A UK study of 480,000 adults links chronic inflammation to silent heart remodeling and a 43% higher risk of heart attack or stroke, suggesting blood tests could aid early detection.
Researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London analysed UK Biobank data from nearly 480,000 adults. Inflammation was measured with the blood marker GlycA and combined with cardiac imaging and genetic information.
People in the highest quintile of GlycA had a 43% greater risk of heart attack and stroke than those in the lowest quintile. Higher inflammation was also associated with thicker heart walls, smaller chambers and poorer filling, changes that may develop quietly before overt heart failure.
The study found strong links between elevated inflammation and socioeconomic disadvantage, psychological distress, smoking and excess body fat. Researchers highlighted inflammatory proteins in the interleukin‑1 and TNF families as possible drug targets and suggested that inflammation blood tests, possibly combined with genetic risk scores, could identify individuals for early intervention.
The work was funded by the Medical Research Council, the British Heart Foundation and the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre. The authors note that further research is needed to confirm whether anti‑inflammatory therapies or screening strategies will effectively reduce cardiovascular events.