In addition to cholesterol, there are two other markers that are important predictors of a person’s risk of heart disease.
A new study has revealed that a revolutionary new method for routine blood tests can predict the risk of heart disease over the next 30 years. The research, published in the journal New England Journal of MedicineThey discovered that in addition to evaluating cholesterol levels, other biomarkers can be used to find problems with cardiovascular health.
Typically, heart disease risk is estimated through a simple blood test that looks at cholesterol levels, focusing especially on LDL, or bad, cholesterol. “We have other biomarkers that tell us about other kinds of biological problems that our patients who are destined for cardiovascular disease are likely to have,” said senior study author Dr. Paul Ridker, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Important indicators of heart disease
Ridker and his team found that in addition to LDL cholesterol, two other markers—a type of blood fat known as lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a) and an indicator of inflammation—are important predictors of a person’s risk for heart attack, stroke, and coronary heart disease.
The results of this study were also presented at the 2024 European Society of Cardiology Congress in London.
The study
For the research, scientists analyzed data from 30,000 women from across the United States who participated in the Women’s Health Study. The average age of these women was 55 when they enrolled between 1992 and 1995. The scientists said about 13 percent, or 3,600 of them, suffered a heart attack or stroke, underwent surgery to repair a narrowed or blocked artery, or died from heart disease during the 30-year follow-up period.
Although the research was conducted on women, Ridker said the findings would likely apply to men as well. “This is a largely preventable disease, but women tend to be undertreated and underdiagnosed,” she said.
All women had blood tests at the start of the study to measure their levels of LDL cholesterol (Lp(a)) and C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation in the body. The scientists said these measurements taken individually and together appeared to predict a woman’s heart health over the next three decades.
Women with the highest levels of LDL cholesterol had a 36 percent higher risk of heart problems compared with those with the lowest levels. Higher levels of Lp(a) indicated a 33 percent higher risk, and those with the highest levels of CRP had a 70 percent higher risk of heart disease.
When all three were analyzed together, women with the highest levels were 1.5 times more likely to have a stroke and more than three times more likely to develop coronary heart disease over the next 30 years, compared with women with the lowest levels.
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