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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : May 14, 2014 3:29 PM IST
Heart muscle cells can retain the ability to replicate long after birth, researchers have claimed, contradicting the previous theory that these cells stop duplicating just after birth. The study, carried out on mice, also showed that in response to a surge in thyroid hormone, heart muscle cells undergo an intense 24 hour 'burst' of division in preadolescence. During this burst, the number of heart muscle cells increase by more than 40 per cent, or half a million cells, and compared with later in development, the ability of the heart to recover after injury was enhanced.
This response is essential for the heart to meet the increased circulatory needs of the body during a period of rapid growth in preadolescence, in which the heart increases almost four-fold in size. In a study published in Cell, the scientists have overturned more than a century of scientific theory, which proposed that heart muscle cells in mammals stopped replicating just after birth, limiting the organ's ability to repair itself after injury. (Read: 8 common heart disease symptoms and warning signs)
The findings suggest that thyroid hormone therapy could stimulate the process, and may even enhance the heart's ability to regenerate in patients with heart disease. Bob Graham, Executive Director at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and Des Renford of Medicine at UNSW, with Ahsan Husain at Emory University, led the study. 'Heart muscle cells retain the ability to divide and make new cells for a long time after birth, at least until preadolescence, equivalent to eight to ten years of age in humans,' Graham said. (Read: Expert tips to prevent heart disease)
'The implications of our findings could be huge, as it may give us a significant window of opportunity in which to repair the hearts of babies born with heart defects, or even to reactivate heart muscle cells damaged after a heart attack in adults,' he said. 'The scientists also believed the brevity of the burst may explain why it has previously gone undetected, taking place over just 24 hours in mice, equating to around five weeks in humans,' he said. 'I think this research has given us some really important and significant insights, including that the heart is not as static as we previously thought,' Graham added. (Read: 8 tests that can tell if you have heart disease)
What is heart disease?
Heart disease is not a single disorder or condition. It refers to a group of diseases or problems in which the heart or the vessels supplying blood to the heart are damaged and are not able to function in a normal way. For several years, it was believed that heart diseases occur in older people. But now-a-days, heart diseases are quite common in young adults, mainly because of sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits. Heart diseases take years to progress and may begin to develop at a very young age. However, most people do not show any symptoms of heart diseases before they reach their 50s or 60s.
Some types of heart defects are present at birth. These are called congenital heart diseases. Other more common heart diseases include coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke and peripheral arterial disease. The most common cause of heart diseases is atherosclerosis and hypertension/high blood pressure. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which there is deposition of cholesterol and fatty substances on the walls of arteries, while hypertension is the elevation of blood pressure in the arteries due various reasons.
There are several factors that increase the risk of heart diseases and associated conditions. These include age, gender, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and stress. Factors like weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels can be controlled by making dietary and lifestyle changes to significantly improve cardiovascular health. Few changes include eating a low fat, high fibre diet with fruits and veggies,quitting smoking, giving up alcohol, increasing physical activity and reducing stress. (Read: Heart disease types, causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention)
With inputs from PTI
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