text: Stem cell therapy creates heart cells capable of partially repairing damage to the organ, although more work needed before human trials can take place 
   
   Scientists have taken a step towards a radical new treatment for heart attacks with a stem cell therapy that can partially repair damage to the organ. 
   
   The treatment uses heart cells which are created in the lab from the skin of a donor who is chosen to be a good genetic match for the recipient. 
   
   
   
   Tests in monkeys showed that injections of freshly-made heart cells were quickly incorporated into damaged areas of the heart and helped the organ to pump more vigorously. 
   
   
   
   Stem cell trial suggests damaged heart tissue could be regenerated Read more 
   
   But monkeys that had the procedure also developed unusual heart rhythms, leading the researchers to concede that far more work is needed before the treatment can be considered safe enough for human trials. 
   
   
   
   Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death in the developed world. In the UK alone, hospitals deal with nearly 200,000 cases each year. While 70% of patients survive, many are left with tissue damage that stops their hearts from working properly. 
   
   
   
   One idea scientists have had to treat heart attack survivors is to take skin cells from the patient and convert them into pumping heart cells. The hope is that, when injected into the heart, these cells take hold and help the heart pump more effectively. The advantage is that the heart cells will not be rejected by the immune system, but the procedure is time consuming and expensive to do for individual patients. 
   
   
   
   In the latest work, researchers in Japan took a different tack. They induced heart attacks in five macaques and then treated the damage with heart cells created from the skin of a donor monkey. The donor was selected to be a close genetic match, but the recipients still need drugs to stop their bodies rejecting the cells. 
   
   
   
   Yuji Shiba and others at Shinshu University injected the monkeys with 400m lab-made heart cells and found that they replaced about 16% of the damaged tissue. The new cells were wired up with healthy ones in the heart and over 12 weeks started to help the organ to pump more strongly. Tests revealed, however, that all of the monkeys developed unusual heart rhythms after the therapy. Details appear in the journal Nature. 
   
   
   
   The scientists are now trying to understand the precise cause of the abnormal heart rhythms, but Shiba told the Guardian: “I think we can manage the post-transplant arrhythmia.” 
   
   
   
   Sam Boateng, who studies the mechanisms of heart failure at Reading University, said the work was exciting because it was a step towards the possibility of repairing a damaged heart following a heart attack. 
   
   
   
   Stem cell treatment repairs damaged hearts in monkeys Read more 
   
   “Currently, the only long term option for these patients is heart transplantation, but there are not enough donors to meet the current demand,” he said. 
   
   
   
   But he added that many challenges remain. “Ideally, immune rejection would be eliminated if the cells could be derived from the same patient, but this is costly and time consuming at a time when the patient requires immediate treatment. Another concern is that the incomplete integration of the transplanted cells could result in irregular heart beats which can be deadly,” he said. 
   
   
   
   Sian Harding, director of the British Heart Foundation cardiovascular regenerative medicine centre at Imperial College London, said the Japanese team’s work was a significant step forward. “They strengthen the case that a bank of pre-prepared matched [cells] could be used to treat patients, without relying on the long process of reprogramming and differentiating the patient’s own cells.” 
   
   
   
   “The arrhythmias were seen in a previous similar study, but in neither study did they prove fatal and both suggested that they would decrease with time. Clinical strategies for preventing sudden cardiac death from arrhythmia, such as implantable cardiodefibrillators, may therefore be necessary as adjunct therapy for some months after implantation,” she added. ||||| As plaque builds up in the arteries of a person with heart disease, the inside of the arteries begins to narrow, which lessens or blocks the flow of blood. Plaques can also rupture (break open) and when they do a blood clot can form on the plaque, blocking the flow of blood. 
   
   Learn more about heart disease and its risk factors. It’s important for everyone to know the facts about heart disease Cdc-pdf [PDF-243K]. 
   
   Heart Disease in the United States 
   
   About 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths . 1 
   
   die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s . Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men. 1 
   
   of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of heart disease, killing over 370,000 people annually. 1 
   
   annually. Every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack. Of these, 525,000 are a first heart attack and 210,000 happen in people who have already had a heart attack.2 
   
   Heart Disease Deaths Vary by Race and Ethnicity 
   
   Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most ethnicities in the United States, including African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. For American Indians or Alaska Natives and Asians or Pacific Islanders, heart disease is second only to cancer. Below are the percentages of all deaths caused by heart disease in 2008, listed by ethnicity.4 
   
   Race of Ethnic Group % of Deaths American Indians or Alaska Natives 18.4 Asians or Pacific Islanders 22.2 Non-Hispanic Blacks 23.8 Non-Hispanic Whites 23.8 All 23.5 
   
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   Early Action is Important for Heart Attack 
   
   Know the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack so that you can act fast if you or someone you know might be having a heart attack. The chances of survival are greater when emergency treatment begins quickly. 
   
   In a 2005 survey, most respondents—92%—recognized chest pain as a symptom of a heart attack. Only 27% were aware of all major symptoms and knew to call 9-1-1 when someone was having a heart attack. 5 
   
   were aware of all major symptoms and knew to call 9-1-1 when someone was having a heart attack. About 47% of sudden cardiac deaths occur outside a hospital. This suggests that many people with heart disease don’t act on early warning signs.6 
   
   Heart attacks have several major warning signs and symptoms: 
   
   Chest pain or discomfort. 
   
   Upper body pain or discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw, or upper stomach. 
   
   Shortness of breath. 
   
   Nausea, lightheadedness, or cold sweats. 
   
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   Americans at Risk for Heart Disease 
   
   High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of Americans (47%) have at least one of these three risk factors.7 
   
   Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including: 
   
   Diabetes 
   
   Overweight and obesity 
   
   Poor diet 
   
   Physical inactivity 
   
   Excessive alcohol use 
   
   Top of Page 
   
   CDC Fact Sheets Related to Heart Disease 
   
   Top of Page 
   
   References
target: – How do you mend a broken heart? Stem cells. Or at least that's the hope after scientists successfully used lab-created heart muscle cells to partially repair damaged hearts in monkeys, Live Science reports. The healthy stem cells were easily absorbed into the damaged hearts and allowed the organ to pump blood more easily. The procedure could lead to a new way to treat heart attacks and at least partially repair heart damage, the Guardian reports. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the US. Scientists are intrigued by the idea of treating damaged hearts by using a patient's own skin cells to create healthy heart cells, which are less likely to be rejected since they don't come from a donor. In the latest study in the journal Nature, the team at Shinshu University induced heart attacks in five macaques and then injected them with heart cells made from the skin of a healthy macaque who was a close genetic match. To avoid rejection, they ensured the donor monkey had a type of protein similar to the recipients' and they gave the sick monkeys anti-rejection drugs. After studying the macaques for three months, researchers found their immune systems tolerated the new cells, which replaced about 16% of the damaged heart tissue. In the end, the monkeys' heart muscles contracted better, pumping blood more efficiently. Human trials are not coming anytime soon, though, after the macaques developed irregular heartbeats. Still, doctors said the findings raise the possibility of treating damage caused by heart attacks. "Currently, the only long term option for these patients is heart transplantation, but there are not enough donors to meet the current demand," heart researcher Sam Boateng told the Guardian. (Monkeys on a strict low-calorie diet lived much longer.)