Fisiopatología y marcadores del síndrome coronario agudo sin elevación del segmento ST

The last two decades have seen especially important advances in our knowledge of the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. This brief review concerns aspects of pathophysiology that are frequently overlooked. It does not deal with the more common topics that can be found easily in the literature. Topics discussed here include Glagov's theory, the importance of plaque activity (irrespective of plaque stenosis severity), an update on the relevance of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection to the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, the effect of lymphocytes on plaque activity (in addition to the well-known effect of macrophages), the role of high-density lipoproteins beyond that in reverse cholesterol transport, and some necessary words about diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Finally, the usefulness of biologic markers in the clinical management of ischemic cardiopathy is reviewed.