According to a study conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the second-largest clinical hospital of Harvard Medical School, three blood biomarkers can predict the risk of serious cardiovascular events in women decades in advance. The findings were presented at the 2024 congress of the European Society of Cardiology and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Cardiovascular diseases and their symptoms are often difficult to recognize, and for this reason, the disease claims about 18 million lives each year. The new approach by American scientists to a routine blood test allows for early detection of the disease and the determination of further treatment methods,” notes Kazakhstani expert Gintautas-Yoazas Kentra, a physician and deputy chairman of the NGO “National Health Association.”
For the study, researchers collected blood samples and medical information from 27,939 healthcare workers who participated in the “Women’s Health” study.
The women who took part in the study between 1992 and 1995 at the age of 55 were monitored for 30 years. During this period, 3,662 participants experienced a heart attack, stroke, vascular surgery, or died from cardiovascular diseases.
The scientists evaluated how the measurement of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein—a marker of inflammation, low-density lipoproteins, or “bad cholesterol,” and lipoprotein (a), both individually and collectively, predicted cardiovascular risk throughout the monitoring period.
Researchers found that women with high levels of low-density cholesterol had a 36% higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases compared to those with the lowest levels. Women with high lipoprotein (a) levels had a 33% higher risk, while those with elevated C-reactive protein levels had a 70% higher risk.
When all three indicators were assessed together, participants with high readings had a 1.5 times greater risk of stroke and over three times the risk of developing coronary artery disease compared to women with low readings.
Researchers note that the steps individuals take early in life to maintain heart and vascular health can accumulate over time and correlate with better health outcomes years and even decades later.
In Kazakhstan, according to the latest WHO statistics, 87% of deaths are attributed to non-communicable diseases, of which 49% are due to heart and vascular diseases.
“The foundation of preventing heart and vascular diseases lies in a person's lifestyle. Risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, excess weight, and lack of physical activity can be mitigated. To achieve this, according to the harm reduction concept, it is essential to adopt a balanced diet as early as possible, achieve a healthy body weight, abandon harmful habits, and maintain physical fitness,” concludes Kazakhstani expert Gintautas-Yoazas Kentra.