Stroke

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that an inexpensive blood test could predict future heart problems.

The blood test detects levels of a protein in the blood called NT-proBNP. NT-proBNP levels show that a heart is under stress at early stages, when other types of tests like an electrocardiogram and stress test might miss signs of trouble.

According to a study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, “If we were to eliminate prehypertension, we could potentially prevent about 47 percent of all heart attacks,” said the study’s lead author Adnan I. Qureshi, M.D., professor and director of the Cerebrovascular Program in the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Research Center at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark.

After you have had a TIA, your doctor will order tests. The American Stroke Association gives a full explanation of the CT scan (Computed Tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), EEG, and other possible tests.