The Role of Immune Mechanisms in Cardiovascular Disease

An involvement of the immune system is suspected in various cardiovascular diseases. Recent advances in the fields of molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, and immunology have made it possible to identify several pathomechanisms. However, still more questions arise with regard to the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of immunologically mediated cardiovascular diseases. In this book, leading scientists and clinicians from different areas of cardiology present the state-of-the-art knowledge on the involve ment of the immune system in myocardial and vascular diseases. In the field of myocarditis, both the virological and the immunological findings are presented, and the interactions between the virus and the immune system are discussed. Since the cellular immune system and its mediators play an important role in the inflammation by bacteria that cause endocarditis and septic shock, studies investigating the underlying pathomechanisms are de scribed. Another major topic in this volume is the involvement of the immune system in arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease, which represents an important problem in clinical cardiology. The final chapter addresses the question of therapeutic options, presenting new approaches for a specific and effective therapy based on the current knowledge of immunologically mediated cardiovascular diseases.