New blood test predicts risk of heart attack and stroke with twice previous accuracy

[Northerner]

Scientists have developed a blood test that can predict whether someone is at high risk of a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or dying from one of these conditions within the next four years.

The test, which relies of measurements of proteins in the blood, has roughly twice the accuracy of existing risk scores. It could enable doctors to determine whether patients’ existing medications are working or whether they need additional drugs to reduce their risk.

“I think this is the new frontier of personalised medicine, to be able to answer the question, does this person need enhanced treatment? And when you’ve treated someone, did it actually work?” said Dr Stephen Williams at SomaLogic in Boulder, Colorado, who led the research.

It could also be used to hasten the development of new cardiovascular drugs by providing a faster means of assessing whether drug candidates are working during clinical trials.

New blood test predicts risk of heart attack and stroke with twice previous accuracy

New technique, already available in US, could aid in development of cardiovascular drugs

www.theguardian.com

 

[mikeyB]

Phew, I’ve just read through the original report. Can’t find a doubt about its veracity, or methods. My concern is again follow the money. All the significant funding came from drug companies, who are clearly looking at this for opportunities for new drugs.

So what will these drugs do? Presumably reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke or death in the next four years. but what if they don’t work? You can only find out by doing a massive trial, all the while pouring money into the pockets of Big Pharma.

My guess is that will only work significantly in very specific circumstances, just like statins, but as with statins, the drug companies would rather they were prescribed to everyone with a theoretical risk of stroke or MI. That’s the prize they are after. Saves the bother and cost of testing for these proteins they’ve lighted on.

And despite the worldwide use of statins and the UK, cardiovascular deaths have remained at the same level, the second most common death. The leading cause of death is dementia, now that people are living longer. But it shows that, despite all the drugs, your heart will let you down sometime. Just hope that happens before your brain goes AWOL.

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Funding

HUNT is a collaboration between HUNT Research Centre (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science, and Technology NTNU), Trøndelag County Council, Central Norway Regional Health Authority, and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The ARIC study has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Department of Health and Human Services