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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 "If our findings are validated, they quickly will be used for predictive purposes, because they are widely available," Arnlov said.
But he was quick to point out that the study results "were based entirely on elderly Swedish men. They must be validated in other age groups, in women and in other ethnic groups as well."
Getting that validation is likely to take many years, Arnlov said. Beyond that, he said, "it is also important to realize that although we see this association, it should not be construed as evidence of benefit in reducing these levels." The benefits of reducing established risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol are well-known, he said.
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"This concept of using disease markers to stratify disease has a lot of promise," said Dr. James A. de Lemos, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and co-author of an accompanying editorial. "This is a move forward, but much has to be done before any of this will be ready for routine clinical use."
Still, the Swedish researchers did show predictive power is using the latest medical technology to test for the biomarkers, de Lemos said. "All of the tests they measured are used for other indications," he said. "The application is novel."
Whether the tests could be used to guide preventive measures is another issue, he said. "We have to know that there is something we need to do to mitigate the risk," he said.
Another report in the same issue of the journal added evidence for testing blood troponin levels in treatment of heart failure, the progressive loss of ability to pump blood.
A study of almost 85,000 people hospitalized for severe heart failure found that 8 percent of those with high troponin levels died in the hospital, compared to 2.7 percent of those with normal levels, said a report by a group led by physicians at the Cleveland Clinic.
"A positive troponin test is associated with higher in-hospital mortality, independently of other predictive variables," they reported.
More information
Learn about the established risk factors for cardiovascular disease from the American Heart Association.
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