ANTIBIOTICS PREVENT HEART ATTACKS
Report #7162
A study in the medical journal, Circulation, shows that taking antibiotics may prevent heart attacks.
Men who had had heart attacks were tested for infection with a common bacteria called chlamydia. Those who were infected were four times more likely to suffer a second heart attack as those who were not infected with chlamydia, but those patients who were treated with azithromycin, an antibiotics that kills chlamydia, were not at increased risk for suffering heart attacks.
This is truly exciting research. It confirms a host of recent papers associating infections with chlamydia and mycoplasma /with heart attacks (2,3). Chronic infections can cause an irritation, called inflammation, of the inner linings of blood vessels, which damages blood vessels and starts the formation of plaques. Then, the infection can also cause the blood vessels to the heart to close completely causing a part of the heart muscle to die and you to suffer a heart attack. This recent research does not mean that you can forget about the other factors that cause heart attacks. To prevent heart attacks, eat a low fat, high-fiber diet, avoid being overweight and smoking, lower high blood pressure, and exercise. Also treat any chronic infection in your body. See report #1812.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
1) Gupta S et al. Circulation 1997;96:404-407. 2) Ridker PM et al. Inflammation, aspirin and the risk of cadiovascular disease in
apparently healthy men. NEJM 1997(April 3);336(14):973-979. 3) TC Moazed, CC Kuo, JT Grayston, LA Campbell. Murine models of
Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and atherosclerosis. Journal of Infectious Diseases 175: 4
(APR 1997):883-890. 4) S Wallbergjonsson, ML Ohman, SR Dahlqvist. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in
patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in northern Sweden. Journal of
Rheumatology 24: 3 (MAR 1997):445- 451. Mortality and death due to CVD and IHD were in
both sexes increased in seropositive RA. Male sex and high age at disease onset predicted
death and cardiovascular event.
Reported 7/23/97; checked 9/5/05