Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Acetylcholine (20 to 100 micrograms) was infused directly into coronary arteries in 10 patients with variant angina (group A), 13 subjects without coronary artery disease (group B) and 8 patients with significant organic coronary artery stenosis (greater than or equal to 50%) but without variant angina (group C) during coronary arteriography, to clarify the action of this agent on coronary arteries. Temporary pacing was performed at a demand heart rate of 40 beats/min while bradyarrhythmia developed. Coronary arteriography after administration of acetylcholine showed coronary vasoconstriction in all 10 patients (100%) of group A. Angina accompanied by electrocardiographic ischemic changes in 9 of 10 (90%, 7 ST-segment elevation and 2 depression) was provoked during this test. In the patients of group B, acetylcholine also induced vasoconstriction in 8 of 22 (36%) coronary arterial systems examined, chest pain in 3 (14%) and ST-segment deviation in none (0%). In the patients of group C, acetylcholine induced vasoconstriction in 3 of 9 (33%), chest pain in 2 (22%) and ST-segment depression in 1 (11%). No definite coronary artery dilation induced by acetylcholine was noted. Coronary vasoconstriction (p less than 0.05), electrocardiographic ischemic findings (p less than 0.01) and chest pain (p less than 0.01) were induced significantly more frequently in group A than in both groups B and group C. No significant difference was found between group B and group C. The coronary arteries in the patients with variant angina seem to be more susceptible to acetylcholine than those of patients without variant angina irrespective of the presence of significant atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Supersensitivity of coronary arteries in variant angina to spasm induced by intracoronary acetylcholine. 333 20

In the United States, more than 300,000 sudden cardiac deaths (SCD) occur each year, the most common underlying etiology of which is coronary heart disease (CHD). With increasing age, the proportion of cardiovascular causes among all natural sudden deaths increases, and the fraction of CHD deaths that are sudden decreases. The lower incidence of coronary atherosclerosis in women is reflected in their proportionately lower risk of SCD. There are no data suggesting specific hereditary factors in risk for SCD due to CHD. On an individual basis, the known risk factors for CHD cannot distinguish those at risk for SCD from those at risk for other manifestations of CHD. Pathologic studies of SCD victims have shown that extensive coronary atherosclerosis is a major marker; healed myocardial infarction is a common finding, as is myocardial hypertrophy. Nonatherosclerotic coronary artery abnormalities may be associated with SCD. Chronic congestive heart failure is a common cause of SCD. Other etiologies include inflammatory, infiltrative, neoplastic and degenerative processes, diseases of the cardiac valves, and primary electrophysiologic abnormalities. The largest group of prehospital cardiac arrest victims have ventricular fibrillation identified on initial contact, with their survival outcome being intermediate between patients with ventricular tachycardia (best outcome) and those with bradyarrhythmia or asystole (worst outcome) on initial contact.
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PMID:Sudden cardiac death: epidemiology, causes, and mechanisms. 362 Dec 77

A 0.5 kg, 5-yr-old male bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) presented with a 2-mo history of lethargy, anorexia, and impaired locomotion. Upon physical examination, bradyarrhythmia (heart rate: 20 beats/min) and balance disorders were noted. Electrocardiography revealed a first-degree atrioventricular block (P-R interval: 360 ms). On echocardiography, all cardiac chambers were slightly above normal ranges. Complete blood count, blood biochemistry, and T4 were unremarkable except for mildly elevated aspartate aminotransferase. Adenovirus testing was negative by polymerase chain reaction. Following euthanasia, necropsy revealed marked thickening of the arterial trunks and histopathology confirmed multifocal atherosclerosis of efferent heart vessels, arteriosclerosis of cerebral arterioles, and multifocal spongiosis of brain tissue, more pronounced in the optic chiasma. Owing to its severity, atherosclerosis may have contributed to chronic arterial hypertension with damages to the heart, brain vessels, and brain tissue-optic chiasma.
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PMID:HYPERTENSIVE HEART DISEASE AND ENCEPHALOPATHY IN A CENTRAL BEARDED DRAGON (POGONA VITTICEPS) WITH SEVERE ATHEROSCLEROSIS AND FIRST-DEGREE ATRIOVENTRICULAR BLOCK. 3126 Feb 20