Can blood tests help in indicating a heart attack? Can it determine heart problems? Read to know more

The concern over heat attacks has increased these days, especially when celebrities have been victims of heart attacks in the past two years. Recently, the passing away of Raju Srivastav, after a long fight with heart problems, collapsed in his gym. The thought has always been that people who exercise frequently would have good cardiac health, but is this true?

Is it possible to determine the risk of having a heart attack? As it appears blood tests can indicate heart problems, this examination is called cardio C-reactive protein( hs - CRP) 

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So what exactly is cardio C-reactive protein( hs - CRP)? 
High-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs CRP), commonly called cardio C-reactive protein, is just a simple blood test. CRP, or the standard CRP, is an inflammatory marker, meaning that the CRP level in the blood is raised whenever there is an infection anywhere in our body. 

As per a report in the Times of India, Hs CRP is more sensitive than the standard CRP, according to Dr Bikram Kesharee Mohanty, Senior Consultant Cardio-Thoracic & Vascular Surgeon (Adult & Pediatric), Visiting Consultant at National Heart Institute. Suppose the hs CRP level is high in an otherwise healthy person. 

In that case, it serves as a warning or indicator that the person is more likely to experience future artery blockages in the arms and legs or future heart attacks, strokes, or heart attacks with sudden cardiac arrest.

What are the uses of this test? 
It can identify or track inflammation-causing illnesses. 
A bacterial infection such as sepsis can be severe and cause fatal illnesses.
A bacterial infection 
An illness that can cause swelling and bleeding is known as inflammatory bowel disease. 
Conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis can also be determined. 
A bone infection called osteomyelitis. 

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Symptoms 
Nausea and Diarrhoea
Fast breathing 
Fever and chills 
Raise in heart rate 

Meaning of the results 
If your test results show a high level of CRP, your body is likely inflamed. According to reports, consuming tobacco, being overweight, and not exercising can raise CRP levels. However, this test may not be able to identify the origin of the inflammation. If the test results appear abnormal, your doctor may prescribe further tests to determine the cause.

(Disclaimer: Information presented in the article is gathered from various sources/studies.)

• blood tests
• heart attack
• heart problems
• cardiac arrest