Heart disease is a broad term for a group of conditions that can affect the heart and prevent it from properly functioning. This includes coronary heart disease which is the build-up of fatty plaque within your blood vessels. Over time as plaque hardens, it begins to narrow your arteries and reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body. Plaque can also weaken or injure the walls of your arteries causing unstable lesions which could lead to a rupture. When these lesions are present, they leak unique proteins that can be detected in your bloodstream. Seventy-five percent of heart attacks are caused by unstable cardiac lesion ruptures. Detecting the presence of these lesions can be an indicator of your overall heart health and predict your risk for having a heart attack.
A Protein Unstable Lesion Signature Test, also known as the PULS test, measures the traces of proteins that leak from cardiac lesions in the blood vessel walls. By identifying the presence and levels of these proteins, along with HDL and HbA1c, it provides your physician with valuable information to help determine your risk for a heart attack and what steps you need to take to improve your cardiac health.
If you are over the age of 40 and have no previous history of heart attacks, you should speak to your healthcare provider to determine if the PULS test is right for you. A PULS test may also be recommended if you have one or more of the following risks factors:
- Poor diet
- Lack of exercise
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Alcohol abuse
- Substance abuse
- Stress
- High cholesterol
Testing is completed by LifeLabs at a Patient Service Centre or via our mobile lab service (available in select cities) through a simple blood sample. You will require a completed test requisition from your healthcare provider.
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