Correspondence Address:
Sim Sai Tin
Professor, Medical Center, Shantou
China

Full Text

Sir,

We would like to discuss about the publication "Infectious agents and acute myocardial infarction." [1] Shrikhande et al. noted for "the role of infections in the etiology of acute myocardial infarction in study population." [1] In fact, the relationship between infections and acute myocardial infarction is a forgotten issue in medicine. According to a prospective study by Zhu et al., "infection plays an important role in incident myocardial infarction or death and the risk posed by infection is independently related to the pathogen burden." [2] However, there remained a question on the pathophysiological process that whether infection might lead to acute myocardial infarction. In the present report, [1] only Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae were investigated. The role of these pathogens in the cardiopathogenic process still requires further study for clarification. Indeed, there are also other infections that might relate to acute myocardial infarction. The viral infection is a good example. To conclude, for investigating the role of infection, other specific infections should be evaluated. Also, to support the epidemiological finding, the pathogenic explanation must be sought. The Koch's postulation must be fulfilled for conclusion.

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