A laboratory test that evaluates high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol function provides unique and novel information for assessing cardiovascular disease risk, according to data presented today (Abstract #1020) by Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) at the 2019 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. The study is one of four the company will present at the conference, which runs November 16-18, in Philadelphia (Booth #1502).
“One in four Americans die from cardiovascular disease, but many could escape that outcome with early disease detection and preventive care,” said Jay G. Wohlgemuth, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President, Research & Development and Medical, Quest Diagnostics. “Our data demonstrates the value of diagnostic insights in illuminating risks in early treatable stages in clinical and workplace populations. We are particularly encouraged by our latest findings on the ability of HDL function testing to provide insights into disease risk independent of other markers.”
HDL Function
Conventional cholesterol lab tests evaluate blood levels of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides. A growing body of evidence suggests that the function of apolipoproteins that comprise HDL in removing cholesterol from blood vessel walls (called cholesterol efflux capacity or CEC) may be a better marker of disease risk than HDL-C. However, assessing CEC has traditionally involved sophisticated laboratory cell culturing, limiting its use in medical practice.
A team of experts from Quest Diagnostics and its Cleveland HeartLab cardiometabolic center of excellence developed a high-throughput laboratory method that evaluates certain apolipoproteins to establish a score predictive of CEC. The team correlated the test against other established markers, including HDL, LDL and insulin blood levels, in 341 individuals. The analysis found that the test provides “weak, but significant correlation” with markers associated with cardiovascular risk, and thereby provides “novel and unique information above what current tests offer to define a patient’s risk.”
“Too often, heart disease fails detection until a major cardiac event. While traditional methods of testing can identify risk in many patients, they may not always provide the full story,” said Marc Penn, MD, PhD, FACC, Founder, Cleveland Heart Lab and Medical Director, Cardiometabolic Endocrine Division, Quest Diagnostics. “The present study provides tantalizing evidence that HDL function testing will complement other methods of evaluating an individual’s cardiovascular health, enhancing risk detection and patient management.”
The data follows publication of a study earlier this year in the Journal of American College of Cardiology by researchers from Cleveland HeartLab, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and other prominent research institutions that found, among individuals with coronary artery disease, the HDL function test may be independently associated with cardiovascular death in individuals with coronary artery disease.
The HDL Function test is expected to be available nationally in 2020. It will be the first significant innovation to emerge from Cleveland HeartLab since the company was acquired by Quest Diagnostics in December 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.