Researchers identify potential atherosclerosis biomarker

A team from the Montreal Heart Institute have identified a potential atherosclerosis biomarker that could be used in predicting and diagnosing the onset of the disease.

Scientists have discovered that the blood levels of angiopoietin-like protein 2 (angptl2) are six times higher in subjects with coronary heart disease than among healthy subjects of the same age.

It was also shown that angptl2 levels increase over time under normal conditions, but do so prematurely among subjects who have high cholesterol and pre-atherosclerotic lesions.

As such, it can be deduced that this blood protein may represent an early biomarker both to prevent vascular damage and also to predict atherosclerotic disease.

Study co-author Dr Anil Nigam, a cardiologist and specialist in cardiovascular disease prevention at the Montreal Heart Institute, said: "An early blood marker such as angptl2 – if future clinical studies confirm this finding – will serve as an important tool to identify at-risk subjects who do not present with any symptoms of atherosclerotic disease."

According to NHS data, atherosclerosis – and the cardiovascular diseases that result from it – is the single biggest cause of death in the developed world, accounting for one-third of all fatalities.