Posted on 04/29/2005 5:37:26 PM PDT by neverdem
VITAL SIGNS
Treatments: Artery Cleanup Misses Its Mark
A common bacterium has been found in the plaque that builds up in the coronary arteries, and infection with it may be linked to cardiovascular illness.
With that in mind, researchers suspected that giving heart patients an antibiotic to knock out the bacterium might reduce their risk of more cardiac problems.
But, the drugs do not seem to help at all, two new studies in The New England Journal of Medicine report.
"The testing of these agents for the treatment of advanced coronary heart disease appears to be at the end of the road," concluded an editorial in the journal by Dr. Jeffrey L. Anderson of the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Still, infection's role in heart disease remains very much an issue.
In one study, about 4,000 men and women were given either a once-a-week antibiotic or a placebo for a year, and then were followed up for an average of almost four years. All the participants had stable coronary artery disease after having various problems or procedures.
The study found that those who had been given the drug suffered the same number of new heart problems as those who did not.
The second study also looked at about 4,000 patients, but used a different drug for two weeks and then for 10 days a month over about two years. It, too, found no difference between those people given the drug and those given a placebo.
Dr. J. Thomas Grayston of the University of Washington and Dr. Christopher P. Cannon of Harvard led the studies.
Azithromycin for the Secondary Prevention of Coronary Events
Antibiotic Treatment of Chlamydia pneumoniae after Acute Coronary Syndrome
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Thanks for the link.
nanobacteria freak me out.
Well.....maybe they should give the antibiotic MORE than ONCE a week???
Great link on nanobacteria - the calcium shells would seem to require more than antibiotics more than once a week.
I was always intrigued by bacteria link between ulcers and plaque - this seems to make sense.
And maybe they should give it prospectively to people who do not already have plaque build-up.
Association Between Nanobacteria and Periodontal Disease
Attempted Isolation of Nanobacterium sp. Microorganisms from Upper Urinary Tract Stones
Inhibition of Nanobacteria by Antimicrobial Drugs as Measured by a Modified Microdilution Method
An alternative interpretation of nanobacteria-induced biomineralization
Nanobacteria and associated ‘elementary bodies’ in human disease and cancer
I wonder how many folks became ill with yeast or some other fungus, especially in the other study.
Well....I'm taking minocycline 2x a day.....long term.....I'll let you know if it works....LOL (THIS is kind of interesting to me, as I've got some kind of inflammation problem, which MAY be Lyme Disease....the Rheum Docs want it to be Rheumatoid Arthritis....but, I'm fairly confident it is NOT.....I'm still trying to get it figured out.)
See Post 12.....I haven't had a problem YET....and it's been about 7 months.....
See Post 12.....I haven't had a problem YET....and it's been about 7 months.....
Elevated ANA but negative RA?
NO....don't think my ANA was even elevated much....but, I'd have to check for sure. How ya doin?
NO....don't think my ANA was even elevated much....but, I'd have to check for sure. How ya doin?
Sorry for all the double posts....I'm having computer problems....OBVIOUSLY.
I started with an elevated ANA and negative RA, and after a year, positive RA.
I'm doing okay. I'm still using high-dose aspirin and staying away from the nightshade family, and taking myrrh capsules, and using 1-2 Ultram 50 per day.
And I'm able to be very active, physically. Occasionally I am REALLY tired for no reason, but other than that, I'm doing okay. My pain level is in the tolerable range. Hand joints swell and subside on a daily basis.
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