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Pathophysiology of Acute Coronary Syndrome

  • Coronary Heart Disease (JA Farmer, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Atherosclerosis Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite improvements in interventional and pharmacological therapy for atherosclerotic disease, it is still the leading cause of death in the developed world. Hence, there is a need for further development of more effective therapeutic approaches. This requires better understanding of the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiology of the disease. Recent research in the last decade has changed our view of acute coronary syndrome (ACS): from a mere lipid deposition to an inflammatory disease; from ACS exclusively due to plaque rupture to the novel definitions of plaque erosion or calcified nodule; from the notion of a superimposed thrombus with necessary lethal consequences to the concept of healed plaques and thrombus contributing to plaque progression. In the hope of improving our understanding of ACS, all these recently discovered concepts are reviewed in this article.

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Carlos G. Santos-Gallego, Belen Picatoste, and Juan José Badimón declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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  1. Atherothrombosis Research Unit, The Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave Levy Place, Box 1030, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Carlos G. Santos-Gallego, Belen Picatoste & Juan José Badimón

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  1. Carlos G. Santos-Gallego
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  2. Belen Picatoste
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  3. Juan José Badimón
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Correspondence to Juan José Badimón.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Coronary Heart Disease

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Santos-Gallego, C.G., Picatoste, B. & Badimón, J.J. Pathophysiology of Acute Coronary Syndrome. Curr Atheroscler Rep 16, 401 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-014-0401-9

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