Chlamydia pneumoniae, herpes simplex virus type 1, and cytomegalovirus and incident myocardial infarction and...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Infectious disease research
• Geriatric medicine

Background:

• The association between prior infections and cardiovascular disease remains debated.
• Investigating serological evidence of Chlamydia pneumoniae, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in relation to myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary heart disease (CHD) death.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if serological evidence of prior C. pneumoniae, HSV-1, and CMV infections is associated with MI and CHD death in older adults.

Main Methods:

• Nested case-control study within the Cardiovascular Health Study cohort (participants aged ≥65 years).
• Cases: incident MI and CHD death (n=213). Controls: matched subjects (n=405).
• Serum IgG antibodies to C. pneumoniae, HSV-1, and CMV were analyzed.

Main Results:

• IgG antibodies to HSV-1 were associated with a 2-fold increased risk of MI and CHD death (OR 2.0).
• High-titer (≥1:1024) IgG antibodies to C. pneumoniae were associated with increased risk (OR 2.2).
• No significant association was found for C. pneumoniae (low-moderate titers) or CMV IgG antibodies.

Conclusions:

• In older adults, HSV-1 seropositivity significantly increases the risk of incident MI and CHD death.
• High-titer C. pneumoniae antibodies, but not low-moderate titers, are linked to elevated MI and CHD death risk.
• CMV seropositivity was not associated with increased risk of MI or CHD death in this elderly cohort.