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DISEASES
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Inflammation is the local physiological response to tissue injury. It is not, in itself, a
disease, but is usually a manifestation of disease. Inflammation may have beneficial
effects, such as the destruction of invading micro-organisms and the wailing-off of an
abscess cavity, thus preventing spread of infection. Equally, it may produce diseases;
for example, an abscess in the brain would act as a space-occupying lesion
compressing vital surrounding structures, or fibrosis resulting from chronic inflammation
may distort the tissues and permanently alter their function. Inflammation plays an
important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, thrombosis, clinical cardiovascular
disease diabetes, cancer and various joint diseases.
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now an emerging epidemic in developing countries
and by year 2010, CVD will be the leading cause of death in the developing countries.
Life style changes brought about by industrialization and urbanization in developing
countries is a factor. Traditional risk factors like tobacco, alcohol, hypertension and
physical inactivity should be avoided. However, prevention of infection, immunization
and vaccination against common infections may also be a very important part of
preventive cardiology in developing countries.
A prospective, nested case-control study was done in the Cardiovascular Health Study
(CHS; 5201 healthy elderly men and women). Case subjects and control subjects
(n=146) were matched on the basis of sex and the presence or absence of significant
subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline (average follow-up, 2.4 years). In
women but not men, the mean CRP level was higher for case subjects than for control
subjects. In general, CRP was higher in those with subclinical disease. Most of the
association of CRP with female case subjects versus control subjects was in the
subgroup with subclinical disease. Case-control differences were greatest when the time
between baseline and the CVD event was shortest. The strongest associations were
with myocardial infarction, and there was an overall odds ratio for incident myocardial
infarction for men and women with subclinical disease. In conclusion, CRP was
associated with incident events in the elderly, especially in those with subclinical
disease at baseline.