New Blood Test Moves “Silent Killer” Research Forward

• The “silent killer” is a condition notorious for taking away Albert Einstein’s life. Aside from him, it affects 1% of the world population and it is common among men who are 65+.
• The disease influences the health of blood vessels, more specifically the aorta. The name of the condition is an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
• Current medical procedures are incapable of detecting the condition before it causes problems for the individual.
• This research helps with the detection of the aneurysm without the need for expensive laboratory procedures.

About the Research

This research about a potential way for diagnosing the “silent killer” comes from the University of Dundee. More specifically the collage’s School of Medicine. Since the condition is rare and difficult to detect researchers gave little attention to it. With this new procedure, the odds may soon turn against the abdominal aortic aneurysm.

If you have an interest in the condition abdominal aortic aneurysm check out this article. Besides that, our website constantly reports on news from medical research. Among other things, we look at research about specific cardiovascular conditions. The most notable latest news looks at new research on the influence of pesticides on heart health. Also, recent discoveries show that diabetic medicine helps prevent the development of heart disease.

The “Silent Killer” And Blood Testes

The problem with aneurysms is the fact that they seldom show themselves through symptoms. Furthermore, they are hard to discover through blood tests as the condition leaves little trace in the blood. Both of those reasons got the condition its name as it gives no warning before it attacks an individual. Most often they are men older than 65 years and they can display no symptoms beforehand.

Even though this condition may not always harm the individual that has it. When it does, it can cause the blood vesicle to burst. This is because an aneurysm is, in essence, the thinning and widening of the arterial wall.

Those are the main reasons the “silent killer” presents such an enigmatic condition. However, researchers from the Dundee School of Medicine found a possible solution. Through their research, they found that the amino acid desmosine enters the bloodstream once the aneurysm starts developing. This happens because the damaged aorta releases the amino acid as a by-product of the deterioration process. Because of the work of these scientists we now have an effective blood test that can help discover the disease early.

Now that we know what to look for in blood tests doctors can improve the treatment of the disease. Not only that, but they can detect the condition early and help recommend treatment to slow down its progress.

Limitation

• This study was only done on men, future research needs to consider results for women as well.

Sources

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-10/uod-btr101119.php

Research Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.013743