The 'death test' that predicts chance of healthy person dying within five years

Scientists have developed a test that can determine if a person will die within the next five years.

16:52 26 February 2014

Finnish and Estonian scientists have developed a test that can be used to determine whether a person will die with the next five years. It involved the use of blood sample to identify those who ate at high risk of being killed by ailments ranging from heart disease to cancer.

This test was created to help people detect hidden diseases early on and benefit from live-saving treatment.

The scientists have begun testing blood samples from more than 17,000 generally healthy people for more than 100 different chemicals. Then, they tracked down the volunteers after several years and compared blood samples of those who died with those who have survived.

The research reveals that four chemicals, which are normally found in the blood, can forecast a high risk of dying from any disease within five years.

Researcher Johannes Kettunen, of the Institute for Molecular Medicine in Finland, said: “What is especially interesting is that these biomarkers reflect the risk for dying from very different types of diseases such as heart disease or cancer. They seem to be signs of a general frailty in the body.

“Next we aim to study whether some kind of connecting factor between these biomarkers can be identified.

“We believe that in the future these measures can be used to identify people who appear healthy but in fact have serious underlying illnesses and guide them to proper treatment.”

He stressed, however, that more work is needed before the test is ready for widespread use.