A quick, simple medical test that dramatically speeds the diagnosis of heart attacks has been developed by researchers at the University of Florida's Health Science Center in Gainesville.

The test, which needs further evaluation by heart specialists, determines in one hour whether a person is suffering a life-threatening heart attack or simply chest pains.In contrast to the new test, existing procedures require 24 hours to confirm a heart attack.

"One of the biggest problems the emergency room physician faces today is in deciding whether or not someone who presents with chest pain is having a heart attack," said Dr. James Hendricks, a pathologist at the University of Florida.

"The physician needs to make a rapid decision because the drugs used to break up blood clots (that cause heart attacks) have to be administered within four to six hours if they are going to be effective. Time is of the essence."

The new test detects increased amounts of blood cells called monocyte platelet conjugates, which are major causes of heart disease.

But don't expect the tests to be available soon. Hendricks predicted additional evaluations and licensing by the Food and Drug Administration will take five years.

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Smokers alert

A University of Michigan psychiatrist said there's compelling evidence that some people are "born to smoke" and may need medical and psychiatric help to break their cigarette habits.

Experiments indicate that people who react very strongly when first exposed to nicotine develop a tolerance to it and become heavy smokers. That tolerance is inherited at birth, Pomerleau said. Non-smokers and five-cigarettes-a-day "chippers" don't react strongly and don't become tolerant.

This contradicts the theory that smokers become hooked because their friends and family members smoke. - Don Kirkman, Scripps Howard News Service.

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