Circadian Rhythms in Cardiovascular Disease. From Bench to Bedside

Abstract

The sun shines on our planet in a 24-hour cycle to which all life has adapted. Only recently it was discovered that our body has a mechanism, a clock that anticipates to variations caused by this 24-hour rhythm. This thesis showed the circadian clock has a huge influence on cardiac function: cardiovascular cells, including immature types, possess a molecular clock that regulates rhythmicity of various cellular functions. Also, we investigated the role of circadian rhythms in the development of cardiovascular disease and showed that circadian rhythms are important in onset, and potentially, treatment and prognosis of cardiovascular disease. Circadian rhythms are involved in almost every aspect of human physiology, pathophysiology and thereby account for a key to treat the diseased.