Research is proving that there is a relationship between a particular immune cell and instances of heart failure in younger people. The question of why some heart inflammation heals while some deteriorates into heart failure is being studied by looking at mice. In particular, the mice are studied for the behavior of a certain immune cell called eosinophils. The researchers have performed several studies which show related steps in the progression from heart inflammation to heart failure. The hope is that the findings will provide a basis to understand the most effective way to stop or to treat the progression of the disease in humans.
Key Takeaways:
- Myocarditis, can rarely lead to a condition causing heart failure in the young.
- Infections in the body trigger disease-fighting cells, which in the case of an inflammation reaching the heart (myocarditis,) can lead to those cells entering and weakening the heart.
- Those rare individuals who react with heart failure, rather than by fighting off the infection, seem to have lower amounts of a specific immune cell.
“Heart inflammation, or myocarditis, is a disorder usually caused by an infection reaching the heart.”
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