Question 64 of 433
Omega-3 index, genetic heart-risk scores, troponin, and BNP?
The short answer
SKIP the first two for now. The last two are useful in specific people.
Omega-3 index: shows how much fish oil is in your red cells. Reasonable if you want to confirm you are absorbing a supplement. No guideline uses it.
Polygenic risk scores: add up many small gene effects. They refine risk only slightly and work less well in people who are not of European ancestry.
NT-proBNP: a marker of strain on the heart. In people with diabetes or high blood pressure, screening with it and treating early reduced heart failure. Not useful in healthy low-risk adults.
High-sensitivity troponin: predicts risk, but there is no defined action for a mildly raised result in a healthy person.
“This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship.” From the book’s medical disclaimer. Full disclaimer
MIXED — Selected high-risk patients: natriuretic peptides can guide care; routine wellness use of the other markers is unproven.Evidence grade (draft mapping)BLimited or small human studiesPart 5, Q64 · Part sources
From Longevity Unmasked by Afshine Ash Emrani, MD, FACC. Medical disclaimer. This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship. Nothing here is meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Medicine is personal: a test, drug, supplement, or exercise plan that helps one person can harm another. Do not start, stop, or change any medication or treatment because of something you read in these pages. Talk with a licensed clinician who knows your history first. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911. The author disclaims responsibility for any loss or harm arising from use of the information in this book.