Pathophysiology of Acute Coronary Syndrome

• Published in: Current atherosclerosis reports Vol. 16; no. 4; p. 401
• Main Authors: Santos-Gallego, Carlos G., Picatoste, Belen, Badimón, Juan José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-04-2014
• Subjects: Acute Coronary Syndrome - immunology; Acute Coronary Syndrome - physiopathology; Acute Coronary Syndrome - therapy; Angiology; Animals; Atherosclerosis - immunology; Atherosclerosis - therapy; Cardiology; Coronary Artery Disease - immunology; Coronary Artery Disease - therapy; Coronary Heart Disease (JA Farmer; Coronary Thrombosis - immunology; Coronary Thrombosis - therapy; Humans; Inflammation - immunology; Inflammation - therapy; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Section Editor; Topical Collection on Coronary Heart Disease; Calcified nodule; Plaque rupture; Platelet; Pathophysiology; Adaptative immune response; Atherosclerosis; Inflammation; Acute coronary syndrome; Plaque erosion; Innate immune response; Macrophage
• ISSN: 1523-3804; 1534-6242
• DOI: 10.1007/s11883-014-0401-9

Despite improvements in interventional and pharmacological therapy for atherosclerotic disease, it is still the leading cause of death in the developed world. Hence, there is a need for further development of more effective therapeutic approaches. This requires better understanding of the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiology of the disease. Recent research in the last decade has changed our view of acute coronary syndrome (ACS): from a mere lipid deposition to an inflammatory disease; from ACS exclusively due to plaque rupture to the novel definitions of plaque erosion or calcified nodule; from the notion of a superimposed thrombus with necessary lethal consequences to the concept of healed plaques and thrombus contributing to plaque progression. In the hope of improving our understanding of ACS, all these recently discovered concepts are reviewed in this article.