes only 30minutes to report a result and could help physicians to identify patients who would benefit from drugs or lifestyle changes and save their life.
Around 188,000 people suffer from heart attacks each year in Britain and nearly 70,000 people die as a result. Most of these cases are avoidable, with lifestyle factors-particularly drinking, smoking, diet and exercise- this could impact changes in roughly 85% of cases.
Process:
A heart muscle leaks a protein called troponin into the bloodstream whenever it is damaged. Testing troponin levels are already in use in hospitals to investigate if a patient had a heart attack or not.
New study:
A new study led by universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow suggests that troponin test can be used to detect the early signs of damage years before someone has an attack. They found the test is particularly good in precisely identifying people who will benefit from Cholesterol-busting statins, preventing their risk of serious Cardiovascular disease at a later stage.
It could also be used to assess the effectiveness of statin therapy and help doctors in deciding over other modalities.
In a trial of 3,000 men with high cholesterol but no history of heart disease, the team found high troponin levels accurately predicted the risk of a person suffering a heart attack up to 15 years later. Those who tested positive for high troponin levels were 2.3 times more likely to have a heart attack, the researchers found.
The results published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology also reinforced the use of statins as a treatment for heart disease. Scientists discovered that statin pills quickly reduced the levels of troponin with striking results. In those where Troponin levels decreased by 25% had a five-fold lower risk of heart attack.
Study leader Professor Nicholas Mills of the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘These results are tremendously exciting, and could revolutionize the way we manage patients at risk of coronary heart disease. Whilst blood cholesterol and blood pressure are important risk factors in the development of heart disease, troponin is a direct measure of injury to the heart. This could also be employed in identifying apparently healthy individuals who have silent heart disease, so we can target at preventive treatment.
Limitations:
More studies are required because the trial was only conducted on middle-aged men, with no women included. Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study, said: The use of troponin tests to determine if a person has had a heart attack or not is now firmly established in clinical practice. The hope from this new research would enable to identify people at higher risk of suffering from heart attack and have their preventative treatments intensified. Before it could be clinically applied, the usefulness of troponin findings needs to be demonstrated in a wider group of patients. Then, this could be used by GP’s during routine health checkups and ultimately save lives.