Blood test ‘could assess heart disease risk for smokers’

Researchers believe they have discovered a simple blood test that could be used to assess a smoker's heart disease risk.

Scientists from the UT Southwestern Medical Center in the US claim that the test could also be used to quantify a person's lung toxicity.

Published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, the research shows that patients with a high level of circulating pulmonary surfactant B (SP-B) were more likely to have dangerous levels of plaque build-up in their aortas.

Dr Anand Rohatgi, assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern, who co-led the study, said: "We now are close to having a blood test to help measure the smoking-related effects that contribute to atherosclerotic heart disease."

The researchers said the next step is to evaluate whether the test is commercially viable and if SP-B causes antherosclerosis or whether it is simply a marker for the condition.

Recent research indicated that women who smoke are at an increased risk of going through the menopause early.