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Inflammation has
been identified as playing an important role in the development and
progression of coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis). Coronary
inflammation leads to plaque rupture, thrombus formation and
embolization of the blood vessels within the heart. This helps to
explain why people with normal cholesterol levels can still suffer
from a heart attack.
The inflammatory
marker fibrinogen can induce a heart attack via several mechanisms.
Increased platelet aggregation, hyper-coagulation and excessive blood
thickening have all been identified as negative by-products of
inflammatory induced fibrinogen production. A study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine
showed that people who have high
levels of fibrinogen are twice as likely to suffer from heart attack
as those with normal levels.
(Rader
DJ. Inflammatory markers of coronary risk. N Engl J Med 2000 Oct
19;343(16):1179-82).
The inflammatory
response also stimulates large scale production of another marker,
C-Reactive Protein (CRP). CRP production can lead to an increased
risk of destabilized atherosclerotic plaque and arterial clotting.
Destabilized arterial plaque can burst open and block the flow of
blood through a coronary artery. The result is an acute heart attack.
People with enhanced levels of CRP have been shown to be three times
as likely to have a heart attack as those with normal CRP levels.
(Lindahl
B, et al. Markers of myocardial damage and inflammation in relation
to long-term mortality in unstable coronary artery disease. FRISC
Study Group. Fragmin during
Instability
in Coronary Artery Disease. N Engl J Med 2000 Oct
19;343(16):1139-47).
Interleukin-6
(IL-6) is a cytokine (a chemical which
enables communication between cells) which is secreted by T Cells and
macrophages as part of the immune inflammation response to trauma.
The body makes CRP from IL-6. A recent study showed that IL-6 can, by
itself, increase the risk of heart attack, even after adjustment for
the elevation in CRP.
(Rader
DJ. Inflammatory markers of coronary risk. N Engl J Med 2000 Oct
19;343(16):1179-82).
The best
protection against coronary artery complication induced by
inflammation markers is to endeavor to reduce the levels of
fibrinogen, CRP and IL-6 in the body naturally. Vitamin K and DHEA
have been shown to suppress IL-6.
(Kipper-Galperin
M, et al. Dehydroepiandrosterone selectively inhibits production of
tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 [correction of
interlukin-6] in astrocytes. Int J Dev Neurosci 1999
Dec;17(8):765-75).
(Reddi K, et al.
Interleukin 6 production by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human
fibroblasts is potently inhibited by naphthoquinone (vitamin K)
compounds. Cytokine 1995 Apr;7(3):287-90).
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