NLM Director's Comments Transcript
Blood Protein - Death Risk Link?: 10/11/2011

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/podcast/transcript101111.html

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I'm Rob Logan, Ph.D. senior staff National Library of Medicine for Donald Lindberg, M.D, the Director of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
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The authors explain cathepsin S is a protein that circulates in the blood, which has been tied to biomedical inflammation processes and the development of a hardening of the arteries in previous research. However, the current study is the first to suggest the protein also might be associated with both an overall increased risk of death as well as an elevated risk of heart disease and cancer among seniors.

In a study of two groups of Swedish seniors who received periodic blood tests, high cathespin S levels were associated with a 62 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a small (but statistically significant) elevated risk of death from cancer.

Overall, the study found higher levels of the protein within blood comparatively doubled the risk of death among a group of about 1000 men and women participants. Within a men-only group of 1000 participants, high levels of the protein comparatively increased the risk of death from all causes by 60 percent.

Incidentally, the study's ten researchers followed the men-only group, whose average age was 71, for about 13 years. The researchers followed the men and women group of seniors for about eight years.

Moreover, the association between high levels of cathepsin S and death remained statistically robust even after the authors controlled for other health risks, such as age, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, weight, cholesterol levels, and a history of heart disease. In other words, the research suggests the protein independently may contribute to health risks and mortality for seniors.

The study's findings drew attention from Health Day, Time, and other news media outlets because once a protein is identified with elevated health risks, it may be possible to target and manage via yet to be developed, tailored medications.

We should add this study exemplifies medical research at a preliminary stage when a possible biomarker for pharmaceutical intervention is identified. Albeit promising, the development of a pill to control a possibly damaging protein within the blood is still many years away.

The authors acknowledge additional research is needed to delineate catehspin S's possible role in fostering heart disease, cancer, and overall deaths among seniors. While the current study found an association, the researchers note the findings do not explain how levels of the protein impact the heart, cancer development, or mortality.

The study also underscores the role of laboratory tests in detecting underlying health risks. MedlinePlus.gov's laboratory tests health topic page notes blood tests are among the most common of lab tests, which assess test samples to see if your results fall with a normal range.

MedlinePlus.gov's laboratory tests health topic page adds lab tests often are a part of routine checkups to look for changes in your health. Lab tests also help physicians diagnose medical conditions, plan or evaluate treatments, and monitor diseases.

MedlinePlus.gov's laboratory tests health topic page provides helpful information to help you interpret test results (provided by the National Cancer Institute and available in the 'start here' section). An overview of blood tests is provided by the Nemours Foundation within the 'specific conditions' section. Tailored information about lab tests for children, teens, women, and seniors is provided in separate sections.

MedlinePlus.gov's laboratory tests health topic page additionally contains research summaries, which are available in the 'research' section. Links to the latest pertinent journal research articles are available in the 'journal articles' section.

To find MedlinePlus.gov's laboratory tests health topic page, type 'laboratory tests' in the search box on MedlinePlus.gov's home page, then, click on 'laboratory tests (National Library of Medicine).'

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NLM Director's Comments Transcript - Blood Protein - Death Risk Link?: MedlinePlus

Levels of a protein found within blood were linked to an increased risk of death among older adults in a Swedish study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.