New test pinpoints heart disease risk
Miscellaneous / / April 23, 2022
Scientists have managed to create a new test that allows a blood sample to get ahead of the high risk of developing serious cardiovascular diseases in the next four years. It reacts to certain proteins in blood samples and delivers results that are twice as accurate as other methods currently used to assess such risks.
To do this, the scientists used machine learning to analyze 5,000 proteins in plasma samples from 22,849 people. They determined that the signature of 27 proteins helps to calculate the probability of a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or death with high accuracy.
Such tests will allow the cardiologist to understand whether the patient's current treatments are appropriate or need to be adjusted to reduce risk. They will also be useful in clinical trials of drugs: their effectiveness can be assessed more quickly.
Importantly, the test will also help accurately assess risk in people who have had a previous heart attack or stroke, have additional medical conditions, and are taking medication to reduce risk. These are scenarios where other scoring models are difficult to use.
The effectiveness of the new method testedA proteomic surrogate for cardiovascular outcomes that is sensitive to multiple mechanisms of change in risk / Science Translational Medicine on blood samples from 11,609 volunteers. The scientists found that the new model is about twice as efficient as existing risk assessment methods that take into account a person's age, gender, race, medical history, cholesterol level, and blood pressure to assess the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases.
The new test has already begun to be used in four medical institutions in the US, it should soon appear in the UK. However, the scientists intend to continue research to better assess the potential clinical relevance of using this technique.
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