According to a novel study, a woman’s risk of a heart attack or stroke can be predicted decades in advance by detecting three important blood biomarkers, opening up a critical window for preventive intervention.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading killer of women, but a lot of them aren’t symptomatic or have ‘warning-free’ heart attacks.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s hospital have identified three blood biomarkers that indicate the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes for decades before the symptoms show themselves as a major breakthrough in women’s cardiovascular health.
As levels of these biomarkers were higher in women, they are proven to be three to four times more susceptible to severe cardiovascular episodes including heart attacks and stroke according to a report featured in New England Journal of Medicine.
By measuring lipoprotein(a), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), the cardiovascular risks in the next years could be evaluated more accurately
Rather than by the means of conventional approach based on clinical and lipemic risk factors which were tested during the longest follow-up of more than 30 years in over 40 000 women.
Women with raised lipoprotein(a) and LDL-C had increased risks of 36% and 33%, respectively, they were at 70% higher risk of cardiovascular events when their hsCRP levels were at their greatest. Even more strikingly, women with elevated levels of all three biomarkers were 2.6 times more likely to experience a heart attack or stroke over the next 30 years.
The cardiovascular risks that women face are frequently underestimated by current screening techniques, postponing care until later in life. The study’s chief author, Dr. Paul Ridker, stressed that the “one-size-fits-all” approach to heart disease is not helpful for women and called for earlier and more thorough screening.
“These three simple, inexpensive blood tests could change the way we approach prevention for women’s heart health,” said Ridker. It’s time to advance past cholesterol test alone and consider inflammation and genetic factors like lipoprotein (a)
As one in five women in the United States lose their lives to heart disease, this study serves as an important reminder of the need of early identification and prevention.
The diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular risk could be revolutionized by routine blood tests for these three biomarkers, providing women with the knowledge and resources to safeguard their heart health.
