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The degree of coronary artery blockage or size of the lipid core does not
necessarily predict the occurrence of MI
or a short lifespan. Some people can live
long and apparently healthy lives with
large plaques in the coronary arteries as
long as the fibrous cap remains intact.
So, if the size of the plaque does not
matter, what does increase the risk of
developing an MI?
Inflammation: A True
Predictor of Plaque Rupture
Inflammation is now thought to play a
major role in the risk of plaque rupture.
Inflammation describes the bodys reaction to injury and infection. The inflammatory response includes white blood
cells and the signals they send throughout the blood stream and can cause cardiovascular disease. Inflammation thins
the fibrous cap and leaves it vulnerable
to breakage or injury. Inflammation
also interferes with the normal repair
process, specifically the synthesis of
new collagen, that is necessary to fix
a damaged fibrous cap. Once the cap
thins too much, it ruptures, and the coronary artery becomes obstructed.
Inflammation is increased by
diverse stimuli and disease processes.
Inflammation may be present in high
The information contained in this Circulation Cardiology Patient Page is not a substitute for medical advice, and the American Heart Association
recommends consultation with your doctor or healthcare professional.
From the Department of Medicine (K.H.M.) and Thrombosis Research Group, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine (S.Z.G.),
Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Guest Editor for this article was Jane W. Newburger, MD, MPH.
Correspondence to Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail sgoldhaber@partners.org
(Circulation. 2014;130:e334-e336.)
2014 American Heart Association, Inc.
Circulation is available at http://circ.ahajournals.org
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.010614
Figure. Formation of an atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries. This is a crosssectional view (horizontal slice) of a coronary artery with an atherosclerotic plaque. The
fibrous cap is made up of a strong material called collagen that is protecting the blood
stream from the lipid core. In addition to cholesterol and fats, the lipid core contains
white blood cells, which are the inflammatory cells in the body. If the fibrous cap breaks,
these inflammatory cells are exposed to the blood stream. A chain reaction then occurs
that results in accumulation of platelets, clotting factors, and other cells, leading to rapid
obstruction of the coronary artery and subsequent MI.
Cause
Modifiable Action
Cigarette smoking
Tools to quit:
-Smoking cessation groups or group therapy
-Telephone quit lines (eg, 1-800-QUIT-NOW)
-Text message or web-based computer assistance programs (eg, SmokefreeTXT,
QuitSTART App, Smokefree.gov)
-Over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy: gum, patch, lozenges, sublingual
tablet, inhaler, nasal spray, mouth spray
-Prescription medications*: bupropion, varenicline
-Electronic cigarettes (highly controversial)
Tools to quit:
-Alcoholics Anonymous or other 12 step programs
-Behavioral therapy
-Detoxification programs
-Rehabilitation programs (inpatient or outpatient)
-Prescription medications*: naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram
Obesity
Immobility
(Continued)
Table.
Continued
Cause
Modifiable Action
Autoimmune diseases -Prescription medications*: see your primary care physician or rheumatologist,
(eg, rheumatoid
treatment varies based on disease
arthritis, systemic lupus
erythematosus)
Periodontal disease
Infection
-Seek medication attention if you are concerned that you have a serious infection
that may require antibiotics
-Signs of infection often include temperature >100.4F, heart rate >90 bpm,
muscle aches, generalized fatigue
*The use of prescription medications should be decided on by your primary care physician or other health
care providers.
If addicted to alcohol, complete cessation should be done in an observed medical setting because of the
risks of alcohol withdrawal. If concerned, please contact your doctor.
Gastric bypass surgery requires consultation from a multidisciplinary team to determine whether a
patient qualifies for and would benefit from weight loss surgery.
Diagnosis of sleep apnea and prescription for a CPAP or BiPAP machine requires a sleep study or
consultation with a Sleep Medicine specialist.
Corrective surgery may not be appropriate for all patients with sleep apnea and requires consultation
with a head and neck surgeon.
Ongoing Research:
Do Anti-Inflammatory
Medications Prevent MI?
Whether reducing inflammation alone
will lower vascular event rates is a major
public health question. The National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is sponsoring a 7000-patient randomized trial
called the Cardiovascular Inflammation
Reduction Trial (CIRT). The study is
enrolling patients in the United States
Additional Resources
Libby P. Mechanisms of acute coronary syndromes and their implications for therapy. N Engl J Med.
2013;368:20042013.
Ridker PM, Danielson E, Fonseca
FA, Genest J, Gotto AM Jr, Kastelein
JJ, Koenig W, Libby P, Lorenzatti AJ,
MacFadyen JG, Nordestgaard BG,
Shepherd J, Willerson JT, Glynn RJ;
JUPITER Study Group. Rosuvastatin
to prevent vascular events in men and
women with elevated C-reactive protein.
N Engl J Med. 2008;359:21952207.
Everett BM, Pradhan AD, Solomon
DH, Paynter N, Macfadyen J,
Zaharris E, Gupta M, Clearfield
M, Libby P, Hasan AA, Glynn RJ,
Ridker PM. Rationale and design
of the Cardiovascular Inflammation
Reduction Trial: a test of the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis.
Am Heart J. 2013;166:199207.e15.
Cardiovascular
Inflammation
Reduction Trial website. www.theCIRT.org.
North American Thrombosis Forum
website. www.NATFonline.org.
American Heart Association website.
www.heart.org.
Disclosures
Dr Goldhaber reports the following disclosures: Research grants: BMS, Daiichi
Sankyo, BTG, NHLBI, Thrombosis
Research
Institute
(London,
UK);
Consultant: Ariad, Bayer, Boehringer
Ingelheim, BMS, Daiichi Sankyo, Janssen,
Merck, Pfizer, Portola. Dr Melamed reports
no conflicts.
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