Atherosclerosis remains the number one cause for all vascular disease of human beings. It probably kills more patients than all other causes put together .
Modern medicine has never conquered the disease. How the vascular system ages and why some develop premature atherosclerosis remains largely speculative. While it is true , we have identified some major risk factor for development and progression of the atherosclerosis , patients with out any of those risk factors do develop severe atherosclerosis !So researchers sought to look for some other risk factors . There lies the difficulty and irony .
We always tend to the research with the affected population .When we know millions of people with the so called risk factors live comfortably , there lies an opportunity to analyse why they are protected against the onslaught of atherosclerosis .It is always convenient to blame it or bless it on the genetic predisposition .But we need to look beyond that .Of course . every genetic expression has to manifest phenotypically .
While the search for all those hidden secrets has to continue , we should also realize in pursuit of breakthrough we some times waste our energy in false targets for too many decades !
The reality as on today is , there is no reliable & undisputed drug available to arrest atherosclerosis (Some would love to call statin so . . . )
While our basic science colleagues struggle in molecular factories and biological models in pursuit of answer against atherosclerosis , our elite cardiac physicians carry on with the cosmetic touches over this progressive disease in sophisticated cath labs.
Let us hope man prevails over nature . . .
A cartoon , Just for laughs . . .
Dr.S.Venkatesan MD 