NHLBI-funded researchers have found that treating psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, with biologic drugs that target immune system activity can reduce the early plaque buildup that clogs arteries, restricts blood flow, and leads to heart attacks and stroke. The findings, published in the journal Cardiovascular Research, highlight how immunotherapies that treat inflammatory conditions might play a role in the reduction of cardiovascular disease risks.
"Classically a heart attack is caused by one of five risk factors: diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, family history, or smoking," said Nehal N. Mehta, M.D., head of the Lab of Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases at NHLBI. "Our study presents evidence that there is a sixth factor, inflammation; and that it is critical to both the development and the progression of atherosclerosis to heart attack."