La inflamación como un factor causal emergente de la enfermedad cardiovascular

Atherosclerosis is involved in the development of cardiovascular disease, which is one of the major causesof death worldwide. Several risk factors related with the development of this disease, either classic ornewly recognized have been determined. Recent studies have revealed that inflammation has a main rolein the development of atherosclerosis. The immune system cells are present in all the stages of theatherosclerotic lesions evolution and their effector molecules can accelerate the progression of the diseaseand orchestrate the inflammation mechanisms induced in the acute coronary syndromes. The criticalevidence involves the innate as well as adaptive immunity in all the stages of atherosclerosis. Amongst thecomponents responsible for the process of atherosclerosis are macrophages, lymphocytes, dendritic cells,mast cells, NK cells and humoral molecules such as antibodies, proinflammatory cytokines, complementfactors, acute-phase reactants and other components such as adhesion molecules and heat shock proteins.A number of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular disease have been recognized basedon the knowledge of the role of the immune system in the development of atherosclerosis.