A new cheap and simple blood test could help identify people who are at the highest risk of dying from heart failure, research suggests.

The study found that patients with highest levels of a specific protein were 50% more likely to die from a heart complication over the three years that the study was conducted, compared to those with lower levels.

Experts suggest that testing for this protein, called neuropeptide Y (NPY), could help predict how heart failure is likely to progress.

We hope our research will ultimately benefit the increasing number of patients who are living with the debilitating effects of heart failure daily

Researchers hope a blood test could be used to help guide treatment for heart failure patients within five years.

Neil Herring, professor of cardiovascular medicine and consultant cardiologist at the University of Oxford, said: “The findings of this research are an exciting new development, building on over 10 years of collaborative research on this stress hormone.

“We hope our research will ultimately benefit the increasing number of patients who are living with the debilitating effects of heart failure daily.

“Next, we will investigate whether measuring for very high levels neuropeptide Y could influence whether patients can get lifesaving treatment like ICDs before the blood test can be rolled out within five years.”

Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump blood around the body as well as it should.

It can lead to frequent hospital visits and reduced quality of life, and there is currently no cure.

More than one million people are currently estimated to be living with heart failure in the UK, with around 200,000 new diagnoses in the UK each year.

Nerves in the heart release NPY in response to extreme stress.

This can trigger potentially dangerous heart rhythms and cause the smallest blood vessels in the heart muscle to close up, making the heart work harder and causing blood vessels going to the heart to contract.

In the study data from more than 800 people at different stages of heart failure was used and people were measured for levels of the hormone B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), a hormone currently used to diagnose heart failure.

Participants’ blood pressure and echocardiograms – a type of ultrasound heart scan – were also taken and were followed up regularly.

The study found that people with high levels of NPY, who made up about a third of the group, had a 50% higher risk of dying over the three-year follow-up period from a heart complication compared to those with lower levels.

Researchers suggest that measuring NPY alongside BNP could help diagnose heart failure patients, pinpointing those who may be at higher risk of dying.

Identifying those at greatest risk early on could also help doctors decide the best course of treatment for their patients, helping spot those who may benefit from having a potentially lifesaving implant fitted.

The team hopes that a blood test for NPY could be used in clinics within five years.

Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: “This new research suggests that a new, cheap and simple blood test, could help us in future to more accurately spot which patients with heart failure are at highest risk of early death.

“It is only through funding lifesaving research like this that we can continue to push the boundaries and ensure that people with heart failure receive the best and most suitable treatment to help them live well.”

Funded by the British Heart Foundation, the study published in European Journal of Heart Failure, was conducted in collaboration with Professor Pardeep Jhund at the University of Glasgow.

Next, the researchers hope to carry out larger trials using data from patients with very high levels of NPY, to see whether it can accurately identify those who may benefit from having a potentially lifesaving implant.