MRI scans might serve as a substitute for invasive heart examinations, with new findings indicating their reliability in estimating heart pressures to predict the possibility of heart failure in patients.
MRI scans might serve as a substitute for invasive heart examinations, with new findings indicating their reliability in estimating heart pressures to predict the possibility of heart failure in patients.
Research conducted by the University of East Anglia (UEA) along with Queen Mary University of London pinpointed significant risk factors contributing to increased pressures inside the heart, which may lead to heart failure.
These identified risk factors encompass being over 70 years old, having high blood pressure, being overweight, consuming alcohol, and being male.
Dr. Pankaj Garg, the co-lead author from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, stated: “Heart failure is a serious condition caused by increasing pressures. One of the major revelations from this study is that pressure measurements obtained via MRI can reliably indicate whether a person is likely to develop heart failure.”
“This significant development implies that heart MRI could potentially substitute for invasive diagnostic techniques. Participants exhibiting elevated heart pressures measured by MRI were found to have a fivefold increased risk of heart failure over a six-year period.”
Earlier groundbreaking studies involving UEA, along with the universities of Sheffield and Leeds, have shown that heart MRI methodologies can gauge heart pressure and are associated with symptoms and signs of heart failure.
However, until now, it was unclear whether pressures derived from heart MRI could forecast heart failure risk in the broader population.
By analyzing data from over 39,000 participants in the UK Biobank, this recent study confirms that changes in pressure detected through MRI can determine heart failure risk without needing invasive procedures.
Dr. Nay Aung, also co-lead author from the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London, remarked: “Additionally, we identified the key risk factors behind increasing heart pressure: age over 70, high blood pressure, obesity, alcohol consumption, and male gender.”
“Integrating these factors allowed us to formulate a model for predicting individual risks of heart failure. This progress offers avenues for prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies for heart failure, potentially saving numerous lives.”
A heart MRI is a scanning technique that employs strong magnets and radio waves to produce detailed images of the heart. Unlike X-rays or CT scans, it does not utilize harmful radiation.
In this collaborative research, both teams examined heart MRI data from 39,000 UK Biobank participants by leveraging artificial intelligence techniques to estimate heart pressures. Following this, they assessed each individual’s risk factors and the likelihood of developing heart failure during a follow-up period of six years.
This research was co-led by the University of East Anglia in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London. Additional contributions were provided by St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, the universities of Leeds and Sheffield, Health Data Research UK, and the Alan Turing Institute.
The UK Biobank serves as a large-scale biomedical database and research resource featuring de-identified genetic, lifestyle, health information, and biological samples from half a million participants in the UK.
Support for this work was provided by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Wellcome Trust.
‘Risk factors for raised left ventricular filling pressure by cardiovascular magnetic resonance: Prognostic insights’ is featured in European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure.
