Results from a recent large scale clinical trial involving anti-inflammatory therapy with canakinumab for atherosclerotic disease targeting inflammation rather than lipids confirm that the inflammatory hypothesis of atherosclerosis is correct.
Chinese medicine may be a promising adjuvant therapy for coronary artery disease due to its safety and pleiotropic effects such as anti-platelet, anti-inflammatory, lipid regulating, microcirculation improving, and endothelium protective properties.
Chinese medicine is being increasingly applied to anti-inflammatory treatment of coronary artery disease. Combining Chinese medicine with Western medicine is believed to be a sound strategy for combating inflammation, which is the root cause of heart disease. A paper published in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine may provide new perspective on the use of Chinese medicine for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
