A new three-pronged blood test can highlight people with a nearly tripled risk for heart attack, a new study says.
The test relies on three blood markers linked to heart disease: lipoprotein a [Lp(a)], remnant cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], researchers are slated to report at a Nov. 10 meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans.
"Each of the blood tests on its own indicate only a modest increase in heart attack risk; however, when we found elevated levels for all three, the risk of heart attack was nearly three times higher," said lead researcher Dr. Richard Kazibwe, an assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"These biomarkers work together like pieces of a puzzle," he said in a news release. "One piece cannot show the full picture, yet when combined, we can see a much clearer and more complete depiction of heart attack risks."
Lipoprotein (a) is a type of cholesterol driven by genetic factors that can cause clogged arteries, researchers said.
