Quick neck scan could detect heart failure risk in older men
Low-cost neck scan could help spot heart failure early in men
- New research suggests a simple, non-invasive carotid ultrasound could offer an early warning system for heart failure in men.
- The 15 to 30-minute scan assesses the flexibility of carotid arteries, which can stiffen due to age or disease and are linked to heart conditions.
- A University College London (UCL) study found men aged 71 to 92 with the least flexible arteries were 2.5 times more likely to develop heart failure.
- General practitioners might consider offering this “safe, cheap and painless” scan to male patients over 60, though further research is needed for women.
- Separately, UCL has developed a 10-minute scan to detect adrenal gland overactivity, which causes hard-to-treat high blood pressure in approximately a quarter of patients.