Why Inflammation Matters This Holiday Season

As millions of Americans prepare for holidays, a cardiologist and professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center says the conversation about heart health needs to shift from cholesterol to include a less visible but more dangerous threat: inflammation.

Jimmy Kerrigan, MD, FSCAI, FACC, is an assistant professor of medicine at the College of Medicine - Nashville and interventional cardiologist at Ascension Saint Thomas Heart West. He explains how normal blood vessels don't accumulate cholesterol on their own.

"Something has to irritate the inside of the blood vessel, just like if you scratch yourself, you get a scab and then a scar," he says. "The same thing happens inside the heart. Something irritates the inside of the blood vessel, which is inflammation, and then the body puts cholesterol there, trying to heal it."

That distinction matters during the holidays, when airline travel, cabin pressure changes, prolonged sitting, dehydration, rich foods, stress, and sleep disruption create inflammatory stressors. For people already living with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or those carrying dangerous plaque they don't know exists, these factors can trigger cardiac events.

"If my basement was flooding, I could either take buckets and keep dumping the water out, or I could fix the hole in the wall," Dr. Kerrigan says. "Now we're realizing we need to fix the hole, fix the inflammation, and the rest of it should hopefully slow down or go away."

At UT Health Sciences, where Dr. Kerrigan teaches future physicians, the link between inflammation and cardiovascular disease has become standard curriculum. He sees patients in their 30s experiencing heart attacks, a trend that concerns him as both a clinician and an educator.

"Dr. Kerrigan joined a world-class group of interventional UTHSC cardiologists at Saint Thomas West," said Brian Wilcox, Jr., MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Ascension as well as associate dean of Clinical Affairs and Graduate Medical Education at the university's College of Medicine - Nashville. "He brings not only niche skill but also an understanding of how to reduce patient cardiovascular risks. Optimizing medical therapies to reduce inflammation is a great example of Dr. Kerrigan's leadership in this work."

Ascension Saint Thomas is one of UT Health Sciences' valued primary hospital partners, and, in recent years, the university and hospital system have grown that partnership further by adding significantly to the portfolio of training programs.

While physicians routinely check cholesterol levels, Dr. Kerrigan recommends patients ask about high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a biomarker that reveals inflammation levels in the body. Elevated hs-CRP indicates increased risk of future cardiovascular events.

Another test worth requesting is Lipoprotein(a), a type of cholesterol that signals heightened risk when elevated. Though no approved treatments currently exist for elevated Lp(a), knowing the number helps patients and physicians focus on controlling other risk factors.

Managing inflammation through medications like low-dose colchicine, combined with cholesterol-lowering drugs, has shown promise in reducing cardiac events by 31% in clinical studies (National Institutes of Health).

For patients with heart disease or risk factors, Dr. Kerrigan also emphasizes moderation over restriction.

"The holiday season is meant to be spending time with friends and family, enjoying oneself, good food, good beverage, good community," he says. "There's nothing to say that you can't enjoy these things but overdoing it is potentially harmful in the long run."

His advice includes continuing all prescribed medications, staying hydrated, choosing lean proteins and unprocessed foods, and moving frequently during long trips.

For younger people with family histories of heart disease, high blood pressure, or more risk factors, Dr. Kerrigan recommends seeking evaluation from a preventative cardiologist.

"I don't want to meet my patient for the first time at two o'clock in the morning when they're having a heart attack," he says. "I'd rather see them at two o'clock in the afternoon, 20 years ahead of time, and prevent them from ever needing a procedure."

As Tennesseans and others prepare for the winter holiday season, Dr. Kerrigan's message is straightforward: understand your risk, continue your medications, practice moderation, and don't hesitate to raise concerns with your physician.