A blood test that detects inflammation predicts heart disease better than cholesterol tests in women, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Boston researchers tracked 27,939 women for over 8 years and found that half of heart attacks and stokes occurred among seemingly healthy women who had normal to low levels of LDL cholesterol levels can still have heart attacks. “We now understand that heart attack and stroke are inflammatory disorders, very much like arthritis,” says lead study author Paul M. Ridker, M.D. in the case of heart disease, fatty deposits (plaques) in the blood vessel walls become inflamed, causing them to rupture, which leads to a blood clot and blood flow blockage, says Dr. Ridker. Having the new blood test, called a c-reative protein blood test, with your regular cholesterol screenings can help doctors better assess your heart disease risk. – Christine Brophy
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