Scientists have developed a simple blood test that can predict a woman's 30-year risk of cardiovascular disease. Here's everything you need to know about it.

Scientists said on Saturday they had developed a simple blood test that could predict a woman's 30-year risk of cardiovascular disease, research supported by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that measures two types of fat in the bloodstream. -reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation, can predict a woman's risk of developing cardiovascular disease decades later.

“We can't treat what we don't measure,” said Paul M. Ridker, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Brigham, “and we hope these findings move us closer to identifying earlier ways to detect and prevent heart disease.” and Women's Hospital, Boston. For the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the team collected blood samples and medical information from 27,939 health care providers living in the US who participated in the Women's Health Study.

Women who started the study between 1992-1995 at an average age of 55 were followed for 30 years. During this period, 3,662 study participants experienced a heart attack, stroke, surgery to restore circulation, or cardiovascular death. The researchers evaluated how high-sensitivity CRP, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and lipoprotein(a) — a lipid partially composed of LDL — predicted events individually and together. When all three measures were evaluated together, participants with the highest levels had a 1.5-fold higher risk of stroke and a 3-fold higher relative risk of coronary heart disease than women with the lowest levels.

Although only women were evaluated in this study, they are expected to find similar results in men. “In recent years, we've learned more about how elevated levels of inflammation can interact with lipids to compound cardiovascular disease risks,” said Ahmad AK Hasan, program director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). “It helps to understand why lower levels are often better.” Researchers suggest regular physical activity, a heart-healthy diet, stress management, avoiding tobacco and smoking cessation to reduce the risk of heart disease.

(Inputs: IANS)