Biomarkers which can predict recurrent stroke risk are discovered

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Two biomarkers have been found to be predictive of whether a person will suffer recurrent stroke.
When a person has a stroke, it may be a one-off event or there may be a high risk of having a recurrence. It is important to know who is at risk of recurrent stroke, so they can have more intensive treatment. Now researchers at Columbia University Medical Center may have come up with a predictive test, based upon the levels of two biomarkers. There is increasing interest in biomarkers - molecules whose level in blood are linked to particular diseases and can be used in diagnosis, as well as in the development of new treatments.

The researchers found that two biomarkers linked to inflammation, known as lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and C-reactive protein, are both linked to recurrent stroke risk. The latter has also been linked previously to heart disease. The study involved 467 patients who had just had a first stroke and had levels of these two biomarkers measured. Therefore, tests based on these biomarkers might be developed to pick out the stroke survivors most at risk. Treatment - with statins, for example - that brings down levels of the biomarkers may also be useful in preventing stroke and stroke recurrence.

Source
Archives of Internal Medicine 23rd October 2006

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