Let us take the case of Mr. X, who has had a myocardial infarction. Despite blood pressure control, weight management, statin prescription, and aspirin therapy, Mr. X now develops a second myocardial infarction. As this is not a very highly unusual situation, let us dwell on how it could have happened.
While a host of reasons, including glucose control, high triglycerides, high LDL particle number, increase in small dense LDL and lipoprotein (a) could all have been among the postulated culprits, this article will focus on another burning issue: inflammation. Inflammation is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. It is also well known that obesity and the metabolic syndrome are associated with inflammation. Hence it has been suggested that a healthy lifestyle ─ well-balanced diet, exercise and quitting smoking can all improve inflammation. Aspirin is also thought to have…
