Blood appears to have given up another secret, according to a new study. Nowadays GPs use blood test results to provide a host of health indicators, and the list keeps on growing. A simple prick of the arm and soon your GP will have a range of health indicators at hand.
They can see if your levels of various vitamins – calcium, folate, magnesium, B12, D etc – are adequate. And they’ll be able to tell your cholesterol and blood glucose levels, along with those of various hormones. They’ll also get an idea of the health of your kidneys, liver and prostate among other indicators.
The list goes on, each item on the list pinpointing a problem and/or painting a picture of your overall health. That picture could become a little sharper now, following new research done at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).
A newly-published study from the BWH researchers has revealed an association between three biomarkers and the risk of cardiovascular disease. What makes the results of the research particularly promising is that the markers predict the potential event decades in advance. And all this is revealed through another simple blood test.
Blood test breakthrough
Three specific blood biomarkers were the focus of the research: high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (or hsCRP), LDL cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a). The researchers measured these in over 27,000 women (average age 55 at the start of the study) and followed them over 30 years.
Each of these markers were already known indicators of certain health issues. For instance hsCRP is an indicator of general inflammation, while many readers will know LDL cholesterol as ‘bad’ cholesterol. Both of those are affected by lifestyle factors, while the third – lipoprotein(a) – is a genetic blood test indicator.
Using these biomarkers, BWH researchers tested each individually as indicators of increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Then they went a step further, testing a hypothesis about combining all three markers into a single predictor.
Individually, higher levels of each biomarker was linked to a significantly increased risk for experiencing a cardiovascular event. The highest recorded levels of hsCRP raised the risk by 70 per cent. The highest LDL levels raised risk by 36 per cent, while the highest lipoprotein(a) levels indicated a 33 per cent rise in risk.
Producing a magic marker
It was by combining the three blood test biomarkers that the researchers found a health holy grail of sorts. They found that models which pooled the three markers produced the most accurate predictor.
Women with higher levels of all three biomarkers were 2.6 times as likely to have a cardiovascular event. They were also 3.7 times more likely to have a stroke over the 30-year period.
The biggest potential advantage to come from this study is a quantum leap in the predictive time frame. Currently, biomarkers have proved useful as shorter-term predictors – five to 10 years or so. The new test, if it proves reliable, will triple that timeframe.
While this is potentially great news for women, the research did not include men. However, all three biomarkers included in this study have previously been identified as risk factors for men and women.
So while the research provides no male-specific revelations, it can at least act as a reminder that blood tests can be useful to us all.
Do you have regular blood tests? Have any of those helped to identify a health issue? Let us know via the comments section below.
Also read: Blood pressure and ageing: what’s the link?
Health disclaimer: This article contains general information about health issues and is not advice. For health advice, consult your medical practitioner.
