Myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attacks, may also be triggered by infectious diseases, finds a study, which showed that dormant bacteria can cause the deadly condition.

The pioneering study by researchers from Finland and the UK demonstrated that the discovery challenges the conventional understanding of the pathogenesis of heart attacks and opens new avenues for treatment, diagnostics, and even vaccine development.

Professor Pekka Karhunen, from Tampere University in Finland, who led the study, notes that until now, it was assumed that events leading to coronary artery disease were only initiated by oxidised low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which the body recognises as a foreign structure.