Blood Test Could Predict Death Risk

Researchers in Finland and Estonia

have discovered novel biological markers

that are strongly indicative of the

risk of dying from any disease within

the next five years. In their study,

blood samples from more than 17,000

generally healthy people were screened

for 100 biomarkers. Those people were

then monitored for the next five years.

During that time, 684 died from illnesses

that included cancer and cardiovascular

disease, all of whom had

similar levels of four biomarkers:

albumin, alpha-1-acid glycoprotein,

citrate and a similar size of verylow-

density lipoprotein particles. One

in five people with the highest biomarker

scores died within the first year

of the study. “What is especially interesting

is that these biomarkers reflect

the risk for dying from very different

types of diseases such as heart disease

or cancer. They seem to be signs of a

general frailty in the body,” said Dr.

Johannes Kettunen of the Institute for

Molecular Medicine in Finland. “In the

future, these measures can be used to

identify people who appear healthy

but in fact have serious underlying

illnesses and guide them to proper

treatment.” The stu