Heart Disease Ages Arteries Faster

Arteries of people suffering from heart disease age much faster than those of normal people, a new study by the British Heart Foundation has found. Experts from the study warn arteries of patients with advanced heart disease can be as many as 40 years older than the actual age of the patient.

According to the study, a 50 year old man in the most advanced stages of heart disease would have arteries normally found in a 90 year old man. The research was carried out by researchers from Cambridge University by examining the tissues of patients who had undergone heart bypass surgery and heart transplants. Researchers mapped the ageing process of artery cells in the tissues of these patients.

Experts managed to identify accelerated telomere damage – a biological marker of DNA ageing by studying the smooth muscle cells of the diseased blood vessels from the heart patients. They found artery cells in heart patients dividing seven to 13 times faster than normal, leading to premature ageing of the arteries.

This faster ageing robs artery cells of the self-repairing ability normally found in younger cells. Due to decreased functionality, the artery cells lose their ability to prevent fat deposition. This in turn can cause the arteries to narrow and lead to heart attacks.

Scientists also found the effect of heart disease was directly proportional to its stage – more advanced the disease, higher the degree of cell deterioration. Professor Martin Bennett, BHF Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences, whose group at the university led the research, said, “In early stages of heart disease, the arteries are between five and 15 years older than the person’s real age.

“If you have mild heart disease and can limit your risk factors by stopping smoking, controlling hypertension and diabetes, and taking statins to lower cholesterol, you will slow this ageing process.”

Professor Martin and his team hope their findings will help boost research aimed at stopping heart attacks.

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