Doctors could soon be able to predict heart attacks before they happen

Imagine if you could predict a heart attack two weeks before you actually suffered one. Sounds a bit hard to believe right? Well maybe it’s not as farfetched as you think, as doctors are claiming they may have found a way to do just that.

The Irish Daily Mirror reports that experts believe they have found a way that would accurately allow them to predict heart attacks up to a fortnight before they happen. Apparently it’s all about examining blood cells. Doctors say that in the run-up to an attack, subtle changes take place in blood cells – think of them as mini red-flags indicating that something just isn’t right.

The landmark study, composed by Dr Eric Topol, claims to have discovered a blood test that could help doctors to identify patients who are at risk of having a heart attack.

Researchers say that a thin layer of cells that line blood vessels becomes large and oddly shaped before a heart attack occurs. By doing a special blood test and examining these cells, doctors are convinced they could accurately predict when a patient is likely to experience the first symptoms of a heart attack.

“The ability to diagnose an imminent heart attack has long been considered the Holy Grail of cardiovascular medicine,” said Dr Topol.

His team, which is made up of highly respected cardiac specialists, believes that the special predictive blood test could be ready for public use within the next two years. If this blood test is able to do what researchers are claiming it can, then it could save millions of lives around the globe every single year.

Many heart attacks prove fatal solely because the sufferer is not treated in time. If doctors are able to predict when an attack will occur, the patient’s life could very well be saved.

Medical professionals are taking note of this ground-breaking study, however further research will be needed before plans are put in place to develop this predictive blood test more.