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Outcome of Chlamydia pneumoniae associated acute ischemic stroke in elderly patients: a case-control study

V C S Srinivasarao Bandaru1, Demudu Babu Boddu, K Rukmini Mridula

  • 1Department of Clinical Research, Yashoda Hospital, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India.

Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery
|October 28, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is linked to ischemic stroke in elderly patients. However, the presence of C. pneumoniae antibodies does not affect stroke outcomes in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neurology
  • Geriatrics

Background:

  • Limited data exists on the role of Chlamydia pneumoniae in elderly patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke.
  • Investigating potential infectious triggers for stroke in older adults is crucial for understanding disease mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and acute ischemic stroke in elderly individuals (over 65 years).
  • To determine the impact of C. pneumoniae infection on stroke outcomes in this demographic.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 100 elderly acute ischemic stroke patients and 100 age/sex-matched controls.
  • Measurement of IgG and IgA anti-C. pneumoniae antibodies using microimmunofluorescence.
  • Good stroke outcome defined as a Modified Rankin score (mRS) of ≤2 at 90-day follow-up.

Main Results:

  • Chlamydia pneumoniae antibodies were detected in 35% of stroke patients versus 18% of controls (p=0.01).
  • No significant difference in good outcomes at 90 days was observed between seropositive (57.1%) and seronegative (56.9%) stroke patients (p=0.9).

Conclusions:

  • Chlamydia pneumoniae antibody positivity is independently associated with acute ischemic stroke in the elderly.
  • C. pneumoniae infection does not appear to influence the short-term outcome of ischemic stroke in elderly patients.
Abstract

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