NBC News
A silent risk factor of heart disease could explain why some women end up suffering infarctions and strokes even though they are apparently healthy, it shows a new study.
The 30 -year analysis of more than 12,000 women revealed that inflammation was comparable to the high LDL cholesterol as a risk factor of heart disease, researchers reported Friday at the meeting of the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Madrid, Spain. The results were published simultaneously in the European Heart Journal magazine.
The measurement of inflammation is not a standard part of detection exams in the United States and there are no external signs that indicate that a person can have high levels.
Inflammation can increase the risk of a woman from suffering a heart attack or spill, even when other risk factors, such as high cholesterol, smoking and high blood pressure, are not a problem, according to the main author of the study, Dr. Paul Ridker, preventive cardiologist of the Mass General Brigham and Women’s Heart and Vascular Institute and Professor of Medicine in Medicine from Harvard University.
“Half of all infarctions and strokes occur in people who do not have any important risk factor,” Ridker said.
Dr. Anais Hausvater, cardiologist and co-director of the Nyu Health Cardio-Obstétric Research Program, described the study as “potentially revolutionary.”
“Despite the growing evidence that inflammation is an incredibly important cardiovascular risk factor and the recommendation that most people undergo detection tests, the vast majority of women do not do it,” said Hausvater, who did not participate in the investigation.
A blood test to detect what is known as high sensitivity PCR can measure inflammation. Ridker said that in Europe it is already usual to measure the high sensitivity PCR.
The new study used data from the study of women’s health, launched by the National Heart Institute, lungs and blood in the early 1990s.
At the beginning, women’s blood samples were taken to measure cholesterol and HSCRP levels.
Of the almost 28,000 women who underwent a blood test, 12,530 did not present standard modifiable risk factors for heart disease, or SMURF. During the 30 years of follow -up, 973 cardiovascular events were produced, such as heart attacks or accidents in this group. HSCRP levels were significantly higher among the women who suffered them.
The new findings indicate that inflammation should be included in heart disease detection exams, Ridker said. High inflammation can be treated with statins, but with a healthy cholesterol level, these women would not meet the requirements for them to be prescribed.
An anterior clinical trial discovered that women who do not present the usual modifiable risk factors could benefit from statin treatment. This analysis showed that women with high inflammation, but without other risk factors, experienced a 38% reduction in serious cardiovascular events, such as stroke and infarct accidents, if they received treatment with statins, Ridker added.
But if HSCRP is not measured, these women will not receive the treatment they need to save their lives, Ridker said. “The conclusion is that doctors will not deal with what they do not measure,” he insisted.
Hausvater pointed out that detection tests should be routine for all women.
“This is another tool that should be offered to women to evaluate their risk,” he said. “Based on this study, I would recommend the patients to ask their doctors to measure the HSCRP.”
Dr. Tania Ruiz, Cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at the Medical Center of the University of Vanderbilt, agreed. “This is a very interesting study,” he said. “It is the first on a large scale on HSCRP as a predictor of cardiovascular events in other healthy women.”
“In recent years, we have learned more about the role of inflammation in the formation of plaques and their vulnerability,” said Ruiz.
Women with autoimmune diseases such as lupus may be more likely to have a high level of HSCRP, Ruiz said. Otherwise, without testing, there is no way to know.
