Dried Blood Spot Testing for Assessing Risk for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

Advanced atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk assessment and management can be conducted effectively with dried blood spot testing, according to study results presented at the National Lipid Association (NLA) Scientific Sessions 2023, held in Atlanta, Georgia, between June 1 and June 4, 2023.

Researchers aimed to validate use of dried blood spot testing for multiple ASCVD risk markers, including thyroid and kidney function. They enrolled 249 participants who, after fasting for longer than 8 hours, did fingerstick testing which collected 4 to 6 drops of capillary blood on ADX-100 cards. Cards were sealed in pouches containing desiccant after being dried at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Serum and red blood cell samples were subsequently analyzed and results compared with analysis results of serum collected after venipuncture.

The researchers evaluated 42 parameters including 11 genotyping tests, 7 lipids and apolipoproteins, 7 hormones, 6 fatty acid parameters, 3 diabetes markers, and 2 inflammation markers. They found a high correlation (Pearson r≥0.95; P <.00001) between dried blood spot-derived concentrations for hormones, kidney function, vitamins, diabetes, inflammation, and lipids compared with standard venipuncture results. The intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient of variation was less than 5% for all assays.

There was a high correlation (r>0.90; P <.0001) between dried blood spot measurements for monounsaturated fat index, omega-6 index, omega-3 index, arachidonic acid, dcosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid compared with standard venipuncture values.

The researchers noted a 100% correlation for genotyping results between dried blood spot and standard phlebotomy results.

The study authors wrote, “Our data demonstrate that DBS [dried blood spot]-derived measurements had excellent correlations with results obtained with venous blood for 31 biomarkers and 11 genetic variants.”

Disclosure: This research was supported by Boston Heart Diagnostics. Some study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.