The role of infectious agents in atherosclerosis remains unproven. There is considerable indirect evidence, however, linking infections of the coronary arteries with heart attack. Antibiotic therapy to prevent atherosclerosis and heart attack is still not warranted. Further study will determine the need for and benefits of prophalactic antiobiotic treatment to prevent atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. Studies show inflammation in the artery walls, similar to the reaction that occurs when you get a cut, contributes to atherosclerosis as well.
Researchers are eager to determine the causes of inflammation and to find out what maintains it.
So far, they have uncovered common pathogens, such as cytomegalovirus and chlamydia, and most recently, the hepatitis A virus. Individuals who have antibodies to hepatitis A virus are more likely to have clogged arteries and inflammation, compared with people who test negative, Jianhui Zhu, MD, and colleagues of the Cardiovascular Research Institute, Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., report in the in the December 2000 Journal of Infectious Diseases . Hepatitis A is prevalent, particularly in areas where people have poor hygiene. It is transmitted through fecal-oral contamination and causes few, and in some cases no, outward symptoms. Zhu and colleagues measured antibodies to the hepatitis A virus and C-reactive protein, an indicator of inflammation, in blood samples taken from 391 patients undergoing coronary angiography, a procedure to view blockages in arteries.