Chlamydia Atherosclerosis Lesion

by Allan Shor

• ISBN13: 9781846288104
• ISBN10: 184628810X
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2008-04-16
• Publisher: Springer Nature

Summary

Several viruses, including herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, and coxsackie B virus, have been implicated in heart disease. Recent work has suggested that atherosclerosis or atheroma - the disease responsible for myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral vascular and other major vascular problems - is not simply caused by dietary factors but also by Chlamydia pneumoniae infection. This discovery changes the concept of cardiovascular disease, and this will have a profound effect on hundreds of millions of people and is of wide interest to modern cardiovascular medicine.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Killer Germs That Clog Arteries	p. 1
The Germ's Story	p. 3
A Life of Infection and Destruction	p. 3
The Deadly Disease	p. 6
A Very Common Disease	p. 6
A Little Bit of History	p. 8
Research	p. 10
Cholesterol	p. 10
Other Components	p. 11
Molecular Biology of the Lesion	p. 12
The Age of Statistics	p. 12
Animal Studies	p. 13
Modern View of the Lesion	p. 13
Atheroma Gruel	p. 17
Study of Fatty Gruel That Clogs Arteries	p. 17
Electron Microscope	p. 19
Electron Microscopic Features of Atheroma Gruel	p. 20
Discovery	p. 29
Does Atheroma Gruel Consist of Fat or Germs?	p. 29
Which Germ?	p. 30
A Chlamydia Germ	p. 31
Which Chlamydia Species?	p. 35
Some Unique Features of the Chlamydia Germ in Atheroma	p. 35
Not Conventional Chlamydia Species	p. 36
A New Chlamydia Species	p. 37
Other Chlamydia Species	p. 41
Identification of the Atheroma Germ	p. 43
Attempts at Identification of the Germ	p. 43
Positive Identification of Chlamydia TWAR	p. 45
Methods of Identification	p. 45
Publications, Presentations, and Confirmation	p. 48
Publications	p. 48
Presentations	p. 49
Confirmation	p. 50
Possible Special Strain of Chlamydia pneumoniae	p. 50
Chlamydia Are Inherent Components of Atheroma	p. 54
Serology Not Helpful	p. 54
Previous Journal Articles on Atheroma Contain Pictures of Unrecognized Chlamydia Germs	p. 55
Persons with Congenital Raised Cholesterol Contain Chlamydia pneumoniae Germs in Atheroma	p. 56
Are There Other Germs in Atheroma?	p. 57
Do Chlamydia Germs Cause Atherosclerosis?	p. 60
Determining Causality	p. 60
Statistical Criteria	p. 61
Koch's Postulates	p. 62
Does Eradication of Germ Prove Causality?	p. 62
No Disease Without Causal Agent	p. 63
Pathological Lesion Diagnosis	p. 64
Lesion Examination	p. 64
Lesion Diagnosis	p. 65
Inability to Diagnose Atheroma Lesion	p. 65
Study of Atheroma Lesions	p. 67
Steps in Atheroma Lesion Formation	p. 67
Aspects Requiring Reexamination	p. 68
Addressing the Problem of Atheroma Lesion Formation	p. 68
New Findings Concerning the Initial Lesion	p. 71
Initial Lesion	p. 71
Primary Muscle Damage	p. 72
Chlamydia Cause Muscle Cell Damage	p. 80
Fatty Streak Lesion	p. 82
Macrophage Infiltration	p. 82
Macrophages Phagocytose Fat, Germs, and Muscle	p. 82
Macrophage Reaction Resulting from Germs and Muscle Damage	p. 87
Formation of Fibronecrotic Plaque	p. 89
Formation of Atheroma Gruel	p. 89
Ceroid or Blighted Chlamydia Vacuoles?	p. 95
Cholesterol Crystallization	p. 98
Late Sequelae: Fibrosis, Calcification, and Angiogenesis	p. 101
Interpretation of Lesion	p. 104
Another Way to Look at the Lesion	p. 104
Assessment of Evidence	p. 109
What Do We Call the Lesion?	p. 111
Confirmatory Molecular Biological Studies	p. 112
Is Lymphocytic Infiltrate Caused by Chlamydia?	p. 112
Intimal Smooth Muscle Cell Damage	p. 113
Monocyte and Macrophage Infiltrate	p. 113
Endothelial Changes	p. 114
Collagen Formation	p. 114
Derivation of Lipid in Lesion	p. 117
Atheroma Lipid	p. 117
Chlamydia Lipid	p. 119
Cholesterol: Friend or Foe?	p. 121
Acceptance	p. 124
Old Ideas Do Not Change	p. 124
Rejection of New Ideas	p. 125
Diagnosis of Atheroma Lesions	p. 127
Serology	p. 128
Heat Shock Protein	p. 128
C-Reactive Protein	p. 128
Detection of Chlamydia in White Blood Cells and Blood	p. 129
Other Possible Tests	p. 129
Pathological Diagnosis	p. 129
Chlamydia Inclusion Bodies	p. 129
Electron Microscopy	p. 130
Immunohistochemical Detection	p. 130
Polymerase Chain Reaction	p. 130
Culture	p. 130
Treatment	p. 132
Antibiotic Sensitivity	p. 133
What Happens to the Lesion?	p. 134
Does the Lesion Change in Size?	p. 134
Does the Lesion Change in Character?	p. 135
Pathological Study	p. 137
Eradication of Germ	p. 138
Size of Lesion	p. 139
Stage of Lesion	p. 139
Decrease in Inflammation	p. 139
Fibrosis and Scar Formation	p. 139
Regeneration	p. 142
Does Treatment Increase Healing?	p. 142
Other Studies	p. 144
Animal Studies	p. 144
Retrospective Studies	p. 144
Secondary Prevention Trials	p. 145
Meta-Analysis	p. 147
Relevance of Clinical Trials	p. 147
Unconsidered Aspects	p. 147
Noncardiac Treatment Trials	p. 148
What Do We Know About Treatment of Atheroma Lesions?	p. 151
Physiology of the Heart	p. 151
What Causes a Heart Attack?	p. 152
Atherosclerosis Is Not the Same as Ischemic Heart Disease	p. 153
Other Treatment Possibilities	p. 155
Statins	p. 155
Aspirin	p. 156
Antihypertensive Agents	p. 157
New Innovative Agents	p. 157
Immunization	p. 158
Conclusion	p. 160
Glossary of Terms	p. 161
Index	p. 163
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