Premature Atherosclerosis in Premenopausal Women: Does Cytokine Balance Play a Role?

Contributory risk factors to premature coronary artery disease (CAD) in premenopausal women are poorly understood and data on this subset of women is lacking. There is growing evidence that the process of inflammation is a part of the atherosclerotic process. Mechanistic insights from animal work suggest that the profile of circulating cytokines reflects both endothelial integrity and the presence of immune and progenitor cells. Significant differences in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations between patients with and without CAD exist.

Source: Medical Hypotheses - September 21, 2017 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Jo-Ann Eastwood, Doris A Taylor, B. Delia Johnson, Micheline Resende, Barry L.Sharaf, Bina Ahmed, Margo Minissian, Chrisandra Shufelt, Noel Bairey Merz Source Type: research