A trailblazing latest study has helped develop a blood test to search out an individual’s risk of developing anxiety, in addition to its current severity.
The test may also predict if an individual is more likely to get more anxious in the long run and the way other aspects, reminiscent of changes in hormones, might influence anxiety.
After being validated by a team of researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the blood test is already being created by the startup MindX Sciences for clinical use, ScienceAlert reported.
“Many persons are affected by anxiety, which may be very disabling and interfere with each day life,” said psychiatric neuroscientist Alexander Niculescu from Indiana University School of Medicine, as per the outlet.
“[H]aving something objective like this where we will know what someone’s current state is in addition to their future risk and what treatment options match their profile could be very powerful in helping people,” Niculescu added.
Within the study, published within the journal Molecular Psychiatry, the research team recruited patients on the Indianapolis VA Medical Center to correlate anxiety levels and discover specific blood biomarkers related to the mental issue. From the study, researchers found 19 blood biomarkers that may be used to predict changes in anxiety.
Testing blood samples is a convenient, cheaper, and easier method to diagnose problems throughout the body.
“The present approach is to seek advice from people about how they feel to see in the event that they may very well be on medications, but some medications may be addictive and create more problems,” Niculescu explained.
“We desired to see if our approach to discover blood biomarkers could help us match people to existing medications that may work higher and may very well be a non-addictive alternative,” the researcher added.
The test may also predict future anxiety issues. All of it comes all the way down to identifying biomarkers related to anxiety. This might hopefully be helpful in stopping anxiety disorders before they start or return.
“There are individuals who have anxiety and it shouldn’t be properly diagnosed, then they’ve panic attacks, but think they’re having a heart attack and find yourself within the ER with all forms of physical symptoms,” Niculescu commented. “If we will know that earlier, then we will hopefully avoid this pain and suffering and treat them earlier with something that matches their profile.”
More importantly, researchers highlighted the indisputable fact that not all patients respond well to current treatments, which is a testament to the importance of finding latest and higher treatments.
The research team is hopeful that the brand new blood biomarker tests identified by them will help align patients with the precise medications, find the efficacy of the drugs, and find ways to reuse old drugs.
“That is something that may very well be a panel test as a part of a patient’s regular wellness visits to guage their mental health over time and stop any future distress,” Niculescu said. “Prevention is best in the long term.”