Research carried out at the University of Worcester has discovered a potentially significant link between markers in the blood and electrical functions of the heart which could transform the way heart disease is detected. The study could mean that ECG (electrocardiograph) tests could replace blood tests as a quick and cost-effective tool to predict future cardiovascular risk.
A study of healthy pre-menopausal women found that a particular marker on ECG tests, used to monitor the functioning of the heart, corresponded directly to levels of a particular substance in the individual’s blood. This substance is known to be an indicator for the likelihood of developing serious conditions in the future, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The findings have now been published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. If the study can be widened out and the same link substantiated in other parts of the population, this could signal a breakthrough in the way we detect and try to prevent these future health issues.
“Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in this country, nothing kills more men than heart disease and it’s the second leading cause of death for women,” said Dr Allain Bueno, Principal Lecturer in Human Biology and Human Nutrition, who led the study, alongside Human Biology Master’s student Georgie Sherrard who conducted data collection and expert computer analysis by Sao Paulo Federal University. “These diseases may occur later in life, but, if we can find ways to prevent them from happening in the first place, people will live longer, better, and healthier lives.”
Docosahexaenoic acid, also known as DHA, is an omega-3 fatty acid found mainly in cold-water fish, like salmon, and is present in the membrane of human cells. People with low DHA blood levels have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular (disorders of the heart and blood vessels) and metabolic conditions, including strokes, heart attacks, blood vessel disease and Type 2 diabetes.
ECG readings measure the electrical activity of the heart. The QRS complex, a key hallmark of the ECG, measures the electrical activity of the ventricular chamber of the heart when it contracts to pump blood around the body. The more efficient the heart is in pumping blood around the body, the better in terms of long-term health, and the lower the electrical activity detected (in normal conditions).
In the study, researchers found the two measures directly corresponded – so when the levels of DHA detected in the blood were higher, the QRS measure was found to be lower – and vice versa.
DHA levels can only be detected through a blood test. Dr Bueno says there are advantages of estimating its levels in a different way. Testing via the blood is very time consuming, complicated and therefore expensive, and not routinely available on the NHS. In comparison, an ECG machine is available and used daily in most GP surgeries and is relatively easy to operate by health professionals.
Dr Bueno said: “It is crucial to expand our research to confirm our findings in other populations, including men, the elderly, and those at risk of, or already suffering from, heart disease. If the association we have identified in healthy women can be replicated in other groups and in large clinical trials, ECG could potentially be used as a quick and cost-effective tool to predict future cardiovascular risk. This could have significant implications for NHS healthcare strategy nationwide, but this is the very beginning of a long journey.
“One really important point is that we have to still have an active lifestyle. Regular physical activity is necessary to maintain heart health.”
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