The Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, has announced it successfully completed an innovative medical experiment using a blood test to predict possible heart diseases.
The world’s first and only licensed test (CE Marked) was carried out in cooperation with Abbott Laboratories and it may help clinicians improve the quality of treatment.
The ministry made the announcement during its participation in Arab Health 2020, being held at Dubai World Trade Centre from 27 to 30 January.
MoHAP added that its cooperation with Abbott in this test will make it the world’s first government institution to implement a preventive initiative by which it would be leading the way towards using innovative preventive solutions that can predict cardiovascular diseases.
It will also make the UAE the world’s first country to adopt this new approach including a 10-year heart risk record, which will monitor results and educate doctors continuously.
The global medical trends are focusing now on prevention, as the best way to address the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease. Prevention requires early detection and reduction of hazards, hence the importance of the high-sensitivity cardiac troponin blood test (hsTnI), which can tell if the patient has a risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Mitigating the Increased Burden of Cardiovascular Disease
HE Dr. Youssif Al Serkal, Assistant Undersecretary for the Ministry’s Hospitals Sector Stressed the importance of the test especially after being approved by the CE. This technology will support MoHAP’s efforts to improve the outcomes of the National Cardiovascular Diseases Indicator, in accordance with the requirements of the National Agenda 2021”.
Enhancing Partnerships with Global Research Centers
He stressed that MoHAP aims to enhance its partnerships with global research centers, in coordination with the health authorities in the government and private sectors to achieve the national indicator of reducing cardiovascular disease mortalities, following the significant progress made in the intervention and treatment of heart diseases.
“According to WHO, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, thus we are focusing on prevention to reinforce the health system capabilities to assess risks in both youth and elderly,” Al Serkal concluded.
“Adding the high‐sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) to the list of laboratory diagnostic tests is a significant step forward to help clinicians better evaluate patients and predict any heart disease, which will improve the overall health of the public and reduce the economic burden on the country,” said Dr. Kalthoum Al Baloushi, Director of MoHAP’s Hospitals Administration.
Al Baloushi added: "A team from the Ministry of Health and experts from Abbott will follow up on population behaviors and clinical results after conducting a high-sensitivity troponin test. Meanwhile, the ministry will work on creating a national registry and medical database for cardiovascular patients along with an interactive dashboard that shows the medical condition for everyone involved in the study. This will contribute to providing new tools for physicians and taking early and correct clinical decisions that protect patients against cardiovascular disease. "