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RISK FACTORS FOR HEART ATTACK: INFECTIONS AND CONTRACEPTIVE PILLS
It has yet to be proven that chronic inflammations are part of the risk factor profile, although certain studies show this result. Our youngest coronary infarction patient was an apprentice 17 years of age who not only smoked.3 packs a day, but also suffered from a urinary tract infection. This infection may have been an additional risk factor, because the heart attack occurred during the acute stage of his pyelitis. Similarly a patient with tonsillitis who mistreated his infection with sauna and running at the beach suffered a heart attack during the acute stage of his tonsillitis. Because of the possible role infection plays in heart attacks, we think that chronic inflammations (such as dental abscess, chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis, and gall bladder and kidney infections) should be treated immediately and vigorously.
If a woman is not affected by any of the above mentioned risk factors it is very unlikely that the contraceptive pill per se will cause coronary heart disease or a heart attack. However, she does risk a heart attack if other risk factors are present and she takes the pill for several years. For this reason women consulting a gynecologist about the pill are checked for the presence of other risk factors such as hypertension, elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as for smoking, overweight, and a positive family history. The combination of the pill with cigarette smoking is especially dangerous.
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Cardio & Blood |
