Predicting a woman’s future risk of heart disease could be as simple as administering a single blood test to screen for three risk factors.
This is according to a study published Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine, a study that was also presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress this weekend.
The study, which involved nearly 30,000 women with an average age of 55, measured two types of fat in the bloodstream as well as a certain type of protein using a blood test in 1993 and then monitored the participants’ health over a 30-year period, the researchers said.
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“The best predictor of risk was a simple blood measure of inflammation known as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, or hsCRP, followed by cholesterol and lipoprotein(a),” Dr. Paul Ridker, lead author of the study and director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told Fox News Digital.
The study, which involved nearly 30,000 women with an average age of 55, measured two types of fat in the bloodstream as well as a certain type of protein. (iStock)
“Knowing the three predicted risks, not just at five or 10 years, but at 20 and 30 years, gives us a road map to target specific therapies for each patient, rather than a simple, one-size-fits-all approach,” he said.
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a protein produced by the liver that increases when inflammation occurs in the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.
High protein levels indicate an increased risk of heart disease.
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LDL cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol, can build up in the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, the Mayo Clinic noted.
Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a type of LDL cholesterol that can also cause plaque buildup in the arteries.
“This is a large and compelling study that brings together three predictive blood tests that have never been looked at in this way before.”
Researchers found that women with the highest levels of LDL cholesterol had a 36% increased risk of heart disease compared to those with the lowest levels.
People with the highest levels of Lp(a) had a 33% increased risk.
Higher CRP levels put women at a 70% increased associated risk.
LDL cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol, can build up in your arteries and increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. (iStock)
Women who had high levels of all three measures were 1.5 times more likely to have a stroke and more than three times more likely to have coronary heart disease, the researchers found.
While most doctors measure cholesterol, very few measure hsCRP and Lp(a), Ridker noted.
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