Chlamydia pneumoniae exposure and inflammatory markers in acute coronary syndrome (CIMACS)

Previous studies have shown higher levels of Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae, CP) antibody titers (CPIgG), C-reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen in patients with coronary artery disease. The role of these infectious and inflammatory markers in precipitating acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study on patients (n = 830, mean age 63 +/- 15 years, 57% male) admitted to the chest pain center of our institution. The differences in the CPIgG, CRP, and fibrinogen levels in patients who were diagnosed with ACS versus those who were not (non-ACS) were evaluated. CPIgG titers tended to be higher in the ACS group than in the non-ACS group. However, when different titers were used to define seropositivity, the difference achieved statistical significance only at the titer of > or =1:1,024 (35% vs 26%, p = 0.004). CRP (median 0.48 vs 0.33 mg/dl, p <0.0001), fibrinogen (median 317 vs 293 mg/dl, p <0.0001), and leukocyte count (median 7.7 vs 6.9 10(9)/L, p <0.0001) were higher in the ACS group. On multivariate analysis, CPIgG > or =1:1,024 (odds ratio [OR] 1.62), diabetes (OR 1.91), hypertension (OR 1.46), prior myocardial infarction (OR 1.78), smoking (OR 1.70), Caucasian race (OR 1.7), high-density lipoprotein (OR 0.98), and elevated troponin-T (OR 12.44) were the only factors independently associated with ACS. Thus, we found a strong association between high level seropositivity to CP and ACS. This may indicate recent re-infection or an exaggerated immune response to CP as an etiologic factor for ACS. This study also suggests that therapeutic interventions may need to be specifically targeted to these patients.