Patent ID: 7883854

Claim:
A method for determining cardiovascular risk factors in a biological sample comprising the steps of: (a) collecting a biological sample from a person; (b) altering the biological sample to obtain a dry blood sample; wherein step b) comprises a complete haemolysis of the biological sample controlled by a detergent substance; and (c) analyzing the dry blood sample to make a quantitative determination of a cardiovascular risk factor by at least one measurement technique selected from the group consisting of mass spectrometry, immunoassay, fluorescence based assay, and chemiluminescence based assay, the quantitative determination determining concentration of the cardiovascular risk factor in the dry blood sample; wherein the cardiovascular risk factor to be determined is at least one member selected from the group consisting of asymmetric dimethylarginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, and a combination of asymmetric dimethylarginine or symmetric dimethylarginine with at least one substance of the group consisting of monomethyl arginine, L-arginine, methylated lysines, isoprostanes, derivatives of isoprostanes, metabolites of isoprostanes, enzymes, vitamines, C-reactive protein, oxidized low-density lipoprotein, B-type natriuretic peptide, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide, or troponin T; wherein the biological sample is a whole blood sample; and wherein the detergent substance is Triton X-100.