New research suggests that a simple blood test, which doctors currently use to diagnose heart attacks, may be useful in predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Share on Pinterest New research suggests a simple blood test could accurately predict who will go on to develop cardiovascular disease.

According to the latest statistics from the American Heart Association (AHA), almost half of the people living in the United States have some form of cardiovascular disease.

In fact, according to 2016 figures, 121.5 million U.S. adults, or 48 percent of the entire population, have cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is a cluster of conditions that includes hypertension. Doctors often call hypertension the “silent killer” because it does not show any visible symptoms until it is too late.

The same AHA report predicts that by 2035, over 130 million adults will have a form of CVD that could bring costs in the U.S. to 1.1 trillion dollars.

Currently, heart disease is the top leading cause of death in the U.S., while stroke is the fifth.

But what if there was a blood test that could accurately predict whether a person will have heart disease or a stroke?

New research suggests that such a test may already exist. By detecting the blood levels of specific proteins that heart muscles release when they are injured, scientists may be able to predict a person’s risk of eventually developing CVD.

Dr. Christie Ballantyne, who is the cardiology chief at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and his team, detail this idea in a new study that appears in the AHA journal Circulation.