Next to 80,000 people are affected each year in France by a myocardial infarction (or heart attack)according to Inserm. A fatal event in 1 in 10 cases. A heart attack occurs when part of the heart is no longer supplied with blood due to obstruction of thea coronary artery. The latter can be the consequence of the accumulation of fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries, which then form atheromatous plaques which harden. We then speak of atherosclerosis.
This cardiovascular condition is initially asymptomatic, but can have serious health consequences. It is therefore essential to detect the risks as early as possible in order to prevent the occurrence of serious cardiovascular events. Atherosclerosis is promoted by many cardiovascular risk factors as high blood pressuresmoking, diabetesor high cholesterol in the blood, recalls the MSD Manual website.
Cardiovascular risk: Scientists have developed a 14-question home test that can detect atherosclerosis
How to detect early atherosclerosiswhich is initially asymptomatic? This is what has been explored a Swedish study published on July 3, 2024 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The researchers compared coronary artery tests in 25,000 people aged 50 to 64, which provide a picture of the degree of atherosclerosis, and their responses to a home questionnaire developed by the scientists. The goal? To see if Non-imaging self-reported data from the home test could be used to identify patients with atherosclerosis moderate to severe coronary artery disease, as well as the clinical tool.
“Many people who have a heart attack are apparently healthy and asymptomatic.but they have fatty deposits in the coronary arteries, called atherosclerosis“, recalls in a press release Göran Bergström, one of the authors of the study. This is why This 14-question home test seeks to detect atherosclerosisassessing factors such as age, gender, weight, waist circumference, smoking, high blood pressure, hyperglycemiadiabetes, or a family history of cardiovascular disease. Patients only need tobetween 5 and 8 minutes to answer the test questions.
This home test could detect 65% of people at highest risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers say
At the end of the study, Göran Bergström concludes that This test allowed “to identify nearly two-thirds of people aged 50 to 64 who have significant coronary atherosclerosis and are therefore exposed to a high risk of cardiovascular disease“. In fact, by combining the information from the answers in a special algorithm, this home test could detect 65% of people with the highest cardiovascular risk. According to the scientists of the study, It would have the same level of accuracy as blood tests and blood pressure measurements.
“The results show that our home test is as accurate as a clinical examination using blood tests and blood pressure measurements.“, advanced Göran Bergström. Il ajoute que “If we can generalize this test in the health sector, it could save lives. and prevent suffering by helping us identify people who present a high risk of heart attack or which are not sufficiently treated“Indeed, the study’s researchers believe that this self-assessment tool could be the starting point for a screening program aimed at identifying people at high cardiovascular risk who need imaging and further assessment of their health.
Sources :
- Self‐Report Tool for Identification of Individuals With Coronary Atherosclerosis: The Swedish CardioPulmonary BioImage Study – Journal of the American Heart Association – 3 juillet 2024
- Home test reveals the risk of heart attack in five minutes – Université de Gothenburg – 3 juillet 2024
- Myocardial infarction – Inserm
- Atherosclerosis – MSD Manual
