Researchers in a recent study have found a potential treatment for heart diseases that follow after a heart attack.
The study was conducted by the researchers from the Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) and the University of Sydney and was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The study has shown that a protein therapy-recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-AB (rhPDGF-AB) can improve the outcomes that follow myocardial infarction.
Formations of scar tissues follow a heart attack which leads to negative effects in the heart function.
The researchers found out that by infusing rhPDGF in subjects that have been through heart attacks can improve the quality of the scar. This, in turn, leads to the formation of blood vessels inside the heart and lesser rates of irregularities of heart rhythm which is the major cause of sudden death.
"By improving cardiac function and scar formation following a heart attack, treatment with rhPDGF-AB led to an overall increase in survival rate in our study. We found that rhPDGF-AB led to increased scar collagen fibre alignment and strength. This improved heart function after the heart attack" said the lead researcher James Chong.
After myocardial infarction, muscles of the heart generally get damaged which causes the formation of thick scar tissues which can limit the ability of the heart to function properly and also increases the risk of sudden cardiac death.
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