Tiny trouble maker
Scientists attending the recent Annual Congress of European Society of Cardiology in Birmingham, UK, believe that the Chlamydia pneumoniae and Helicobacter pylori bacteria can cause heart attacks. People with coronary artery disease were observed having high levels of antibodies to these bacteria in their blood. The inflammation caused by the bacterial infection is said to lead to the narrowing of coronary arteries. Postmortem samples of diseased heart tissues revealed the presence of the bacteria. Scientists opine that it might be possible to detect individuals with greater risk of heart disease by checking the presence of these bacteria in their blood streams.