Troponin T will warn about the risk of cardiovascular diseases
Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a new highly sensitive method for determining the level of troponin T in the blood, which allows you to identify the risk of heart failure and death from diseases of the cardiovascular system in elderly people who do not have the appropriate symptoms.
Article by Christopher R. deFilippi et al. The Association of serial measures of cardiac troponin T using a sensitive assay with incident heart failure and cardiovascular mortality in community living older adults is published in the latest issue of JAMA, a brief retelling (Study shows new blood test may help predict heart failure and cardiovascular death in apparently healthy older adults) – in a press release from the University of Maryland.
Troponin T is a marker of the biological process of cell death leading to the development of heart failure. Modern methods of detecting troponin T in the blood are used in emergency departments to confirm the diagnosis of heart failure, but they are not sensitive enough to identify the risk of developing the disease in the absence of symptoms. It should be noted that diseases of the cardiovascular system are in the first place among the causes of death of people over 65 years of age.
Using a new method, the sensitivity of which is 10 times higher than the sensitivity of existing methods, the authors identified troponin T in the blood of approximately 65% of people aged 65 years and older. Blood samples were collected as part of a national-scale research project "Cardiovascular Health Study" (Cardiovascular Health Study), in which more than 4 thousand people aged 65 years and older took part, and were stored in a deep freeze for 10-15 years. Each participant took a blood test immediately after inclusion in the study and subsequently every 2-3 years.
Comparing the results of blood tests conducted using the latest method with the data collected during long-term (10-12 years) monitoring of the health status of the study participants allowed the researchers to draw important conclusions.
It turned out that the higher the level of troponin T in the blood, the higher the risk of an individual developing heart failure or dying from diseases of the cardiovascular system over the next 10-15 years. Moreover, the decrease or increase in troponin T levels over time, observed in many participants, corresponded to a change in the level of risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This indicates the possibility of correcting the state of the cardiovascular system even in the absence of obvious symptoms of diseases.
The authors believe that the data they have obtained are of extremely important clinical significance, as they will significantly increase the duration and improve the quality of life of a huge number of elderly people.
However, they note that the study did not take into account the influence of modern methods of treatment of cardiovascular diseases using statins, possibly influencing the prognostic significance of troponin T. The authors also had no opportunity to study the factors that caused the appearance of detectable levels of troponin T in the blood of participants and the change in its concentration. All this points to the need to continue working in this direction.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of CNews R&D
17.11.2010