How a simple and cheap blood test could tell if YOU are likely to suffer a heart attack within five years
More than 70,000 people in the UK are killed every year from coronary heart disease
THE UK’s biggest killer could be stopped in its tracks through a cheap and simple blood test, new research has revealed.
Heart attacks could be predicted five years before the event with the research discovering new links between the immune system’s antibodies and the chance of heart problems.
The new test looks for levels of a specific type of antibody which the five-year study has found appears to prevent a heart attack even if cholesterol and blood pressure levels are high.
Dr Ramzi Khamis, consultant cardiologist at the National Heart and Lung Institute, said: "Linking a stronger, more robust immune system to protection from heart attacks is a really exciting finding.
"As well as improving the way we tell who is at the highest risk of a heart attack so that we can give them appropriate treatments, we now have a new avenue to follow in future work.
"We hope that we can use this new finding to study the factors that lead some people to have an immune system that helps protect from heart attacks, while others don't. We also hope to explore ways of strengthening the immune system to aid in protecting from heart disease."
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The antibody, known as IgG, is found in all bodily fluids and protects against bacterial and viral infections.
It found that those with the lowest levels of antibodies had the highest risk of heart attack.
The research, partly funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), studied more than 1,700 people at risk of heart attacks.
More than 70,000 people are killed every year by coronary heart disease, making it the UK’s biggest killer.
During a five-year-trial carried out by researchers from Imperial College London and University College London, people with the highest number of antibodies were at least risk of suffering a heart attack or coronary heart disease.