People with abnormalities in the microvessels supplying blood to the heart - an early stage of coronary heart disease - often show abnormal blood flow in the fingertip, which can easily be picked up with a simple test, new research suggests.

The test uses a fingertip probe to measure maximum blood flow to the finger, which appears to be a sensitive indicator of the function of the coronary arteries, investigators have found.

Dr. Amir Lerman from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and associates assessed the ability of the fingertip measurement to spot early coronary problems in 94 patients with chest pain but without actual obstruction of the coronary arteries. Thirty-nine had normal and 55 had abnormal coronary microvascular function.

The average blood-flow index on the fingertip test was significantly lower in patients with than without coronary abnormalities, the team reports in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The results indicate that the fingertip test has the potential “to assess the relationship between dysfunction in the heart region and dysfunction in extremities,” Lerman told Reuters Health.

“This simple non-invasive test,” he added, “may help identify individuals ... prior to an invasive procedure, such as angiogram, or perhaps even to find those who need more aggressive treatment to slow or stop the progression of cardiovascular disease.”

The study was funded in part by the manufacturer of the fingertip probe, Itamar Medical Ltd., based in Caesarea, Israel. The company received U.S. FDA approval for the test system in 2001.

SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, December 7, 2004.