Why this microinflammtion as doctors call it , happens is still a mystery. However a leading theroy is that chronic infection with common germs might be the cause. The new research also helps explan why aspirin is so good for the heart. For years experts thought aspirin's main benefit was its interference with blood clotting. But the new study suggests it also works by fighting inflammtion inside the blood vessels.
Heart attacks strike when fatty deposits build up in the arteries.
When one of these deposits called plaque suddenly breaks open, blood clots form and choke off the supply of blood to the heart muscle. The ability of doctors to predict who is at risk of cardiovascular disease has come a long way but about half of those who get heart attacks and strokes have normal cholesterol levels notes Dr. Paul M.Ridker of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. These in turn release a host of chemicals that can stimulate the growth of smooth muscle cells and contribute to the development of clogging deposits. Ridkler and colleagues studied male doctors who had taken part in a large aspirin study that began in 1982.