Physician and TV presenter Alexander Myasnikov has noted that the most severe heart attacks tend to occur in the early morning hours. He shared this observation on his Telegram channel, referring to recent scientific findings about how the immune system responds to damage in heart tissue.
According to him, the severity of a heart attack is not determined only by the blockage of a blood vessel, but also by how the immune system reacts to injury in the heart muscle. One of the first immune cells to reach the damaged area are neutrophils. These cells help remove dead tissue, but at the same time they can also affect healthy tissue, potentially increasing the extent of damage.
Myasnikov explained that the activity of neutrophils is regulated by the body’s internal biological rhythms. During the daytime, neutrophils tend to be more active and aggressive due to mechanisms linked to circadian regulation, while at night their activity decreases. This may partly explain why heart tissue damage can be less severe during heart attacks that occur at night compared to those in the early morning.
He also referred to experimental studies conducted on animal models, where researchers were able to shift neutrophils into a “night-like mode” by influencing specific biological signaling pathways. In these experiments, the extent of heart tissue damage was reduced, and recovery of heart function appeared to be more favorable. Importantly, overall immune protection was not completely suppressed, which is critical for maintaining the body’s ability to defend against infections.
Myasnikov emphasized that current clinical guidelines recommend rapid medical intervention for heart attack patients, including timely access to procedures such as angioplasty. However, early immune responses occur within minutes after tissue damage, which highlights the importance of ongoing research into how immune activity might be modulated in the future to support better outcomes.
These findings are part of ongoing scientific research and may contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches in the future. Nevertheless, any medical treatment or preventive strategy should always be based on professional medical advice and established clinical guidelines.
