“Fascinating insight”: Inflamed cells circulating in bloodstream

Chronic inflammation rears its ugly head. This time, as inflamed, deformed cells circulating in the bloodstream at the beginning of a heart attack. According to Science News:

In people experiencing the opening throes of a heart attack, cells from the inner lining of blood vessels — called endothelial cells — get set adrift in the bloodstream.

Cardiologist and study investigator Dr. Eric Topol observes:

 These are sick cells that have been subjected to profound inflammation. (emphasis added)

Cardiologist Christopher Boos, not involved in the study, calls this new finding “a fascinating insight,” but notes it is “very much in the exploratory phase.”

According to the researchers, the number of these inflamed circulating endothelial cells per unit, know as the cell count, “may serve as a promising clinical measure for the prediction of atherosclerotic plaque rupture events.”

You can access the abstract in Science Translational Medicine here. Learn more about the dangers of chronic inflammation in the posts below: 

• Quote: Adiposity causes inflammation of the hypothalamus
• Inflammation impairs frontal lobe brain function
• Brain Health: Fish oil helps maintain brain volume
• An "Insight of the Decade": Chronic inflammation kills