Groundbreaking research by teams from the UK and Finland suggests bacteria that’s lain dormant for years could lead to a potentially lethal heart attack, says James Witts. It challenges conventional thinking that a heart attack is solely the result of cholesterol and lifestyle factors.
Could an infection cause a heart attack?
According to the study, featured in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the events leading to a heart attack, or myocardial infection, may be down to a viral infection releasing bacteria within plaques (build-up of fatty deposits), which leads to a severe inflammatory response that can result in a heart attack.
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Via an array of advanced techniques, the researchers discovered that in coronary heart disease, plaques containing cholesterol may shelter a gelatinous biofilm (thin, but robust layer that adheres to the surface of bacteria) formed by bacteria over years or even decades. This shields the dormant bacteria from both attacking the person’s immune system and from being wiped out by antibiotics. That is until a viral infection activates this biofilm, leading to the seismic release of bacteria and a potentially dangerous inflammatory response.
“Bacterial involvement in coronary artery disease has long been suspected, but direct and convincing evidence has been lacking,” said professor Pekka Karhunen of Tampere University, Finland, who led the study. “Our study demonstrated the presence of genetic material – DNA – from several oral bacteria inside atherosclerotic plaques.”
The results, say the authors, pave the way for advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for preventing myocardial infarction, plus they raise possibility of preventing coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction by vaccination.
How to prevent heart disease
Heart disease mainly stems from atherosclerosis. This is a disease of the arteries characterised by the build-up of fatty deposits (plaques) on their inner walls. The drivers of atherosclerosis are numerous, including many of which are lifestyle related.
As a snapshot, high blood pressure, often caused by excess alcohol intake and consuming too much salt, is a major culprit, while smoking accelerating vessels damage and clotting. Lack of physical activity is also a significant contributor due to reducing protective good cholesterol and the many detrimental physiological effects of low cardiorespiratory fitness.
The facts around heart disease are stark. According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), heart disease (specifically coronary heart disease) is the single biggest killer of both men and women worldwide. It’s also the greatest premature killer – in other words, under 75 – in the UK. In the UK there are around 100,000 hospital admissions each year due to heart attacks. That’s one every five minutes. A note of optimism is that around 1.4-million people alive in the UK today have survived a heart attack.
Countryfile readers are an active lot, but it’s worth remembering the NHS’s recommendations for physical activity, which is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week. Moderate efforts include brisk walking, riding a bike and pushing a lawnmower. Vigorous is running, riding a bike uphill and team sports.
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