Five-year 'death test' provides few answers

ConclusionThis large population-based study was able to show which people were at increased risk of dying from cardiovascular, cancer or other causes over a five-year period. However, the researchers could not predict which illness a person may be at higher risk of getting or provide an opportunity for targeted prevention or treatment strategies. Strengths of the study include the large sample size and the fact participants were taken from the general population. The results also remained statistically significant after adjusting for age, sex, current disease and many other recognised indicators of chronic disease.However, the implications of such a test are unclear. As this was an observational study, it can only show an association between the biomarkers and risk of death. It does not predict what the underlying cause of death would be for an individual and does not therefore provide an answer in terms of treatment. At best, this type of test could encourage people to adapt a healthier lifestyle; at worst, it could lead to higher anxiety, higher risk-taking and a sense of fatalism.There is also the danger that it could lull people into a false sense of security if they were deemed to be at lower risk and make them less likely to live a healthy lifestyle. The media have also raised concerns about the possible implications if insurance companies were to make use of this type of test. However, these are purely speculative at this stage.In summary, this study does not alter the...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Cancer Diabetes Medical practice Source Type: news