Home – Home – Jornals – The journal "Ateroskleroz" 2013 number 3-4

By the beginning of the 21st century, there are more than 25 hypotheses and «theories» of atherosclerosis. 240 factors contributing to the emergence of atherosclerotic changes in the vascular wall have been described. In recent years, a lot of authors are inclined to the view that atherosclerosis is a chronic immune inflammatory process, which proceeds like hypersensitivity reaction of the delayed type. Inflammatory reactions, both during the decompensation of chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency, and atherosclerosis in general, can be caused by persistent infection of brachiocephalic, cerebral and coronary arteries. The aim of this work was to explore and analyze the foreign studies to determine the role of infections in the development of atherosclerotic changes in vessels. It was found that various infectious agents may be involved in the development of atherosclerosis both individually and in combination. Bacteria and viruses can participate in the formation and destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques leading to endothelial damage, launching systemic immune reactions, inducing cell infiltration and production of proinflammatory factors, initiating coagulation in the endothelium. To date there is no consensus about what is the role of infectious pathogens in atherosclerotic inflammation – are they a primary cause or just «bystanders» that potentiate the already started process.