New Blood Test May Predict Heart Attack

A new blood test that measures "sticky" molecules to predict heart attack has been discovered.

Researchers at The DeBakey Heart Center of Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital measured molecular levels which are important in inflammation. The molecules caused the white blood cell to "stick" to the arteries, which may lead to coronary artery disease and heart attack.

"This test may help us better determine who is at risk for heart disease before a heart attack or stroke occurs," says Dr. Christie Ballantyne, Baylor associate professor of medicine and co-director of the Lipid Research Clinic at Methodist.

The test was studied in the Atherosclerosis Risk in the Community (ARIC) study funded by the National Institutes of Health. ARIC followed more than 15,000 men and women in four U.S. multi-ethnic communities who were checked for coronary artery disease, a leading cause of heart attack.

Study participants who developed heart disease or carotid artery disease had higher levels of the "sticky" molecules.

Dr. Ballantyne hopes their recent findings will offer better ways to diagnose and treat disease.

"The test looks promising," Dr. Ballantyne says. "But more studies are needed to compare its usefulness with currently available tests. We plan to examine other molecules to see if they might be even better predictors for coronary artery disease."

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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