New Biomarker for Heart Disease?

Recent findings suggest new links between lung disease and disease of the heart. An increased blood level of a protein produced by a diseased lung was found to be associated with increased mortality in heart patients.

People with bad lungs or who smoke get heart disease, but the exact molecular mechanism behind this was never clear.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) | Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or heart bypass surgery is an open heart surgery to relieve the blockages of the arteries of the heart. Coronary artery bypass surgery lasts up to 3 to 6 hours.

A biomarker or biological marker is a substance that can be used as an indicator of a particular biological disease. For example Trop-T is one biomarker whose elevated level points to a heart attack.

The biomarker being discussed is called surfactant protein-D (SP-D). It is produced by chronically inflamed lungs. SP-D that leaks from damaged lungs has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Whether SP-D itself is an accelerator of atherosclerosis, i.e. whether it can speed up the collection of fatty materials along the walls of arteries is not known. It is however now clear that lung inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of heart and blood-vessel disease. Results of the study were published in the European Heart Journal.

A more detailed study is mandatory since findings would have colossal significance. The SP-D protein as a biomarker to risk-stratify cardiovascular-disease patients would gain the upper hand over traditional markers like blood cholesterol and C-reactive protein.

Animation of heart attack symptoms
Heart attack can cause symptoms such as Chest pain or discomfort, Shortness of breath and pain in neck, back, arm, or shoulder and is due to blockage of blood supply to the heart muscles

Future studies that can clarify if SP-D is notorious in accelerating atherosclerosis are also called for since this would mean development of new drugs or molecules that block this protein from getting into the blood. It would help people cope better with atherosclerosis.

Source: European Heart Journal

Research Establishes Lung Protein as 'Good Predictor' of Cardiovascular Disease
A blood protein, known as surfactant protein-D (SP-D), which is mainly synthesised in the lungs, is a good predictor of cardiovascular disease, a new study has found.

Source-Medindia

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