Abstract
Coronary spasm plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease, including angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), silent myocardial ischemia, and sudden death. The prevalence of coronary spasm is higher among East Asians probably due to genetic as well as environmental factors. ALDH2 eliminates toxic aldehydes including 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) derived from lipid peroxidation and acrolein in tobacco smoking as well as ethanol-derived acetaldehyde and thereby protects tissues and cells from oxidative damage. Deficient variant ALDH2*2 genotype is prevalent among East Asians and is a significant risk factor for both coronary spasm and AMI through accumulation of toxic aldehydes, thereby contributing to oxidative stress, endothelial damage, vasoconstriction, and thrombosis. Toxic aldehydes are thus identified as risk factors to be targeted for the treatment of coronary spasm and AMI.
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