Heart cases linked to infections

WASHINGTON - Studies strengthen theories that infections may be linked with heart disease in some cases.

People infected with herpes simplex, the virus that causes cold sores, are twice as likely to have a heart attack or die from heart disease as uninfected people, says a University of Washington study.

A University of California study found that bacteria linked with heart disease ride into the circulatory system in immune-system cells.

A third study, also by University of California researchers, has found that patients with symptoms of infection have poorer blood flow and are more likely to suffer the blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes.

"Infections are of interest, in part, because of the increasing attention paid to the role of inflammation in heart disease," says Dr David Siscovick, professor of medicine and epidemiology, who led the first study.

- REUTERS