Chlamydia atherosclerosis lesion: Discovery, diagnosis, and treatment

Abstract

Several viruses, including herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, and coxsackie B virus, have been implicated in heart disease. Recent work has suggested that atherosclerosis or atheroma - the disease responsible for myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral vascular and other major vascular problems - is not simply caused by dietary factors but also Chlamydia pneumoniae infection. This discovery changes the concept of cardiovascular disease, which will have a profound effect on hundreds of millions of people and is of wide interest to modern cardiovascular medicine. Atherosclerosis Lesion: Discovery, Diagnosis and Treatment presents current understanding on the specific pathological features of the C. pneumoniae arterial lesion and the unique morphological features and life cycle of C. pneumoniae in atheromatous arteries. It is important for every medical practitioner to be aware of this disease. All internal medicine physicians, intensivists, family medicine practitioners, infectious disease and immunology physicians should be aware of the impact of C. pneumoniae, the specific pathological features, and methods of diagnosing the lesion. This book presents a unique review of this important clinical issue. © Springer-Verlag London Limited 2007.