Occult fungal infection is the underlying pathogenic cause of atherogenesis

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Medical Hypotheses

Volume 63, Issue 4 , 2004, Pages 671-674

doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2003.12.050

Copyright © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occult fungal infection is the underlying pathogenic cause of

atherogenesis

P. S. R. K. Sastry,

Jaslok Hospital, Research Centre, 15, D.G. Deshmukh Marg, Pedder

centre, Mumbai, India

Received 22 April 2003; accepted 9 December 2003. Available online

6 May 2004.

Abstract

Atherosclerosis is the underlying cause of coronary heart disease

(CHD). Atherogenesis is supposed to result from response to injury

and is considered an inflammatory condition. A variety of infectious

agents have been investigated as the underlying risk factor for

atherogenesis, however, none have been proved to be causally linked.

Also several interventions against these agents have not been proved

to be of benefit in trials. The role of fungal infection, however,

has not been explored in sufficient detail. Baldness particularly

male pattern baldness and coronary artery disease have been linked

in several epidemiological studies. There is some evidence that this

type of baldness could be due to fungal infection and this link is

being established even though traditionally male pattern baldness

was associated with androgen effect. Seborrheic dermatitis and

Pityrosporum infection have been causally linked and the benefit

derived from antifungal shampoo in male pattern baldness, gives

further credence to the link with fungal infection. Here it is being

hypothesized that fungal infection is the underlying risk factor for

both baldness and CHD. Several interventions, which have proved

beneficial in CHD like statins and drug coated stents, also have

anti-fungal effects, lending further credence to the present

hypothesis.

Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-22-5660-3021/5598-3052; fax: +91-22-

24950508

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