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Cytomegalovirus infection and coronary heart disease: results of a german case-control study

D Rothenbacher1, A Hoffmeister, G Bode

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, University of Ulm, D-89069, Ulm, Germany.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|February 10, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Previous cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was not found to be a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). This case-control study found no strong association between CMV antibodies and the presence of coronary artery stenosis.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common herpesvirus that can remain latent in the body.
  • The potential role of chronic infections, including CMV, in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and CHD is an area of ongoing research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between previous cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and the presence of coronary heart disease (CHD).
  • To determine if CMV seropositivity is a risk factor for significant coronary artery stenosis.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study was conducted with 312 German patients diagnosed with coronary stenosis (>50% luminal diameter).
  • Controls (n=479) were healthy blood donors.
  • CMV serology (IgG, IgM, IgA ELA test) was performed to detect past CMV infection.
  • Rheologic and inflammatory markers were assessed.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of IgG antibodies against CMV was similar between cases (54.5%) and controls (49.9%), with no statistically significant difference (P=.116).
  • The adjusted odds ratio for CHD associated with positive CMV IgG serostatus was 1.21 (95% CI, 0.84-1.75), indicating no significant association.
  • No significant association was found between CMV serostatus and most rheologic or inflammatory markers, except for C-reactive protein in controls.

Conclusions:

  • Serologic evidence of previous cytomegalovirus infection does not appear to be a major risk factor for coronary heart disease in this German population.
  • Further research may be needed to explore potential indirect or complex interactions between CMV and cardiovascular health.

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