Scientists have developed a new blood test that can predict the user’s likelihood of having a heart attack, angina pectoris, cardiac arrest, or death in one of these cases within the next four years, according to the newspaper, “The Guardian”.
The newspaper added that the test, which is twice as accurate than the usual tests, and is currently available in the United States, may help doctors make sure that their patients’ medications are working effectively, or if they need additional medications to reduce the risk of their previous cases.
This test can also contribute to the development of drugs for heart health by providing faster evaluation of candidate drugs during clinical trials.
The test is based on analysis of proteins, which can take a picture of how internal organs, tissues and cells are working.
Stephen Williams of SomaLogic, located in the US state of Colorado, along with a number of his colleagues, used machine learning technology, a form of artificial intelligence, to analyze proteins in more than 5,000 plasma samples, taken from 22,849 people, to identify a distinctive protein code. It can predict stroke, heart attack, angina pectoris, or death.
When checking the data of more than 11,000 people, it was found that the test exceeded in its accuracy the popular tools in diagnosing the possibility of infection with one of the previous cases, and these tools usually resort to several factors, including the person’s gender, age, race, medical history, cholesterol and blood pressure rates to determine The extent of the risk to his heart health.
Also, importantly, the new test can accurately determine the severity of the health status of people who have had a heart condition, or who are taking medications that reduce their chance of getting it, something that normal tests usually fail to do.
The newspaper stated that the test is used in 4 medical systems in the United States, and that the company is considering expanding soon to include British markets.