It’s a simple blood test – and it can tell patients with heart problems if they’re at risk for further complications. Channel 2’s Dr. Randy Martin has more on the new discovery.64-year-old Thomas Gray is receiving regular medical care for his heart disease, but as with many heart patients, doctors are looking for new tests – especially blood tests – that could tell them if their patients are at risk for future problems. Doctors in San Francisco tested a protein in the blood called NTPro-BNP.“We had 1,000 patients – 1,000 patients who have heart disease – and we measured their NTPro-BNP levels at the beginning of the study and then we followed them for more than 3 years to see who developed these complications – a stroke, a heart attack, heart failure or death,” explained Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo with the University of California, San Francisco.Dr. Bibbins-Domingo and her colleagues found that the blood test might – in some individuals – offer an early warning.“What we think is that the blood test that detects NTPro-BNP levels can detect a heart that’s under stress at very early stages in a way that may be missed by other types of heart tests,” said Dr. Bibbins-Domingo.While it’s hoped that the blood test can give additional information to who is most at risk, it’s not the only test that could do so.“What I hope is that we will be able to use this blood test in combination with other types of tests, like an Echocardiogram,” Dr. Bibbins-Domingo said.While the new blood test looks promising for telling who’s at risk for heart disease, Dr. Randy Martin asks you to remember there are two important things that will tell you if you’re really at risk. One is your blood pressure – know whether you have hypertension or not. The second is your cholesterol values – these are things you can control by weight loss, regular exercise and the proper diet.
New Blood Test May Help Heart Patients
It’s a simple blood test – and it can tell patients with heart problems if they’re at risk for further complications. Channel 2’s Dr. Randy Martin has more on the new discovery.64-year-old Thomas Gray is receiving regular medical care for his heart disease, but as with many heart patients, doctors are looking for new tests – especially blood tests – that could tell them if their patients are at risk for future problems. Doctors in San Francisco tested a protein in the blood called NTPro-BNP.“We had 1,000 patients – 1,000 patients who have heart disease – and we measured their NTPro-BNP levels at the beginning of the study and then we followed them for more than 3 years to see who developed these complications – a stroke, a heart attack, heart failure or death,” explained Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo with the University of California, San Francisco.Dr. Bibbins-Domingo and her colleagues found that the blood test might – in some individuals – offer an early warning.“What we think is that the blood test that detects NTPro-BNP levels can detect a heart that’s under stress at very early stages in a way that may be missed by other types of heart tests,” said Dr. Bibbins-Domingo.While it’s hoped that the blood test can give additional information to who is most at risk, it’s not the only test that could do so.“What I hope is that we will be able to use this blood test in combination with other types of tests, like an Echocardiogram,” Dr. Bibbins-Domingo said.While the new blood test looks promising for telling who’s at risk for heart disease, Dr. Randy Martin asks you to remember there are two important things that will tell you if you’re really at risk. One is your blood pressure – know whether you have hypertension or not. The second is your cholesterol values – these are things you can control by weight loss, regular exercise and the proper diet.
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