Objective:

To investigate the potential role of infectious processes in the onset and progression of heart disease, specifically challenging traditional views that focus solely on cholesterol and lifestyle factors.

Key Findings:

• Bacterial DNA from oral bacteria was found in coronary plaques, suggesting a link between oral health and heart disease.
• Inflammatory responses were triggered by the detected bacteria, indicating they were not mere contaminants and may play a role in disease progression.
• Middle-aged victims of sudden cardiac death had more dental infections compared to those who died from other causes, highlighting a potential risk factor.

Interpretation:

The presence of oral bacteria in atherosclerotic plaques suggests that infectious agents may contribute to chronic inflammation and heart disease, challenging the assumption that inflammation is solely due to autoimmune responses to oxidized LDL, and indicating a need for a paradigm shift in understanding heart disease.

Limitations:

• Initial findings were based on postmortem samples, raising contamination concerns that could affect the interpretation of results.
• Current methods are not yet adapted for routine diagnostic use in clinical settings, limiting immediate application.

Conclusion:

Future research will include an antibiotics trial to assess the impact of early antibiotic treatment on myocardial infarction outcomes, which could lead to new therapeutic strategies, and further explore the relationship between bacterial biofilms and plaque calcification.