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Taking a new home health quiz takes just five minutes and can protect you from a heart attack.
A study by scientists in Sweden has shown that a home questionnaire is as accurate at identifying people at higher risk as clinical examinations using blood tests and blood pressure readings.
Heart attacks, which occur when the blood supply to the heart is blocked, usually by a blood clot, cause around 20,000 deaths a year in England and Wales, often without warning.
Healthy arteries are smooth inside, but if they become clogged with plaque, blood flow is restricted and blood clots form. Symptoms include chest pain and shortness of breath. However, many people have no obvious signs and therefore don’t know they’re at risk until they actually have a heart attack.
A 2022 study found that 42 percent of participants with no known heart disease or symptoms had fatty deposits in their heart arteries; 5 percent had significant blockage in arterial blood flow.
Heart attacks, which occur when the blood supply to the heart is blocked, usually by a blood clot, cause around 20,000 deaths a year in England and Wales, often without warning.
Today, doctors rely on high blood pressure readings as an early warning sign. Blood tests to measure levels of fats, cholesterol, sugar and proteins can also reveal the risk.
Now, researchers at the University of Gothenburg have designed a 14-question survey to identify those most likely to suffer from atherosclerosis (a precursor to heart attacks), the Journal Of The American Heart Association reports.
The test includes questions about age, sex, weight, waist size, smoking, high blood pressure, high blood fat levels, diabetes and family history of cardiovascular disease.
The team designed their questionnaire based on data from 25,000 people aged 50 to 64. All underwent CT scans to determine their level of atherosclerosis (the thickening or hardening of the arteries) and then answered questions about health and lifestyle. By comparing the CT scans of their hearts with the answers, the researchers determined the most relevant overlapping material and used it to design the questionnaire, which was able to detect 65 per cent of people at the highest risk of heart disease.
In contrast, measuring only “bad” LDL cholesterol levels can be less accurate: A 2009 study published in the American Heart Journal found that nearly half of patients admitted to hospitals with heart attacks actually had normal or low LDL levels.
Today, doctors rely on high blood pressure readings as an early warning sign. Blood tests to measure levels of fats, cholesterol, sugar and proteins can also reveal the risk.
Commenting on the new research, Professor Chris Pepper, clinical director of cardiorespiratory services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Although the test does not detect 100 per cent of cases, it would be a reminder to clinicians to decide who is most at risk and needs monitoring.”
Doctors in the UK already use a mathematical algorithm (called QRISK), based on health data and a blood test, to determine a person’s cardiac age and risk of heart disease. But this new test (not yet available to consumers as it needs to be tested in larger clinical trials) has been designed to be easy enough for a patient to perform at home.
The new study “suggests that CT scans may not be necessary in many cases,” says Professor Pepper. “They only take a few minutes, so there are very few barriers to performing them.”
A blood test to detect people at highest risk of dying from heart failure could soon be available, the European Journal of Heart Failure reports. Researchers found that patients with higher levels of a protein, neuropeptide Y (NPY), were 50 percent more likely to die from a heart complication than those with lower levels. Nerve cells in the heart produce NPY when the heart is stressed, triggering dangerously erratic heartbeats.
The secrets of a first-class body
This week: Actress Nicole Kidman’s waist
The 57-year-old star was spotted at the Paris Olympics in a midriff-baring two-piece outfit. Her active lifestyle includes hiking, swimming, snow sports and Ashtanga yoga.
Nicole Kidman, 57, was spotted at the Paris Olympics in a midriff-baring two-piece outfit. Her active lifestyle includes hiking, swimming, snow sports and Ashtanga yoga.
What to try: The standing wood chopping exercise will strengthen your core muscles. With your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, hold a dumbbell in front of you with both hands at chest height. Lower it to the outside of your right foot, bending your knees slightly and allowing your feet to rotate in the same direction as the dumbbell. Then, swing the dumbbell up across your torso and over your left shoulder. Perform 15 of these “chopping” movements, then repeat on the other side. Complete three sets, twice a week.
Try this
Olbas Breathe Easy patches (£6.99 for a pack of six, from most supermarkets) contain essential oils that are thought to have a decongestant effect. They can be applied to bedding and clothing for up to eight hours of relief.
Human Chemistry
Chemicals that play important roles in the body.
This week: Citric Acid
Citric acid is a weak acid found in citrus fruits and is a key component of the “citric acid cycle,” a series of biochemical reactions that release energy stored in nutrients from the body.
Citric acid is a weak acid found in citrus fruits and is a key component of the “citric acid cycle” – a series of biochemical reactions that release energy stored in nutrients from the body.
It also plays a role in reducing inflammation and preventing the formation of kidney stones. A 2007 Duke University study found that drinking a cup of lemon juice diluted in water increased citrate in the urine of kidney patients and led to less kidney stone formation.
The researchers thought that this “lemonade therapy” might be an effective alternative for patients with low urinary citrate levels who cannot tolerate existing therapies (i.e., oral potassium citrate replacement).