Newly developed test identifies impending heart attacks long in advance

This test detects heart attack risks from childhood

People who are at an increased risk of having a heart attack at some point in their lives can be identified with a new and favorable test as early as infancy. These individuals can then take appropriate action early to reduce the risk. An international team of researchers used giant amounts of biobank data to identify a powerful system that can identify genetic risk factors that promote a heart attack.

Egg international research team from Leicester University, Cambridge University in England and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia filtered out 1.7 million genetic variants that increase the risk of heart attack. From these findings, the researchers developed a cheap and reliable test that determines the genetic risk of impending heart attack independently of age. Converted this test should cost just 45 euros. The study results were recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

A new and inexpensive test identifies the genetic risk of a person developing coronary artery disease. (Image: abhijith3747 / fotolia.com)

Cradled risk

Genomic Risc Score (GRS) is the name of the new rating system that uses genetics to identify people who are at an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease. As a result, people at high risk could make important lifestyle changes or receive life-saving medicines at an early age. Since the test releases the risk directly from the DNA, it can be performed at any age.

Coronary heart disease partly genetic

"Genetic factors have long been known to increase the risk of developing coronary heart disease," the science team said in a press release on the study's findings. The coronary heart disease is again the main cause of heart attacks.

Genetics does not play a role in diagnostics

According to the genetic experts, genetics play no role in the current diagnosis of coronary heart disease. Doctors would judge vulnerable people only by their lifestyle and certain conditions such as cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or smoking status. "But these values ​​are inaccurate, age-dependent, and do not account for the majority of people who appear healthy but still develop the disease," said the scientists at Leicester University.

Search for traces in the DNA labyrinth

The team scoured UK biobank data from more than 22,000 individuals suffering from coronary heart disease. They took into account about 1.7 million genetic variants. According to the researchers, the resulting GRS assessment system is better able to determine the risk of heart disease than any of the classic risk factors alone.

A new risk group

The studies also showed that there is a risk group that does not have any of the common risk factors. So there are genes that increase the risk of coronary heart disease without increasing blood pressure or cholesterol levels. These results explain why people with healthy lifestyles and without conventional risk factors can still be hit by a devastating heart attack.

An effective supplement to prevention

As the study team reports, it has been shown that people who appeared perfectly healthy in a standard health check suddenly developed coronary heart disease. Conversely, there are also people who, according to the GRS assessment, have a low genetic risk, but have developed coronary heart disease after two conventional risk factors, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Save lives with just under 50 Euros

Crucially, the GRS assessment can be measured at any age, including childhood, and must be performed only once, the experts said. Since the test requires only a one-time investment of £ 40 GBP (about 45 €), it is expected that many health insurance companies will take over this service.

What potential does the human genome hold??

"The complete decoding of the first human genome took place only 15 years ago," emphasizes lead author of the study. Michael Inouye from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and the University of Cambridge. Today, the combination of data science and genomic mass cohorts has the potential to dramatically change and expand healthcare. We are just beginning to capitalize on the enormous potential of genomic medicine, the heart expert concludes. (Vb)