Table of Contents
However, while B vitamin supplements do help lower homocysteine levels, they appear to have no effect on heart disease outcomes, including preventing heart attack or stroke. Research indicates that homocysteine may be a marker for heart disease rather than a cause of it.
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Click the icon to see the benefits of vitamin B. |
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Click the icon to see the food sources of vitamin B. |
C-Reactive Protein. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a product of the inflammatory process. It is not known if the protein plays any causal role or whether it is simply a marker for other factors in the disease process.
C. pneumoniae and Other Infectious Organisms. Some microorganisms and viruses have been under suspicion for triggering the inflammation and damage in the arteries that contribute to heart disease. The strongest evidence to date supports a possible role from Chlamydia (C.) pneumoniae (a non-bacterial organism that causes mild pneumonia in young adults). C. pneumoniae has been detected in plaques in the arteries of patients with heart disease. However, treatment with appropriate antibiotics has not been found to reduce the risk of future heart problems for patients infected with this organism.
Other studies suggest that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus, may have similar effects. Many people, however, have been infected with these organisms, and no clear association has been found with any of these infections.
Sleep Apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which tissues in the upper throat sag at intervals during sleep, thereby blocking the passage of air. About a third of patients with coronary artery disease also have obstructive sleep apnea. Patients with severe, untreated apnea have been found to have an increased incidence of hypertension, stroke, and cardiac events (such as heart attack). However, there is no evidence to date that identifies obstructive sleep apnea as an independent cause of cardiac events or stroke.
Review Date: 05/05/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine,
Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M.,
Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
