Inflammation & Heart Disease

Scientific studies propose a correlation between inflammation, a reaction to infection and injury by your body, and heart disease. But how, if at all, is inflammation linked to heart disease? How does it contribute and what are the risks?

What Is Inflamation?

• While inflammation occurs after an infection or injury, it is not necessarily caused by it. It is actually a defense mechanism used by your body to combat the harmful conditions that triggered it in the first place and allows your body to begin healing.

  Inflammation is a natural response by your body to physical ailments, including injuries, infections and fevers and can be a sign of developing heart disease.

Relationship between Inflammation and Heart Disease

• Evidence suggests that inflammation is linked with artherosclerosis, which is the term for the thickening of artery walls due to accumulating fatty substances, like cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease and even death.

  When the inflammatory process is triggered, cells are activated and chemicals are released. The travel of these agents and the events that transpire during inflammation, while occurring in order to help remove harmful stimuli and heal the body, can contribute to the build-up of plaque in the circulatory system and possibly result in a blood clot. The American Heart Association says that virtually every step in artherogenesis is believed to result from inflammation.

CRP

• C-reactive protein, or CRP, is a protein that can be found in your blood. The level of inflammation can be measured by the amount of CRP in your blood, because CRP levels increase during systemic inflammation. If you have an elevated level of CRP in your blood, it could mean you have a high level of inflammation in your body.

  High CRP levels have been linked with heightened risk for heart attacks, strokes, peripheral vascular disease and restenosis of coronary arteries after angioplasty.

  The Cleveland Clinic suggests that the relationship of CRP and inflammation with heart disease may change the way heart disease is predicted. Cholesterol levels have usually been what was monitored, but CRP levels may be just as important.

Other Causes of Inflammation

• Factors that promote the build-up of plaque in arteries include cigarette smoking and high blood pressure, atherogenic lipoproteins, and hyperglycemia. These factors bring forward conditions that trigger inflammation.

How to Treat Inflammation or High CRP Levels

• The best treatment for inflammation is to work towards a healthier lifestyle. Exercising, weight loss, a healthy diet, and managing blood pressure and blood sugar levels all help. It's important to control habits of smoking and alcohol consumption.

  Taking medications that aid blood circulation can help. Statins that lower cholesterol may lower CRP. Fish oil supplements may also help if you're not eating fatty fish. Some studies have also found that baby aspirin along with fish oil supplements may help to reduce inflammation. It's important to contact your doctor before making decisions on medical treatment, as your doctor will know which medications, and how much of them, will help your specific condition.