Scientists have developed a blood test for detecting the protein NT-proBNP, which can predict the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and death in patients with known cardiovascular disease.

NT-proBNP is a marker in the blood for BNP, a hormone that "goes up during times of cardiac stretch or stress," explains Whooley. "When the heart wall is over-expanded by too much blood volume, or damaged by lack of blood flow to the heart itself, BNP goes up, and NT-proBNP along with it."

In a study involving 987 patients with history of cardiovascular disease, those with the highest levels of the biomarker were found to be 3.4 times more likely to die or have a cardiovascular event than patients in the group with the lowest levels.

Read more form the UCSF report, or the study as published in the January 10, 2007 issue of Journal of the american medical association.