New research demonstrates that MRI scans can accurately estimate heart pressures, potentially replacing invasive tests to predict heart failure risk.
Summary: Researchers have discovered that MRI scans can reliably estimate pressures inside the heart, potentially replacing invasive diagnostic tests to predict heart failure risk. By analyzing data from over 39,000 UK Biobank participants, the study identified several key risk factors for increased heart pressure, which is a precursor to heart failure. These factors include age, high blood pressure, obesity, alcohol consumption, and being male. The findings suggest that MRI could be a valuable tool in the early detection and prevention of heart failure.
Key Takeaways:
- MRI as a Diagnostic Tool: The study shows that MRI scans can accurately estimate heart pressures, offering a non-invasive alternative to traditional diagnostic tests for predicting heart failure risk.
- Identification of Key Risk Factors: The research identified key risk factors for increased heart pressure, including being over 70, high blood pressure, obesity, alcohol consumption, and being male, which contribute to a higher likelihood of developing heart failure.
- Potential for Early Intervention: By combining MRI data with identified risk factors, researchers developed a model to predict heart failure risk, enabling earlier detection, prevention, and treatment, which could significantly improve patient outcomes.
MRI scans could replace invasive heart tests, as new research shows they can reliably estimate pressures inside the heart to predict if a patient will develop heart failure.
The research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Queen Mary University of London also identified key risk factors for increased pressure inside the heart, which leads to heart failure.
These risk factors include being over 70, having high blood pressure, being obese, alcohol consumption, and being male.
“Heart failure is a lethal condition resulting from rising pressures,” says co-lead author Pankaj Garg, PhD, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, in a release. “One of the most significant findings of this study is that MRI-derived pressure measurements can reliably predict if an individual will develop heart failure. This breakthrough suggests that heart MRI could potentially replace invasive diagnostic tests.”
Participants with higher heart pressure measured by MRI had a fivefold increased risk of developing heart failure over six years.
Previous research involving UEA and the universities of Sheffield and Leeds has shown that heart MRI techniques can estimate pressure in the heart and are linked to symptoms and signs of heart failure.
New Insights from a Large-Scale Study
However, to date, it remained unknown if heart MRI-derived pressures can predict heart failure risk in a general population.
Analyzing data from more than 39,000 UK Biobank participants, this latest research demonstrates that MRI-detected pressure changes can identify heart failure risk without invasive procedures.
“Additionally, we identified key risk factors for developing high heart pressure: age over 70, high blood pressure, obesity, alcohol consumption, and male gender,” says co-lead author Dr Nay Aung, from the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London, in a release. “By combining these factors, we developed a model to predict individual heart failure risk. This advancement enables prevention, early detection, and treatment of heart failure, which could save many lives.”
Potential of Heart MRI in Clinical Practice
A heart MRI is a type of scan that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create detailed images of the heart. Unlike X-rays or CT scans, it does not use harmful radiation.
In this research work, both teams analysed heart MRI data from 39,000 UK biobank participants using artificial intelligence techniques and estimated the pressure inside the heart. They then evaluated each individual’s risk factors and their chance of developing heart failure in the future over a six-year follow-up period.
“Risk factors for raised left ventricular filling pressure by cardiovascular magnetic resonance: Prognostic insights” is published in European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure.
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