Ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of death worldwide (WHO) and in Ireland. Ischemic heart disease means that the heart is not getting enough blood to work properly. This usually happens because fatty lumps, called “atherosclerosis”, form on the inside of blood vessels making them narrower. These lumps form slowly as people get older. One important step in their development is movement of some types of white blood cells into the blood vessel wall where they take up fat and get bigger. If the plaque gets large enough, it can cause chest pain on walking (angina). Sometimes one of the lumps can rupture suddenly and a clot will form inside the blood vessel, blocking it completely. When this happens some of the heart muscle stops getting any blood and dies. This is known as a myocardial infarction or “heart attack”.
Some people develop atherosclerosis more quickly than others. Lifestyle factors, like smoking or an unhealthy diet are important but do not explain all variation between people. Doctors and scientists think that differences between people’s white blood cells may be particularly important in why some people develop atherosclerosis more quickly than others.
This research will compare white blood cells from people with ischemic heart disease to white blood cells of people without ischemic heart disease. We will find out whether looking for differences between these cells could help us to better understand why atherosclerosis happens. This is an important step in finding new ways to treat and prevent atherosclerosis.
