A new at-home test can reveal your risk of a potentially fatal heart attack in just five minutes, according to a Swedish study. Scientists say they have created a questionnaire that rapidly identifies people at high risk with the same accuracy as a doctor’s check-up. According to research, this test has the same level of precision as blood tests and blood pressure measurements.

The study, conducted by the University of Gothenburg used data from the SCAPIS population group from 25,000 people aged 50-64 years and was subsequently published in the American Heart Association.

"A heart attack often comes out of the blue. Many of those who suffer heart attacks are healthy and asymptomatic but have fatty deposits in the coronary arteries, known as atherosclerosis. "Our test makes it possible to identify almost two-thirds of people aged 50 to 64 who have significant coronary atherosclerosis and are therefore at high risk of cardiovascular disease," said Professor Göran Bergström, study leader.

Across the world, heart disease is the leading cause of death, killing an estimated 17.9 million people in 2019. According to statistics, more than four out of five cardiovascular deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one-third of these deaths occur in people under 70 years of age.

Doctors say mostly, a delay in diagnosis is one of the reasons behind the surge.

According to the study, the DIY test consists of 14 questions that relate to factors like your age, gender, weight, waist circumference, whether you smoke or not, blood pressure levels, family history of cardiovascular diseases, high blood fats, and blood sugar levels.

The study says an AI-based algorithm combines all the information depending on the responses which then detects 65 per cent of people at the highest risk of heart disease. "The results show that our home test is as accurate as a clinic examination using blood tests and blood pressure measurements,” said Prof Bergström.

“If we can make the test widely available within healthcare, it can save lives and prevent suffering by helping us to identify those who are at high risk of heart attack or who are currently undertreated," he added.

Scientists said the coronary arteries of the participants were examined with the help of computed tomography - which provides an image of the extent of atherosclerosis - a chronic inflammatory disease that causes arteries to thicken or harden due to plaque buildup. So, by comparing the images of the heart with questionnaires completed by the participants, the research team can see the factors that had the closest links with the degree of atherosclerosis.

Researchers said the questionnaire would also include data from the United States to evaluate how the test works on different groups.

According to the NHS, they would begin rolling out the DIY kits later this month, to be available at the local doctors. The kit, apart from giving an accurate reading of the heart attack risks, would also give patients a cholesterol reading, estimate their heart age, and calculate a body mass index score.

Those between the ages of 40-75 years, currently on statins or blood pressure medication can order the tests for free from their doctor. The kit’s manufacturer PocDoc has said taking the test and sending your results to the NHS can all be done within nine minutes.