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Infection, immunisation and atherosclerosis: is there a link?
1Centre for Clinical Science and Measurement, School of Biological Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
Insights
Immune stimulation from infections or vaccinations may promote atherosclerosis, the main cause of coronary heart disease (CHD). This immune response could enhance the development of atherosclerotic lesions.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Immunology
- Pathology
Background:
- Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of coronary heart disease (CHD), characterized by chronic inflammation with activated immune cells in lesions.
- Prior infections and vaccinations have been anecdotally linked to subsequent CHD.
- Elevated acute phase reactants (APRs) predict cardiac events, suggesting an inflammatory component.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the hypothesis that immune stimulation promotes atherosclerosis.
- To investigate the potential role of cellular and humoral immune responses in atherogenesis.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing epidemiological and experimental data linking infections, vaccinations, and immune responses to atherosclerosis.
- Analysis of the inflammatory processes involved in atherosclerotic lesion development.
Main Results:
- Experimental immunizations have been shown to worsen atherosclerosis in animal models.
- Natural infections and vaccinations can lead to immunostimulation.
- Elevated APRs are associated with increased cardiac event risk.
Conclusions:
- Immune stimulation, whether from natural infections or vaccination, may enhance the development of atherosclerosis.
- Cellular and humoral immune responses are potential mechanisms driving this process.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise role of the immune system in atherogenesis.
Abstract:
Atherosclerosis is the predominant underlying pathology responsible for coronary heart disease (CHD). It bears all the hallmarks of a chronic inflammatory disease and typical atherosclerotic lesions contain activated macrophages and T-cells. There have been several reports of possible associations between prior exposure to a number of specific micro-organisms and subsequent CHD, and prospective epidemiological studies have reported that elevated plasma levels of particular acute phase reactants (APRs) are predictors of future cardiac events. Investigators have also shown that immunisations exacerbate atherosclerosis in experimental animal models. These data raise the possibility that immunostimulation associated with natural infection by certain organisms, or vaccination, may promote atherosclerosis. A hypothesis which may explain all these findings, is that the cellular--and perhaps humoral--responses associated with immune stimulation may enhance atherogenesis.