Physicians from Cholesterol and Metabolism Center at The Jewish Hospital Publish Findings on Treatment of Serious Cardiac Condition in American Journal of Cardiology
--The Jewish Hospital
CincinnatiCharles Glueck, MD, Medical Director, Cholesterol and Metabolism Center at The Jewish Hospital was lead author on new findings related to treatment of Prinzmetals angina, a serious cardiac condition, published in the American Journal of Cardiology on March 15, 2010. Coauthors include Jitender Munjal, MD, Ayub Khan, MD, Muhammad Umar, MD, and Ping Wang, MD.
Anginal pain, or chest pain, usually reflects reduced blood flow and oxygenation to the heart muscle due to cholesterol-laden plaques which block flow. Sometimes, however, anginal pain occurs, often at rest, when there is no significant plaque in the artery, and this can be shown to be caused by intermittent spasm of the artery, thus reducing oxygenation to heart. This is a serious problem, called Prinzmetals angina, occasionally leading to myocardial infarction (heart attack), but more commonly causing recurrent severe anginal pain.
Prinzmetals angina can be treated with nitroglycerine, long acting nitrates, and calcium channel blocking drugs, which often, but not always, provide pain relief. In the past, the cause of the coronary artery spasm has not been understood, and there was no treatment except symptomatic.
In their original data publication in the American Journal of Cardiology, published March 15, 2010, Dr. Charles Glueck and colleagues at The Jewish Hospital Cholesterol and Metabolism Center have reported the following important new information:
1. Patients with Prinzmetals angina are much more likely than normals to have a mutation in the eNOS gene (eNOS T786C mutation), which reduces the bodys ability to process the amino acid, L-arginine, into nitric oxide (NO), the most powerful vasodilator of the coronary arteries. The result is coronary artery spasm leading to reduced oxygenation of the heart muscle, anginal pain, and, sometimes, myocardial infarction and dangerous irregular heart beat.
2. By providing 9 g/day of L-arginine, the amino acid building block for NO (Arginaid), Glueck et al have reported significant symptomatic relief from Prinzmetals Angina, probably because more NO is being produced.
3. Understanding the cause for Prinzmetals Angina opens approaches to improved medical therapies, and opens a simple, inexpensive, avenue to over the counter therapy which benefits this serious cardiac condition.
The Cholesterol and Metabolism Center at The Jewish Hospital is an outpatient center located at 3200 Burnet Ave. that specializes in the prevention and treatment of heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, clotting disorders, and endocrine, diabetes and thyroid disorders. Many patients participate in primarily investigator-initiated basic and clinical research protocols. Patients come from across the globe for treatment at the Cholesterol and Metabolism Center.
The Jewish Hospital, founded in 1850, is a 200-bed acute care teaching hospital. Services offered include open-heart surgery, interventional cardiology, the regions only blood and marrow transplant center, emergency, major surgery, Cholesterol & Metabolism Center, bariatric surgery, medical weight loss, mobile mammography and others. The Jewish Hospital is a member of Mercy Health Partners. Learn more at www.jewishhospitalcincinnati.com.
Mercy Health Partners is a comprehensive healthcare network with care-delivery sites throughout Greater Cincinnati. Mercy encompasses six award-winning hospitals, eight senior living communities, primary care practices, imaging/diagnostic centers, social service agencies, urgent care centers, health and wellness centers, weight loss management and a variety of outreach and ambulatory centers. To learn more visit www.e-mercy.com.
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