Researchers at UT Southwestern have found that a blood test can identify those who are in the early stages of heart disease. Patient data revealed that two biomarkers were elevated in patients who were often not receiving any treatment for hypertension.
The research analyzed 13,000 patients from a variety of backgrounds, and found that one-third of adults had the elevated biomarkers and were not previously in treatment for a heart condition. Though the patients had a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, or heart failure over the next decade, they were not aware of the risks prior to the test because they didn’t have any outward symptoms.
The new method will not only provide more information to patients, it is cost saving as well. “We think this type of test can help in the shared decision-making process for patients who need more information about their risk,” said preventive cardiologist Dr. Parag Joshi, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine via release. “These blood tests are easily accessible and are less expensive than some other tests for risk assessment.”
The study was led by Joshi and Dr. Ambarish Pandey, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, and followed patients for 10 years as a part of the Dallas Heart Study, and was published in Circulation.
