Blood Test for Emphysema
Mar-22-11
A new blood test may be able to determine if a person is suffering from the early stages of emphysema.Developed by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, the blood test measures levels of endothelial microparticles that fall off the capillary walls into the bloodstream. Higher levels of the microparticles are more evident in smokers who have lung destruction but have not developed symptoms yet.
The blood test is both an inexpensive and early warning detection solution to diagnosing emphysema in its early stages.
Image credit: Dmitriy Syechin
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