Common, chronic bacterial infections, including lung and urinary tract infections, as well as gum disease, may increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a build-up of fatty plaques in the arteries that could lead to heart attack, study findings suggest.

During the 5-year study, people with chronic bacterial infections were nearly three times more likely to develop new plaques in carotid arteries, which are the large arteries in the neck that deliver blood to the brain.

A buildup of fat in the neck arteries can increase the risk of stroke, and is a sign that heart arteries may be clogged as well.

But the researchers cautioned that widespread use of antibiotics to fight chronic infections -- and hopefully prevent atherosclerosis -- is not justified.

Previous research has suggested a link between infections and heart attacks, but few studies have examined the relationship between infections and atherosclerosis, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.

During the study, 41% of participants developed new plaques in their carotid arteries. People who had chronic infections were 2.78 times more likely to develop new plaques than people who did not have any infections.

But not all infections were linked to an increased risk of atherosclerosis. The study found that only bacterial infections, not infections caused by viruses like cytomegalovirus, the herpes zoster virus or hepatitis B or C, increased the risk of artery disease.

Researchers suspect that infection-related inflammation may play a role in the increased risk. Patients with infections who had high levels of inflammation tended to have a greater risk of atherosclerosis. Another possible explanation, according to the authors, is that bacterial infections may trigger the immune system to turn against itself. This so-called autoimmune response may damage vessels, making it easier for fatty deposits to accumulate.

Circulation February 27, 2001;103:1064-1070

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Clearly, bacterial infections are a powerful mechanism of disease. The confusion many people have, including health care professionals, is that the bacteria are responsible for the disease. Nothing could be further from the truth. One's weakened immune system that opens the door for these infections to come in is usually the causal factor. This is actually good news. If we had to focus our resources on avoiding bacteria we could only be partially successful. However, if we change our Total Health Program and work on the psychoemotional wounding that most of us have, we can normalize our adrenal hormones and radically improve our immune system so we can prevent future infections and recover from any current ones. The unfortunate and complicating issue in most cases is that once the "horse is out of the barn" and one has a serious bacterial infection, it frequently is necessary to use antibiotics to recover from the illness. Related Articles: Ulcer Bacteria Linked to Heart Disease Anger Expression Ups