A quick and cheap blood test can save lives of thousands of heart attack patients, a new study has found.
The study, which was funded by British Heart Foundation, said the test can help doctors spot high risk people following a suspected heart attack.
How does this work? According to researchers measuring levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) - an inflammation in the blood of people after heart attack can point to the risk level.
Heart Attack
The BHF said the blood tests are already being done to diagnose other health conditions, and may be used to monitor those at highest risk by giving intensive treatment.
According to a report in The Telegraph,now when the doctors think a person has suffered heart attack, they conduct a test for troponin, a protein released into the bloodstream when the heart is damaged.
However, as per this study measuring CRP levels can also give a detailed picture of the condition.
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The study was published in the journal Plos Medicine, researchers used data from more than 250,000 patients, who were admitted in hospitals with suspected heart attacks.
The study was carried out by experts from Imperial College London and the National Institute for Health Research Health Informatics Collaborative.
"Testing for this biological 'red flag' at the same time as other hospital tests identifies those more vulnerable patients who should be receiving closer medical attention.
"Importantly, we hope with more research, we can be successful in developing new therapies that specifically combat inflammation to improve outcomes in heart disease," Dr Ramzi Khamis, from Imperial College London, was quoted as saying.
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.