Utrecht researchers develop new blood test to detect heart disease in women

Researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC) report that they are developing an AI-powered blood test that will be able to detect heart disease in women faster. Many women with heart disease in the Netherlands are often not diagnosed despite being sick, as tiny blood vessels cannot be detected using standard tests.

“A great deal of research and many studies have almost always been done in men,” Tim Sakkers, a researcher at UMC Utrecht, told RTV Utrecht. “As a result, we know far more about this type of heart disease, even though it differs sharply from what happens in a woman's body.” “Women are often told the symptoms are due to stress or menopause, when they actually have heart disease.”

One of the main differences between men and women appears in coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD), which the university is currently studying. In many women, this is mainly manifested through impaired function of tiny blood vessels. For a long time, however, doctors focused on blockages in the large coronary arteries.

“The only way to diagnose this disease reliably in women right now is cardiac catheterization,” Sakkers said. “A catheter is placed in the heart, and medications are used to deliberately provoke heart symptoms. That can be very painful for patients and is only available in limited numbers. That is why we are developing a blood test at the UMC, and the first results are positive."

This development can mean that both men and women will be diagnosed faster in the future. “If we can show that this blood test works as well as we think it does, these women can get their diagnosis far earlier and be treated in a targeted way,” Sakkers said. “Drawing blood is also cheaper, faster, and more patient-friendly than inducing heart symptoms through catheterization. We want to end years of searching.”