Clinicians need greater understanding of vascular inflammation

Understanding the mechanisms of inflammation will enable clinicians to better manage patients at risk of cardiovascular disease, as was discussed during the Vascular Inflammation symposium on the first day of the ESC2012.

Different markers indicate different inflammatory reactions

During this symposium Professor Filippo Crea from the Institute of Cardiology, Rome, Italy, discussed the advances that have been made in the field of vascular inflammation.

“It is now clear that the notion of vascular inflammation is ready to enter the clinical arena,” he stated, adding that: “If inflammation is persistent, it will result in plaque formation after many years. We need to know more about mechanisms of plaque activators”.