Blood Test Predicts 30-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risks for Women

Photo:  ELNUR/SHUTTERSTOCK

NIH-supported research 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. These findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Investigators collected blood samples and medical information from 27,939 women (median age 55 years), who were then followed for 30 years. During this period, 3,662 study participants experienced an adverse cardiovascular event. Researchers assessed how high-sensitivity CRP, along with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a lipid partly made of LDL, singularly and collectively predicted these events.

Researchers found that women with the highest levels of LDL cholesterol had a 36% increased risk for heart disease compared to those with the lowest levels. Those with the highest levels of Lp(a) had a 33% increased risk, and those with the highest levels of CRP had a 70% increased risk.

When all three measures were assessed together, participants with the highest levels had more than a 1.5-times increased risk for stroke and more than a 3-times increased risk for coronary heart disease compared to women with the lowest levels.

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

Immune cells can sense excess cholesterol accumulation or activate in response to plaque build-up. This creates a hyperinflammatory environment—where plaque can form, become larger or even rupture—and cause cardiovascular events.

Primary prevention is the best way to support cardiovascular health. People with increased risks may use medication to lower cholesterol and/or reduce inflammation.

LDL cholesterol is routinely measured by healthcare providers and can be treated with widely available therapies, such as statins. However, standard Lp(a) and CRP screening recommendations can vary.