Molecule could be life-saver for heart patients

SCIENTISTS have discovered a potentially life-saving molecule that appears to boost patients’ chances of recovering after a heart attack.

The team at Edinburgh University followed 732 patients who had suffered a heart attack and measured the level of eosinophils – a type of white blood cell – in their blood.

They found that patients with low levels of these white blood cells are more likely to die in the six months following a heart attack, compared to those with higher concentrations of eosinophils.

However, they also found treating these patients with a naturally occurring molecule called interleukin-4 (IL-4), which is produced by eosinophils cells, appeared to help to reduce these death rates. They believe a simple blood test could be used to identify and treat patients at risk.

The findings will be presented today at the British Cardiovascular Conference in Manchester.

The study used mice genetically-engineered to be deficient in this type of white blood cell and treated them with IL-4 after a heart attack. It found damaging changes to the size, shape and function of the heart caused by the heart attack were reversed.

IL-4 plays a role in the body’s inflammatory response and tissue repair. Researchers think it may be crucial in helping the heart heal after a heart attack.

They now want to determine whether the same effect can be demonstrated in human trials.

Dr Iqbal Toor, an Edinburgh University PhD student who led the study, said: “Our work suggests a blood test, which every patient with a heart attack already has, could be used to identify patients who may have a deficit in their bodies’ healing response to a heart attack.”