Heart strain marker linked to cardiovascular death risk
Elevated versus normal levels were linked to an adjusted hazard ratio—a comparison of risk over time—of 1.87 for heart and blood vessel deaths.
Our read
Biomarkers- Studied:
- Study in people
- Why it’s aging research:
- It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Among 12,264 US adults, an observational cohort study linked an elevated blood marker of heart strain to death from heart and blood vessel disease. Researchers measured N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in stored blood samples from a national health survey conducted in 1999–2004. Levels above 125 picograms per milliliter counted as elevated. They assigned risk stages based on diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and chronic kidney disease.
Over 16.9 years of follow-up, 1,685 adults died from cardiovascular disease. The association remained after accounting for risk stage, age, sex and race or ethnicity. Among adults in stage 2, who made up 86% of the sample, cardiovascular mortality over that follow-up was 22.3% with elevated marker levels versus 5.0% with normal levels. Excess risk was disproportionately high in stages 2 and 4.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease is an important cause of death as people age. The findings point to a gap in risk assessment based on metabolic and kidney health.
Caveats
Heart disease already present at enrollment could have contributed both to elevated marker levels and to later deaths. The findings were reported in a conference abstract, not a trial testing whether marker-guided care improved outcomes.
The paper
Oakland Univ William Beaumont Sch of Medicine; Aultman Deuble Heart & Vascular Hosp Cardiovascular Consultants
AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 Abstract, Nov 2, 2026
Presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2026, abstract 17442
Comments
Be the first to comment.