THE EXPANDING ROLE OF LABORATORY BIOMARKERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES: CLINICAL AND EMERGING PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

The major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world is cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with over 20 million deaths annually being attributed to CVDs. Even with the great achievements in diagnostics and treatments, early diagnosis and personalized treatment an essential clinical issues. Laboratory biomarkers have gained importance to enhance the accuracy of diagnosis, risk estimation, and monitoring of therapy for cardiovascular disorders. The accepted biomarkers that are still used to make clinical decisions include cardiac troponins, the B-type natriuretic peptides (BNP/NT-proBNP), and C-reactive protein (CRP). However, there have been findings like microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2), galectin-3, and extracellular vesicle-derived molecules, which are adding value to cardiovascular diagnostics. Together with artificial intelligence (AI), digital health applications, and multi-omics platforms (including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics), these new markers are collectively enabling cardiology to become more precise. This paper will discuss conventional and emerging biomarkers, their clinical utility, mechanism, and how these biomarkers can modify medical treatment. It also covers the concerns that include the lack of standards, inadequate translational data, and exorbitant prices, and future opportunities, possibly including AI-based analytics, biosensor-based monitoring, and biomarker-directed medicines. Biomarker-based strategies could improve heart health by combining molecular research with clinical application. This would allow clinicians to detect problems earlier, better estimate risk, and personalize treatment to each patient's needs.