The heart and the immune system

[Kaz747]

This is an interesting read

theage.com.au/national/why-...

[Chappychap]

Thanks for posting, that's really interesting. I've read quite a few references mentioning a link between gum disease (gingivitis) and heart attack risk. In addition one of the genes most associated with heart risk, the Apo E gene type, is also associated with increased risk of Alzheimers, and there's a definite link between gum disease and Alzheimers. It seems to me that people with very healthy life styles who have heart attacks aren't particularly well served by the current medical protocols. They get the same drugs and same advice as everyone else, which might be in their case be fixing non existent problems?

There's also a flip side to the question of why some extremely fit people have heart attacks, which is why do some extremely unfit people with advanced atherosclerosis NOT have heart attacks? I wonder if there's actually more distance between heart attacks and blocked arteries than is generally assumed? Of course there's overlap between the two conditions, but are there some people who are overwhelmingly at risk of one without being at particularly high risk of the other?

[Hidden in reply to Chappychap]

Very interesting. I have an autoimmune disease which has probably caused my microvascular angina as I have no other risk factors. There was a clinical trial recently looking at whether Methotrexate ( an immunosuppressant commnly used to treat Rheumatoid arthritis etc ) cut the risk of further cardiac events in patients with heart disease, unfortunately it didn’t.

I did read some comments on twitter recently about plaque and whether it was responsible for heart attacks as opposed to blockages. It seems the type of plague a patient has is important but how is that differentiated in tests?

[Kaz747 in reply to Hidden]

Shame about the Methotrexate- my husband has RA and has been on that for years.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Someone else posted the association between Alzeheimers and Cardiac diseases. Alzheimer's was (so as Parkinson's and MS) found to be associated with immune activities due to common viruses many of us carry. One well-known research was done over the past 20 years, led by the Manchester researcher.

This was to do with the genetic risk genes.

Call me jaded, but based on my own experience, London area Cardiology is too busy with lifestyle Cardiac patients for the next decade. There are not enough resources allocated for this type of cutting edge work in England.

This culture has to change but I'm too old to think about that right now.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Chappychap]

Yes it is very interesting the possible relationship between inflammation and heart disease.

I am another one with Ischaemia non obstructive coronary arteries.

My problem Vasospastic angina effecting both microvessels and coronary arteries.

My inflammatory markers all normal. Lovely clear arteries. I am still at risk of a Myocardial infarction non obstructive coronary arteries because of vasospasms.

Comment from my Cardiologist was that if I did it would not be a big one as I am on so many drugs to stop the spasms! Along with my blood pressure and cholesterol levels have to be well controlled.

Some research is suggesting that it is the way even small amounts of plaque can behave either rupture or erosion that is the issue.

The present scoring system they use is actually not that accurate and there is a research project in Edinburgh looking at screening people in other ways.

[Kaz747 in reply to Milkfairy]

My heart problems are all electrical. On a positive note with one of the coronary CT scans I had they did my coronary calcium score which was 0 so my arteries are okay. I had an ablation in September and ended up with pericarditis and chronic inflammation in my esophagus. My cardiologist/EP said it was like an auto immune response.

[Hidden in reply to Milkfairy]

"The present scoring system they use is actually not that accurate and there is a research project in Edinburgh looking at screening people in other ways."

Scotland seems to be leading the pioneering work in Cardiology!

Thank you for sharing.

[Kovin in reply to Hidden]

Scottish researchers have to deal with the fallout of all those deep-fried battered Mars Bars and other lifestyle issues - more seriously low Vit D... I commend their work looking at the broader population to find new information...

[jimmyq]

Very interesting! I have had 3 episodes and all were triggered by viruses. My immune system could have played a part.

[Hidden in reply to jimmyq]

are sure if it's just "viruses"? If it is a virus, do you have any idea as to which?

If it's definitely viruses, then it reactivates from time to time when your immune system goes awry i.e. stress, etc.

[jimmyq in reply to Hidden]

Good idea! Thinking about it:

1. A flu virus

2. A cold-like virus that left me with a persistent cough for months

3. Australian flu, last winter.

Dreading this winter's viruses!

[Hidden]

Thank you for the link to the very interesting article. I have just read today about the attack of the immune system against the heart. I had some painful experience with disturbance of my immune system in the past. After my first heart attack I had suffered from malaria virus twice or thrice. The doctors had wrongly treated me with tablets to cure bronchitis and the last time they treated me with tablets to cure malaria but on recovery the doctor said I didn't really have malaria, it was perhaps a flare up of bilharzia, as I had suffered from it as a child in African farm village where I grew up. My heart is severely scarred and has signs of wear out. So, I wonder what might have happened over the years, there was an interval of 14 years between my first heart attack and the second.