Roundup: Blood Test May Signal Heart Disease Up to 30 Years in Advance; and More News

Researchers: A Simple Blood Test May Predict Risk of Cardiovascular Disease 30 Years Out

A person’s risk for cardiovascular disease is partially diagnosed by using a blood test to look at current cholesterol levels. But these tests may miss other risk factors. Now, researchers say that a simple blood test could detect other biomarkers to predict the risk of heart disease for up to 30 years.

The researchers note that while only women were assessed in this study, they would expect to find similar results in men.

Research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that measuring two types of fat in the bloodstream -- along with C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation -- can predict a woman’s risk for cardiovascular disease decades later, the NIH states in a news release. These findings were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2024 and were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The researchers collected blood samples and medical data from 27,939 healthcare providers living in the United States who participated in the Women’s Health Study. Women, who started the study between 1992 and1995 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 a cardiovascular-related death. “Researchers assessed how high-sensitivity CRP, along with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad cholesterol”) and lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a lipid partly made of LDL, singularly and collectively predicted these events,” the NIH states.

When all three measures — LDL cholesterol, Lp(a), and CRP — were assessed together, participants with the highest levels had more than a 1.5-times increased associated risk for stroke, and more than a three-times increased associated risk for coronary heart disease, compared to women with the lowest levels.

“In recent years, we’ve learned more about how increased levels of inflammation can interact with lipids to compound cardiovascular disease risks,” said Ahmed A.K. Hasan, M.D., Ph.D., a medical officer and program director at NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), in a statement. “This helps explain why lower levels are often better.”

The NIH emphasizes prevention for optimal cardiovascular health. This includes getting regular physical activity, eating a heart healthy diet, managing stress, and avoiding tobacco or quitting smoking. Other measures for people with increased risks may include using medication to lower cholesterol and/or reduce inflammation. 

Number of Children Born With Genetic Heart Defects May Be Significantly Underestimated, Researchers Find

The largest state-based analysis focusing on children born with heart defects has found that national estimates of congenital heart defects may be significantly underestimated – and at least half of them have other genetic disorders and chronic conditions, states the American Heart Association (AHA).

The study, published in the AHA’s journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, offers the first “U.S. population-level analysis of congenital heart defects, or CHDs.” Researchers say the much-needed data can be used to better plan for the treatment of children who may need lifelong care.

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect in the U.S., with previous estimates placing the number at about 40,000 babies each year, or 1 percent of all births nationally.

“Advances in medical care and treatment have allowed children born with heart defects to live longer, but those who do are at higher risk for neurodevelopmental problems, cancer, depression, asthma, obesity, high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure and rheumatologic disease,” states the American Heart Association in a news release about the study.

For the study, researchers analyzed insurance claims data from 2012 to 2019 for children in Colorado who were 18 or younger on Jan. 1, 2012. The claims databases include all public and private insurance claims for healthcare services within a state. Colorado is one of 21 states that had such databases at the time the study was conducted.

From more than 1.5 million children in the Colorado database, researchers identified 30,512 who were diagnosed with heart defects – nearly 2 percent. That’s twice the estimated national average of 1 percent.

More than half of the children with heart defects also had one or more complex chronic health conditions, including respiratory, metabolic, gastrointestinal, neurologic and neuromuscular disorders. And more than a third received at least one disability diagnosis over the eight-year study period.

"Seismic advancements in medical care and surgical treatments have significantly increased the survival of children born with congenital heart disease," said Devin Parker, M.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the department of social epidemiology at Sorbonne Université in Paris and the study's lead author, in a statement. "A comprehensive assessment of the CHD health burden can support appropriate allocation of resources for diagnosis, care coordination, care access and cost-effective treatment strategies."

CDC: September/October Time-Frame is Best for Flu Vaccinations for Most Adults

As the 2024-2025 flu (influenza) season approaches, so does the time to get vaccinated, according to the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC).

Adults should start getting their flu shots in September or October, while some children who require two doses should get the first one as soon as possible.

The CDC states: “Timing of the onset, peak, and decline of influenza activity varies from season to season. Decisions about timing need to consider the unpredictability of the influenza season, possible waning of vaccine-induced immunity over the course of a season, and practical considerations. For most persons who need only 1 dose of influenza vaccine for the season, vaccination should ideally be offered during September or October.”

However, flu vaccinations should continue after October and throughout the influenza season “as long as influenza viruses are circulating and unexpired vaccine is available,” adds the CDC. 

Most persons who become ill with the season’s influenza virus recover without serious complications. However, the flue can be associated with serious illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths, particularly among older adults, very young children, pregnant women, and individuals of all ages with certain chronic medical conditions, said the CDC.

The flu vaccine’s “rate of waning effectiveness” may vary with age. The CDC said that several studies have found that decreasing effectiveness was more pronounced among older adults. Several recent multi-season studies of waning protection found that the odds of influenza infection increased by 9 percent to 28% percent per month after vaccination among people of all ages, and by 12 percent to 29 percent per month among vaccinees aged 65 years or older.