London (PA Media/dpa) – A simple neck scan could help to pick up early warning signs of heart failure in men, a study suggests. The method – similar to ultrasounds offered during pregnancy – is “safe, cheap and painless”, and is something GPs could consider offering patients over 60, researchers said. The scan, known as a carotid ultrasound, takes between 15 and 30 minutes and is performed using a small handheld device that is moved gently over the neck. It allows medics to look at the flexibility of the carotid arteries, the main vessels that supply blood to the brain, face and neck. The large arteries in the body are elastic, but can stiffen with certain diseases and age, leading to high blood pressure, heart failure and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The study, led by University College London (UCL), included 1,631 men aged 71 to 92. A quarter of those with the least flexible arteries included in the analysis were 2.5 times more likely to develop heart failure compared to those with the most flexible arteries. Researchers used data from the British Regional Heart Study, which started in the 1970s, and more research is needed to determine if the method works on women. Dr Atinuke Akinmolayan, a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) academic clinical fellow who led the research from UCL and is now a GP, said: “The carotid ultrasound is a safe, cheap and painless investigation, and our findings suggest it may be able to provide an early warning sign for heart failure. “More research is needed, especially to see if this works for women, but this is something GPs could look at offering to people over the age of 60, where possible and believed needed. “A patient who gets an ultrasound result indicating they may be at higher risk of future heart failure could have an important conversation with their doctor about lifestyle changes they could make to lower that risk.” Cardiovascular diseases are the source of around a third of all global deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The British Heart Foundation (BHF), which part-funded the research, estimates that around 920,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure. Experts say heart failure is a rapidly growing public health issue with an estimated prevalence of 64 million people globally. Elsewhere, the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, looked at the thickness of carotid arteries. Researchers found that men with thicker vessels were more likely to have a heart attack. For every 0.16 millimetre increase in thickness, heart attack risk increased by about 29%, the study suggests. Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the BHF, said: “The findings of this study are interesting and show that stiffening of arteries is associated with increased risk of heart failure, most likely due to the heart having to work harder against the resistance caused by these stiffer arteries. “It is an important signal that whenever we detect such changes in the carotid arteries, we should also be thinking of the potential impact on the heart and an increased risk of heart failure, which we have treatment strategies to prevent.” A separate study, also led by UCL, suggests a 10-minute scan could help millions of people with hard-to-treat high blood pressure. It targets those who have a problem with their adrenal glands producing too much of the hormone aldosterone, which regulates levels of salt in the body. This issue is estimated to affect about a quarter of people with high blood pressure. The scan, developed by UCL, is designed to detect overactivity in the adrenal glands that might be missed by traditional tests. The following information is not intended for publication pa dpa coh
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