MRI scans could replace invasive heart tests, as new research shows they can reliably estimate pressures inside the heart to predict if a patient will develop heart failure. The research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Queen Mary University of London also identified key risk factors for increased inside the , which leads to . These risk factors include being over 70, having high blood pressure, being obese, alcohol consumption and being male.
The paper, "Risk factors for raised left ventricular filling pressure by : Prognostic insights," is in the journal . Co-senior author Dr. Pankaj Garg, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said, "Heart failure is a lethal condition resulting from rising pressures.
One of the most significant findings of this study is that MRI-derived pressure measurements can reliably predict if an individual will develop heart failure. "This breakthrough suggests that heart MRI could potentially replace invasive diagnostic tests. Participants with higher heart pressure measured by MRI had a five-fold increased risk of developing heart failure over six years.
" Previous pioneering research involving UEA, and the universities of Sheffield and Leeds has shown that heart MRI techniques can estimate pressure in the heart that is linked to symptoms and signs of heart failure. However, to date it remains unknown if heart MRI derived pressures can predict heart failure risk in the general population. Analyzing data from more than 39,000 UK Biobank part.