DESPITE the popular image of a heart attack victim collapsing while clutching
his chest, diagnosis can take too long, particularly in elderly women who might
not consider themselves at risk. Quickly assessing how severe the attack is can
be even harder. But a simple test might help doctors do both.
At a meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans this month,
researchers described a simple blood test that uses an obscure group of chemical
messengers known as sphingolipids to assess your risk of heart problems.
Normally sphingolipids help control calcium levels in the heart. “They are
sort of…
