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Individual pathogens, pathogen burden and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis: the Multi-Ethnic Study of

Moyses Szklo1, Jingzhong Ding, Michael Y Tsai

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. mszklo@jhsph.edu

Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine (Hagerstown, Md.)
|May 16, 2009
PubMed

Insights

This study found no link between common infections and subclinical atherosclerosis. Researchers caution that the study

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
  • Infectious Disease Research
  • Atherosclerosis Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Subclinical atherosclerosis, a precursor to cardiovascular events, may have infectious triggers.
  • Investigating the role of specific pathogens in early atherosclerosis is crucial for prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the association between antibodies to common infectious agents and measures of subclinical atherosclerosis.
  • To explore potential interactions between infections, inflammation, and atherosclerosis.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 1056 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis cohort.
  • Measured carotid intimal-medial thickness and coronary calcification.
  • Assessed antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, and hepatitis A virus, along with pathogen burden.

Main Results:

  • No significant associations were found between individual pathogens or overall pathogen burden and atherosclerosis measures after adjustment.
  • An interaction between hepatitis A virus and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 was observed for coronary calcium score, but requires cautious interpretation due to multiple testing.
  • Exploration of interactions with inflammatory markers, demographics, and lifestyle factors yielded limited significant findings.

Conclusions:

  • Current evidence does not support an infectious etiology for subclinical atherosclerosis.
  • Limitations including cross-sectional design and power suggest cautious interpretation of findings.
  • Further research may be needed to definitively rule out infectious contributions.
Abstract

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