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Researchers say that may have discovered a finding that will help improve the understanding of cardiovascular diseases. Every year, about 1.2 million people in the United States will have a coronary attack and about half will die, according to the American Heart Association.
The researchers say endothelial cells, which line arteries, can produce C-reactive protein. It was already known that C-reactive protein is produced in the liver, and the finding that endothelial cells also produce C-reactive protein may help explain how plaque begins to form in arteries.
C-reactive protein is a risk marker for heart disease, and the finding is especially significant because endothelial cells are supposed to protect arteries from C-reactive protein. Discovering endothelial cells also produce C-reactive protein may help explain how plaque begins to form in arteries, according to the researchers.
According to a researcher, Ishwarlal Jialal, their finding indicates endothelial cells may help foster buildup of C-reactive protein as plaque accumulates on the inside of artery walls, which might encourage plaque rupture that can trigger heart attack or stroke.
Coronary heart disease is currently the leading cause of death in the U.S.