Can Antibiotics 'Cure' Heart Disease? Not Yet
Can Antibiotics 'Cure' Heart Disease? Not Yet
March 17, 2000 (Anaheim, Calif.) -- Ever since researchers established a link between a common intestinal infection and ulcers -- and found that antibiotics could cure most peptic ulcer disease -- heart experts have been anxious to find a similar 'bug' to blame for heart disease. But so far, that search has come up short.
There is no shortage of 'bugs' or pathogens to be found in heart tissue diseased by hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, but even if those infections respond to antibiotic therapy, there is no evidence that such therapy can either reverse or slow down the worsening of heart disease. The latest chapter in this saga is being played out here at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
There is no doubt that heart disease is an inflammatory process; what causes that inflammation, however, is still unclear. Some scientists think that an infection caused by some sort of pathogen may be the culprit. Tests of diseased tissue removed from hearts have found that most tissue is heavily infected with a pathogen called Chlamydia pneumoniae, so killing C. pneumoniae seems like a logical approach to treating -- and possibly even preventing -- heart disease. In addition, scientists have found the bug in heart tissue that overgrows and clogs up stents that are placed to treat heart disease.
A stent is a tiny, mesh-like tube inserted into a clogged heart artery using a small catheter. Once inside the artery, the stent is designed to prop the artery open, restoring normal blood flow to the heart. Stents are widely used to treat clogged arteries, but they do have complications. One common problem of stent placement -- and one that researchers think may be linked to infection -- occurs when the artery fails to stay open and once again becomes clogged, obstructing blood flow.
Thus, a group of German researchers decided to test whether an antibiotic to kill C. pneumoniae in the stented artery might prevent this complication.
The lead researcher of the study, Franz-Josef Neumann, MD, tells WebMD that their investigation showed no benefit for antibiotic treatment, even though they were able to kill the bug. Neumann, a professor of medicine at the University of Munich, Germany, presented the findings here Wednesday at a press conference.
Can Antibiotics 'Cure' Heart Disease? Not Yet
March 17, 2000 (Anaheim, Calif.) -- Ever since researchers established a link between a common intestinal infection and ulcers -- and found that antibiotics could cure most peptic ulcer disease -- heart experts have been anxious to find a similar 'bug' to blame for heart disease. But so far, that search has come up short.
There is no shortage of 'bugs' or pathogens to be found in heart tissue diseased by hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, but even if those infections respond to antibiotic therapy, there is no evidence that such therapy can either reverse or slow down the worsening of heart disease. The latest chapter in this saga is being played out here at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology.
There is no doubt that heart disease is an inflammatory process; what causes that inflammation, however, is still unclear. Some scientists think that an infection caused by some sort of pathogen may be the culprit. Tests of diseased tissue removed from hearts have found that most tissue is heavily infected with a pathogen called Chlamydia pneumoniae, so killing C. pneumoniae seems like a logical approach to treating -- and possibly even preventing -- heart disease. In addition, scientists have found the bug in heart tissue that overgrows and clogs up stents that are placed to treat heart disease.
A stent is a tiny, mesh-like tube inserted into a clogged heart artery using a small catheter. Once inside the artery, the stent is designed to prop the artery open, restoring normal blood flow to the heart. Stents are widely used to treat clogged arteries, but they do have complications. One common problem of stent placement -- and one that researchers think may be linked to infection -- occurs when the artery fails to stay open and once again becomes clogged, obstructing blood flow.
Thus, a group of German researchers decided to test whether an antibiotic to kill C. pneumoniae in the stented artery might prevent this complication.
The lead researcher of the study, Franz-Josef Neumann, MD, tells WebMD that their investigation showed no benefit for antibiotic treatment, even though they were able to kill the bug. Neumann, a professor of medicine at the University of Munich, Germany, presented the findings here Wednesday at a press conference.
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