A blood test to predict the risk of stroke in people with diabetes may lead to more effective stroke prevention in high-risk populations, according to investigators at the University of Michigan.
The researchers chose study participants at high risk of stroke – in this case, people diagnosed with diabetes – and measured a certain blood protein level before following their health outcomes for seven years. The protein, neurofilament light chain (NfL), is a possible signpost for small, precursor strokes that, while not symptomatic, may signal the possibility of a significant future stroke event, explained study lead Frederick Korley, M.D., Ph.D. in a statement.
There were 363 study participants, 113 of whom had a stroke within a seven-year follow-up period. Levels of the NfL were about 43% higher in those who experienced a stroke than those who did not, and those with the highest NfL levels were ten times more likely to develop a stroke than those with the lowest levels, Korley said.
“The strength of the association between the blood test and stroke was larger than we were expecting,” Korley stated. In addition, he said, when the NfL results were added to the Framingham Stroke Risk Score, a standard test, that method became more accurate.
“If our findings hold true in other study populations, physicians could use this test to monitor patients and target stroke prevention treatments to the right at-risk people to hopefully help them avoid a stroke from ever happening,” Korley concluded.
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