Heart bleeding rates ‘can predict severity of future heart failure’

New UK research has offered evidence that the degree to which the heart bleeds following a heart attack can help to predict the severity of future heart failure.

The University of Glasgow study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, has found that bleeding of the heart can be linked to a 2.6 times greater risk of adverse remodelling, where the heart muscle changes shape. This trend can lead to heart failure.

Since bleeding or bruising in the heart affects more than forty percent of people who suffer from a heart attack, it is thought that this principle could form the basis of a new test that could be used when someone has a heart attack.

The researchers confirmed the effectiveness of using such a test to confirm or rule out heart muscle bleeding, and the likelihood of survival without future heart failure risk.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "This exciting research has found a new characteristic related to heart attacks which could be used to treat people following a heart attack, to cut their risk of developing heart failure."

Currently, there are more than half a million people in the UK living with heart failure, with heart attacks being the most common cause of the problem.