Blood test can identify those at risk of heart attack

NHS bosses are likely to want evidence of the most cost-effective way to use the test
NHS bosses are likely to want evidence of the most cost-effective way to use the test
ANTHONY DEVLIN/PA

A £40 blood test has been developed that can identify those who are more likely to have a heart attack because of their genes.

The British scientists behind the test said it could be used to start people on drugs such as statins at a younger age.

People with high-risk genes can expect to suffer a heart attack about 15 years earlier and it is “inevitable” that such testing will soon become routine on the NHS, researchers said.

As the cost of sequencing DNA falls, testing for genetic risks is starting to become routine in cancer.

Scientists have now created a predictor of heart risk based on analysing 1.7 million genetic variants. They tested the model on half a million people, including 22,000 who developed