Blood Test Plus Clinical Characteristics May Improve CAD Diagnosis
Asimple blood test can accurately, noninvasively, and quickly diagnose heart disease, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The soon-to-be commercialized test uses clinical and multi-protein blood test to predict the presence of anatomically significant coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is the most common form of heart disease, killing more than 370,000 people in the United States annually, according to the American Heart Association. The current diagnostic methods—CT angiography and stress testing—have drawbacks, including the need for ionizing radiation and high cost. "CAD is a public health concern, and an efficient manner for its noninvasive detection could potentially result in reduction of morbidity, mortality, and cost of this disease," writes lead author Nasrien Ibrahim, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston). The researchers used data from 1,251 patients enrolled in the CASABLANCA (Catheter Sampled Blood Archive in Cardiovascular Diseases) study who were referred for coronary angiography (2008 through 2011). A panel of 109 biomarkers was evaluated from blood samples collected immediately before and after the angiographic procedure using the Luminex xMAP multiplex technology platform (Luminex Corporation; Austin, Texas). Candidate proteins and clinical features were selected using least angle regression, in which factors are selected […]
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