Medical Update (Apr 29, 02:34 AM) Doctors may soon have new blood tests to better identify patients with coronary heart disease.
Researchers have found that a protein produced by an overstressed heart muscle appears to be a strong indicator of underlying cardiovascular disease, providing physicians a new tool to detect trouble before symptoms surface. The protein, a biomarker called B- type natriuretic peptide, can be measured in the blood and used to diagnose and predict heart problems, according to two studies recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In one study, conducted at University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, researchers found that measurement of the peptide levels in emergency room patients reporting shortness of breath helped attending physicians decide which patients were suspect for heart failure. Identifying these patients, in turn, streamlined the diagnosis process and reduced treatment costs, as well as hospital stays. The peptide test costs about $35. Researchers found in an additional study that people with high levels of the B-type natriuretic peptide are three times more likely to develop heart failure within five years than those with lower levels.
Another blood test gaining attention is the PLAC test that measures an enzyme called lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A^sub 2^ and is presently available for doctors to order.
In a study of more than 1,300 patients, people with LDL, or bad, cholesterol below 130 were at higher risk of coronary heart disease if they scored high on the PLAC test. Generally, LDL scores below 130 are viewed as normal, but many heart attack victims have cholesterol levels otherwise considered safe. The PLAC test offers doctors another clue as to which patients may be at high risk for coronary disease, the number-one killer of Americans.
Copyright Benjamin Franklin Literary and Medical Society 2004
