Abbott’s Architect Stat test helps measure the impact of mental stress
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) said a study of its Architect Stat high sensitive troponin-l diagnostic shows for the 1st time the link between mental stress and cardiovascular health.
The study of 587 coronary artery disease patients used myocardial perfusion imaging to measure blood flow to the heart. Patients also received mental stress tests involving a public speaking task and conventional stress testing. Their troponin levels were measured with the Abbott test at rest, 45 minutes and 90 minutes after the mental stress test, and 30 minutes after conventional stress testing.
The study showed that 16.0% and 34.8% of patients developed ischemia (inadequate oxygen flow to the heart) during mental and conventional stress, respectively.
“We’ve always believed that stress can be harmful to cardiac health. We now show that this harm is also reflected by elevated levels of circulating troponin,” lead author Dr. Arshed Quyyumi, of the Emory University School of Medicine, said in prepared remarks. “With this study, for the 1st time doctors have a way to measure the impact of ischemia with a high sensitive troponin test. Because we and others have shown that a higher circulating level of troponin is associated with worse long-term outcomes, such as heart attack or even death, doctors may eventually use this information to prevent serious complications from developing.” Read more