Experts hope blood test will identify those at highest risk of heart failure

A new cheap and simple blood test could help identify people who are at the highest risk of dying from heart failure, research suggests.

The study found that patients with highest levels of a specific protein were 50% more likely to die from a heart complication over the three years that the study was conducted, compared to those with lower levels.

Experts suggest that testing for this protein, called neuropeptide Y (NPY), could help predict how heart failure is likely to progress.

Nerves in the heart release NPY in response to extreme stress.

This can trigger potentially dangerous heart rhythms and cause the smallest blood vessels in the heart muscle to close up, making the heart work harder and causing blood vessels going to the heart to contract.

Neil Herring, professor of cardiovascular medicine and consultant cardiologist at the University of Oxford, said: “The findings of this research are an exciting new development, building on over 10 years of collaborative research on this stress hormone.

“We hope our research will ultimately benefit the increasing number of patients who are living with the debilitating effects of heart failure daily.

“Next, we will investigate whether measuring for very high levels neuropeptide Y could influence whether patients can get lifesaving treatment like ICDs before the blood test can be rolled out within five years.”

More than a million people in the UK are estimated to be living with the consequences of heart failure, with around 200,000 new diagnoses each year.

Testing for NPY protein could save lives.