The Fire Within – Inflammation Fuels Cardiovascular Disease

At the center of his talk was a paradigm shift: cardiovascular diseases are not merely the result of risk factors such as cholesterol, but are significantly shaped by the immune system. Chronic inflammatory processes contribute to the development and progression of atherosclerosis, the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. At the same time, immune cells play a crucial role in determining how well the heart can regenerate after a myocardial infarction.

Prof. Hilgendorf demonstrated how differently immune responses can act: while certain inflammatory processes damage tissue and worsen disease outcomes, others are essential for healing and regeneration. The key, therefore, is not simply to suppress the immune system, but to regulate it in a targeted way.

This is precisely where modern cardioimmunology comes in. New research approaches aim to modulate inflammatory processes with precision, making therapies more individualized and effective. In the future, this could open the door not only to treating heart disease, but to directly addressing its underlying causes.

You can watch the full lecture by Prof. Dr. Ingo Hilgendorf in German in the video below.