On Fri, 3 Aug 2001, Richard Geller wrote:

> Todd Moody wrote:
> > It is well known, but not much advertised, that the most
> > significant risk factors for heart disease are not dietary...
> > Atherosclerosis may make
> > us more vulnerable, but it is apparently not a key player.
> >
> So why angioplasty and the emphasis on plaque in the arteries?

Because we are locked into an ideology.  The data on angioplasty
are very unclear, as far as how many lives are saved, and so
forth.  But the medical imperative is to *do something*, and
angioplasty is one of the things we know how to do, so...  And to
be honest, if it were me I'd probably want the procedure too,
even though the rate of restenosis is generally very high.

I'm not saying that atheromas are completely benign.  Obviously,
if we have a choice we'd prefer to have clear arteries.  But the
cause of atherosclerosis is still unclear -- or it may have many
causes.  The data on wild animals would probably give us some
clues, but that approach appears to have been dropped, in favor
of surgical and pharmacological treatments.

Todd Moody
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