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[Association between cardiovascular disease and anti-Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies]
Guadalupe de los A García-Elorriaga1, Moisés Calderón-Abbo, César R González-Bonilla
1Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología e Infectología, Hospital de Infectología, Dr Daniel Méndez Hernández, Centro Médico La Raza, IMSS, Avenida Jacarandas esquina Vallejo s/n colonia La Raza 02990 México, D.F., México. gdelrey@prodigy.net.mx
Objective:
To evaluate the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and antibodies against Chlamydia in Mexican population.
Material And Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 1988 to April 2000, at the Immunology and Infectology Research Unit of Hospital de Infectología, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza (CMNR)--and at the Cardiovascular Surgery and Circulatory Care, Hospital General CMNR, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS). Study subjects were 70 CVD hospitalized patients, older than 30 years, from both genders. Serum IgG and IgM antibodies against C. psitaccii, C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae were determined by microimmunofluorescence in study subjects and compared with those from 140 healthy individuals, matched by age and sex. Simple random sampling was used, for an expected prevalence of 50% and a 99% confidence level; the sample size was 110 subjects. The chi-squared test and odds ratios were used to compare proportions.
Results:
IgG antibodies against C. pneumoniae were found in 94.3% (66/70) patients, as compared to only 37% (52/140) of healthy individuals (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
An association between IgG antibodies against C. pneumoniae and CVD was found. This finding warrants further studies to evaluate the role of C. pneumoniae as a predictor of CVD. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.
Insights
This study found a strong association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and IgG antibodies against Chlamydia pneumoniae in the Mexican population. Further research is needed to confirm Chlamydia pneumoniae as a predictor of CVD.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Cardiology
- Immunology
Context:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) poses a significant global health burden.
- Chlamydia pneumoniae is a bacterium implicated in various infections.
- The link between infectious agents and chronic diseases is an area of active research.
Purpose:
- To investigate the association between antibodies against Chlamydia species and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a Mexican population.
- To determine if specific Chlamydia antibodies are more prevalent in CVD patients compared to healthy individuals.
Summary:
- A cross-sectional study compared IgG and IgM antibodies against Chlamydia psittacii, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Chlamydia pneumoniae in 70 hospitalized CVD patients and 140 healthy controls.
- A significantly higher prevalence of IgG antibodies against Chlamydia pneumoniae was observed in CVD patients (94.3%) compared to healthy individuals (37%) (p < 0.001).
Impact:
- The study identified a significant association between IgG antibodies against Chlamydia pneumoniae and CVD in the Mexican population.
- These findings suggest Chlamydia pneumoniae may play a role in the development or progression of CVD, warranting further investigation.
- This research contributes to understanding the potential infectious etiology of cardiovascular disease.