Artery inflammation signals risk for heart attack

(NC) – Cholesterol measurement is important for preventing heart attack, but it’s not the last word. In fact, studies show that for nearly half of all heart attack victims, the cholesterol level was in the normal range. Health specialists suggest that in addition to blood cholesterol measurement, individuals should also test for inflammation in the arteries.

“Inflammation can occur at any stage of heart disease and detecting it early can save your life,” says Dr. Doug Tkachuk at LifeLabs, a leading diagnostic centre. “If ignored, the inflamed artery walls can weaken and rupture letting plaque seep into the bloodstream. In an effort to mend this injury, your arteries send out sticky cytokines to capture the leaking blood cells. As they clump together however, a clot can form large enough to block the artery and cause a heart attack.”

Medical science can determine artery inflammation many ways and now with two diagnostic tests well established: 1. Measure the blood for the enzyme Lp-PLA, which is produced when inflammation begins; or 2. Measure the amount of vulnerable plaque with the MPO test (myeloperoxidase) to determine if, and when, the artery will rupture. Since this type of damage can occur with no symptoms at all, many doctors across Canada are adding these inflammation tests to their patients’ cholesterol screening.

Heart attack awareness is heightened at this time of year as organizations remind us of best prevention practices. Current data indicates that heart disease and stroke are two of the three leading causes of death in Canada. Indeed, there are more than 50,000 strokes nationwide every year. Someone has a stroke every 10 minutes.

Seniors are not the only demographic group who are advised to pay attention to good heart health. General aging puts us at risk and so do smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and family history. In fact, as many as 90 percent of Canadians are shown to have at least one of these risk factors.

“Annual checkups are a good start,” Dr. Tkachuk continued, “and if you feel you may be at risk for developing heart disease, your doctor can determine which test will give the most information.”

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