| New test predicts heart disease better than screen Cheap, simple blood test can spot inflammation leading to blood clots By John Fauber of the Journal Sentinel staff Last Updated: March 22, 2000 A simple, cheap blood test that predicts future heart disease more accurately than cholesterol screening could become a powerful new diagnostic tool for doctors, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The test, which looks for a protein that is a marker for inflammation, was nearly twice as accurate in predicting cardiovascular problems as conventional screening for cholesterol. The marker, known as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), also was more accurate than 10 other markers used in the study. Because half of all heart attacks occur in people who have normal cholesterol levels, the finding could be an important breakthrough in preventing heart attacks in those with so-called silent heart disease. "This is very compelling information," said David Rutlen, professor and chief of cardiovascular medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "I think it is quite possible that this could become a common test." The finding also furthers the theory that many heart attacks are caused not by regular calcified plaque on the inside of the arteries of the heart, but rather by a softer type of so-called unstable plaque that can rupture and cause a clot that leads to a heart attack. Unstable plaques often are associated with high levels of inflammation |
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