By Mark Johnson, M.S. Senior Director of Surgery
Heart disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in developed nations. Classically, cardiovascular disease (CVD) was thought to be a buildup of fat on the arterial wall that eventually blocks blood flow, leading to a heart attack or stroke. However, the process also involves inflammatory responses that impact the endothelial cell lining of the arteries. The source of this inflammation includes infectious agents, e.g., herpes viruses and Chlamydia pneumonia, as well as smoking, hyperglycemia, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and sheer stress on the vessel wall as a result of hypertension.