New blood test to help detect risk of 30 age-related diseases

A team of international researchers has developed a new blood test that could predict the risk of about 30 agerelated conditions like lung cancer and heart disease that can appear decades laterThe blood test measures the age of different organs of the human body to predict the risk The team including from the UK France and the US said the quick and easy blood test identifies whether a specific organ is ageing faster than expected an advance that may pave the way for personalised prevention and treatment methodsThe findings based on 20 years of followup data revealed that a heart that aged more rapidly predicted a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular diseases while accelerated lung ageing predisposed people to respiratory infections chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD and lung cancerThe highest risk of dementia was found in those whose immune systems aged faster than usual Similarly people with accelerated kidney ageing were more likely to later develop vascular disease type 2 diabetes and liver diseases while biological ageing of nearly all organs predicted an increased risk of kidney diseaseTheir study published in The Lancet Digital Health shows how accelerated ageing in specific organs can predict not only diseases affecting that organ but diseases across the rest of the body as wellOur organs function as an integrated system but they can age at different rates Ageing in particular organs can contribute to numerous ageingrelated diseases so its important for us to take care of all aspects of our healthrdquo said lead author Professor Mika Kivimaki from the Faculty of Brain Sciences University College London UCLI believe that in the future of health care the prevention of agerelated diseases could begin much earlier prioritising those who would benefit most and tailoring interventions to individual risk profiles Kivimaki saidThe international research team led by scientists from UCL Brain Sciences Stanford University US Inserm France and the University of Helsinki Finland analysed blood samples collected in the late 1990s from over 6200 middleaged adults to determine the biological age of nine organs heart blood vessels liver immune system pancreas kidneys lungs intestines and the brain and for the entire bodyThe researchers measured the gap between a persons chronological actual age and the assessed biological age of each of their organs as determined by markers of ageing specific to that organ finding that organs often aged at different rates in the same personParticipants health status was tracked for 20 years and by the end of the followup period they were aged 6589 Many had been diagnosed with at least one of the ageingrelated diseases investigated in the studyWe hope our findings could contribute to new ways of helping people stay healthy for longer as they age Blood tests may advise whether a person needs to take better care of a particular organ and potentially provide an earlywarning signal that they may be at risk of a particular disease Kivimaki saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever