A simple blood test called "troponin test" is now being used to predict possible heart attacks and future risks of cholesterol or blood pressure increase.

Like Us on Facebook

The new study involved more than 3,000 men who have high cholesterol level but with no records of cardiovascular disease. Using Abbott Diagnostics' troponin test, the researchers found out that there is a significant change in the blood levels of individuals that have a high risk of heart attack or dying due to coronary heart disease 15 years following the diagnosis.

The study also stated that troponin test helps physicians determine whether statins prescribed to patients are working. Reduced troponin level suggests that treatment is effective while if otherwise, physicians are advised to provide other treatment.

"Troponin is almost like a barometer of heart health. If it creeps up, that is bad, and your risk of heart problems increases. If it goes down, that is good," the co-author of the study David Newby said.

Professor Nicholas Mills said that "these results are tremendously exciting and could revolutionize the way we manage patients at risk of coronary heart disease." The researchers said that apart from blood pressure and cholesterol levels, the measure of troponin is also related to cardiovascular diseases. Hence, they stated that "troponin testing will help doctors to identify apparently healthy individuals who have silent heart disease" and immediately provide preventive treatments.

One of the major causes of heart attacks is coronary heart disease which causes roughly 70,000 mortalities annually in the UK alone. During cardiac muscle damage, troponin leaks into the bloodstream.

Cardiologist Dr. Tim Chico said that "the problem with heart disease is that it remains very difficult to detect the early signs in people without symptoms, so these findings may provide a way to help identify people at risk."

The research on troponin test predicting heart attacks, which was published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology, will have to be furthered by future studies involving women and men with no issues on their cholesterol levels, according to the authors.