You can't change genetics, but you can reduce the effects of genetic risk through lifestyle changes and cholesterol-lowering medication, says Olle Melander, a professor at Lund University.
The test can identify people who are particularly sensitive to an unhealthy lifestyle. The fifth of the population with an increased genetic risk of heart attack have the same level of risk as people with type 2 diabetes or those who have previously had a stroke.
Test for the intermediate zone
The test is intended for use on patients in primary care who are neither clearly high-risk nor low-risk based on their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
A special calculation system is used to assess a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease within ten years. People in the middle zone, who neither have a clearly elevated risk nor can be classified as low-risk, can leave primary care physicians scratching their heads, Olle Melander says.
The decision is about whether to provide lifelong drug treatment to a healthy individual.
The genetic test will be available from the beginning of next year. A health economic analysis, which is not yet complete, will determine whether it is cost-effective.
There is an analysis from the USA, conducted under American conditions, which shows very good health economic benefits, says Olle Melander.
No self-test
The new genetic test will only be used in healthcare. Olle Melander describes commercially available self-tests as inferior. They often give unclear answers, and people who have tested themselves still end up turning to healthcare.
Here, a doctor should decide, "I want this information," and then be prepared to handle the response.
Facts: Acute myocardial infarction
Of those who have an acute heart attack, one fifth die within 28 days.
This amounts to approximately 22,000 people affected per year, of whom approximately 4,500 die.
Mortality from acute myocardial infarction decreased by 81 percent between 2000 and 2024.
In 2024, approximately 20,300 people in Sweden were affected, of whom 65 percent were men.
Among those who fell ill, 65 percent were 70 years of age or older. Just under 4 percent were younger than 50 years of age.
Sources: Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation and National Board of Health and Welfare
