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Heart disease is common in humans and chimpanzees, but is caused by different pathological processes

Nissi Varki1, Dan Anderson2, James G Herndon2

  • 1Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.

Evolutionary Applications
|January 9, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Chimpanzees and humans share heart disease risks but differ in causes. Chimpanzee sudden cardiac death is linked to myocardial fibrosis, unlike human coronary artery atherosclerosis, suggesting evolutionary divergence in cardiovascular pathology.

Area of Science:

  • Comparative pathology
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Cardiovascular research

Background:

  • Heart disease is prevalent in humans and chimpanzees, our closest relatives.
  • Major causes of heart disease differ significantly between humans and chimpanzees.
  • Chimpanzee sudden cardiac death is often linked to myocardial fibrosis, while human heart disease typically stems from atherosclerosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the differing causes of heart disease in humans and chimpanzees.
  • Understand the evolutionary basis for distinct cardiovascular pathologies.
  • Explore potential histological factors, such as glycosylation changes, contributing to these differences.

Main Methods:

  • Histopathological analysis of affected chimpanzee hearts from primate centers.
  • Comprehensive review and analysis of existing scientific literature on primate cardiovascular diseases.
  • Preliminary histological examination focusing on glycosylation alterations.

Main Results:

  • Sudden cardiac death in chimpanzees (and other great apes) is commonly associated with diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis of unknown etiology.
  • Myocardial infarction due to coronary artery atherosclerosis and thrombosis, common in humans, is rare in chimpanzees despite similar lipid profiles.
  • Chimpanzee cardiac events are likely arrhythmias triggered by myocardial fibrosis, not ischemic damage.

Conclusions:

  • Significant evolutionary divergence exists in the primary mechanisms of heart disease between humans and chimpanzees.
  • Understanding these differences may offer insights into human evolution and improve medical care for cardiovascular conditions.
  • Further research into histological factors like glycosylation is warranted to elucidate the underlying causes of fibrotic heart disease in apes.

Keywords:
atherosclerosisevolutiongreat apeheart attacksheart diseaseheart failurehominidsmyocardial fibrosis

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