Heart failure, a serious condition often caused by elevated heart pressure, presents significant health risks. Heart Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which utilizes strong magnets and radio waves, provides detailed images of the heart without the harmful radiation associated with X-rays or CT scans. Previous groundbreaking studies have demonstrated that heart MRI can gauge pressures within the heart, correlating these measurements with heart failure symptoms and signs. Until now, however, it was unclear whether MRI-derived heart pressures could predict heart failure risk in the general population. Now, new research shows that MRI scans can accurately estimate internal heart pressures to predict heart failure, potentially eliminating the need for more invasive tests.

Researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA, Norfolk, UK) and Queen Mary University of London (London, UK) analyzed heart MRI data from 39,000 UK Biobank participants, employing artificial intelligence to estimate heart pressure. During a six-year follow-up, they assessed the participants' risk factors and likelihood of developing heart failure. The study revealed that individuals with higher estimated heart pressures via MRI were five times more likely to suffer from heart failure. Additionally, the research identified crucial risk factors for increased heart pressure that leads to heart failure, including being over 70, having high blood pressure, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, and being male. By combining these factors, the researchers developed a model to predict individual risk of heart failure. This breakthrough could lead to better prevention, early detection, and treatment of heart failure, potentially saving numerous lives.

“This breakthrough suggests that heart MRI could potentially replace invasive diagnostic tests. Participants with higher heart pressure measured by MRI had a fivefold increased risk of developing heart failure over six years,” said co-lead author Dr Pankaj Garg, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School. 

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