The effect of oxygen deficiency on the development experimental atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries

Summary

Experiments were performed on rabbits. The author studied the effect of prolonged hypoxia on the development of aortic and coronary atherosclerosis in experimentally induced cholesterol atherosclerosis. Oxygen deficiency was attained by placing the animals daily into a chamber with decreased oxygen content (down to 12%) for 3–6 hours, for 4 months.

It was shown that prolonged hypoxia brings about a high hypercholesteremia and greatly intensifies the development of aortic and coronary atherosclerosis.

Prolonged hypoxia considerable increases stenosing atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries and causes severe dystrophic changes in the cardiac muscle in the form of numerous necroses of certain groups of muscular fibers and also always results in the development of diffuse cardiosclerosis in all cases.