Interesting article. Thank you Mike M. Mike D.
------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date: Sun, 01 Dec 2002 23:30:44 -0800 From: Michael Mahoney <[email protected]> To: "M. G. Devour" <[email protected]> Subject: Study sees inflammation as key heart attack cause Mike, I read some time ago that infection was suspected as a cause in many heart attacks and mentally filed that away as one more reason to use CS. The following article addresses this subject and I thought it might be of interest to others on the Silver List. Rather than just post it to the list I thought I'd run it by you first. If you think it is "on topic", feel free to just forward it to the list. Thanks for all the work you do on the Silver List! Mike =================================================================== Study sees inflammation as key heart attack cause By Daniel Q. Haney The Associated Press The Oregonian: 2002-11-14 Significant new research suggests inflammatory proteins within the body play a bigger role than cholesterol BOSTON - A landmark study offers the strongest evidence yet that simmering painless inflammation deep within the body is the single most powerful trigger of heart attacks, worse than high cholesterol. The latest research is likely to encourage many doctors to make blood tests for inflammation part of standard physical exams for middle-aged people, especially those with other conditions that increase their risk of heart trouble. The study, based on nearly 28,000 women, is by far the largest to look at inflammation's role, and it shows that those with high levels are twice as likely as those with high cholesterol to die from heart attacks and strokes. During the past five years, research by Dr. Paul Ridker of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital has built the case for the "inflammation hypothesis." With his latest study, many think the evidence is overwhelming that inflammation is a central factor in cardiovascular disease, by far the world's biggest killer. Inflammation can be measured with a test that checks for C-reactive protein, or CRP, a chemical necessary for fighting injury and infection. The test typically costs between $25 and $50. Diet and exercise can lower CRP dramatically. Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins also reduce CRP, as do aspirin and some other medicines. Doctors think inflammation has many possible sources. Often, the fatty buildups that line the blood vessels become inflamed as white blood cells invade in a misguided defense attempt. Fat cells are also known to turn out these inflammatory proteins. Other possible triggers include high blood pressure, smoking and lingering low-level infections, such as chronic gum disease. Doctors theorize that a chronic infection anywhere in the body can produce these inflammatory proteins, which then enter the bloodstream and do their damage in the blood vessels. The proteins are thought to weaken the fatty buildups, or plaques, making them more likely to burst. A piece of plaque can then lead to a clot that can choke off the blood flow and cause a heart attack. For the first time, Ridkey's study established what level of CRP should be considered worrisome, so doctors can make sense of patients' readings. However, experts are still divided over which patients to test and how to treat them if their CRP readings are high. Some, such as Dr. Richard Milani of the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, recommend a CRP check for almost anyone getting a cholesterol test. Others are reluctant to test people at low outward risk. Dr. Sidney Smith, research director of the American Heart Association, said CRP testing would probably be most helpful in guiding the care of the 40 percent of U.S. adults already considered at intermediate risk of heart attacks. In March, the heart association and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a meeting of 50 experts to review the evidence and make recommendation on CRP testing. The committee decided to start over after learning last week of Ridker's latest results, which are being published in the New England Journal of Medicine today. Though the study involved women only, Ridker said he is confident the findings apply to men as well because earlier, small studies in men reached similar conclusions. A skeptical editorial in the journal by Dr. Lori Mosca of Columbia University, questioned the need for widespread testing, at least until more studies are done to show that lowering CRP actually saves lives. Such studies are planned. Until then, Ridker said he thinks a high CRP reading can help doctors convince people with low cholesterol that they still need to diet and exercise. "The CRP test can predict risk 15 to 25 years in the future," Ridker said. "We have a long time to get our patients to change their lifestyles, and the change does not have to be huge - modest exercise, modest weight loss, and stop smoking." However, Mosca said telling people they have low CRP may falsely reassure them they can continue their slothful habits. "Why do we need a test to help us motivate patients to improve their lifestyles?" she said. She also worried that doctors will immediately put patients on drugs to lower CRP before research proves that would save lives. [Mike Devour, Citizen, Patriot, Libertarian] [[email protected] ] [Speaking only for myself... ] -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. Instructions for unsubscribing may be found at: http://silverlist.org To post, address your message to: [email protected] Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
