| Authors | Hansson GK. | |
| Title | Inflammation, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease | |
| Full source | N Engl J Med. 2005 Apr 21;352(16):1685-95. | |
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| Introduzione tratta dalla Review | Recent
research has shown that inflammation plays a key role in coronary artery
disease (CAD) and other manifestations of atherosclerosis. Immune cells
dominate early atherosclerotic lesions, their effector molecules accelerate
progression of the lesions, and activation of inflammation can elicit acute
coronary syndromes. This review highlights the role of inflammation in the
pathogenesis of atherosclerotic CAD. It will recount the evidence that atherosclerosis,
the main cause of CAD, is an inflammatory disease in which immune mechanisms
interact with metabolic risk factors to initiate, propagate, and activate
lesions in the arterial tree.
A
decade ago, the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and hypertension was
expected to eliminate CAD by the end of the 20th century. Lately, however,
that optimistic prediction has needed revision. Cardiovascular diseases
are expected to be the main cause of death globally within the next 15
years owing to a rapidly increasing prevalence in developing countries
and eastern Europe and the rising incidence of obesity and diabetes in
the Western world.1 Cardiovascular diseases cause 38 percent of all deaths
in North America and are the most common cause of death in European men
under 65 years of age and the second most common cause in women. These
facts force us to revisit cardiovascular disease and consider new strategies
for prediction, prevention, and treatment. [...] |
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