BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) infection has been associated with atherosclerosis and has been proposed as a possible additional cardiovascular risk factor. However, the relationship between Cp seropositivity and the progression of early carotid atherosclerosis is not unequivocally clarified. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the association between serological detection of Cp IgG and/or IgA antibodies and the progression of the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery using duplex ultrasonography in a prospective study with a follow-up of 3 years in 272 consecutive patients with cerebrovascular disease. Cp-seropositive patients showed a significantly enhanced progression of the IMT even after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors (0.12 mm/y [95% CI 0.11 to 0.14] versus 0.07 mm/y [0.05 to 0.09]; P:<0.005). Patients with increased C-reactive protein (>/=0.5 mg/dL) and Cp seropositivity showed the most pronounced IMT progression. Multivariate regression analysis revealed Cp seropositivity to be an independent risk factor for progression of early carotid atherosclerosis. Cox proportional-hazard regression analysis demonstrated a significantly increased rate of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events in patients with Cp seropositivity, particularly in patients with increased C-reactive protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the importance of chronic inflammation and infection for the early stages of atherosclerotic development.
BACKGROUND:Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) infection has been associated with atherosclerosis and has been proposed as a possible additional cardiovascular risk factor. However, the relationship between Cp seropositivity and the progression of early carotid atherosclerosis is not unequivocally clarified. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the association between serological detection of Cp IgG and/or IgA antibodies and the progression of the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery using duplex ultrasonography in a prospective study with a follow-up of 3 years in 272 consecutive patients with cerebrovascular disease. Cp-seropositive patients showed a significantly enhanced progression of the IMT even after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors (0.12 mm/y [95% CI 0.11 to 0.14] versus 0.07 mm/y [0.05 to 0.09]; P:<0.005). Patients with increased C-reactive protein (>/=0.5 mg/dL) and Cp seropositivity showed the most pronounced IMT progression. Multivariate regression analysis revealed Cp seropositivity to be an independent risk factor for progression of early carotid atherosclerosis. Cox proportional-hazard regression analysis demonstrated a significantly increased rate of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events in patients with Cp seropositivity, particularly in patients with increased C-reactive protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the importance of chronic inflammation and infection for the early stages of atherosclerotic development.
Authors: Søren P Johnsen; Kim Overvad; Lars Ostergaard; Anne Tjønneland; Steen E Husted; Henrik T Sørensen Journal: Eur J Epidemiol Date: 2005 Impact factor: 8.082
Authors: Justin F Deniset; Paul K M Cheung; Elena Dibrov; Kaitlin Lee; Sarah Steigerwald; Grant N Pierce Journal: Am J Pathol Date: 2009-12-17 Impact factor: 4.307
Authors: Peter Willeit; Lena Tschiderer; Michael J Sweeting; Simon G Thompson; Matthias W Lorenz; Elias Allara; Kathrin Reuber; Lisa Seekircher; Lu Gao; Ximing Liao; Eva Lonn; Hertzel C Gerstein; Salim Yusuf; Frank P Brouwers; Folkert W Asselbergs; Wiek van Gilst; Sigmund A Anderssen; Diederick E Grobbee; John J P Kastelein; Frank L J Visseren; George Ntaios; Apostolos I Hatzitolios; Christos Savopoulos; Pythia T Nieuwkerk; Erik Stroes; Matthew Walters; Peter Higgins; Jesse Dawson; Paolo Gresele; Giuseppe Guglielmini; Rino Migliacci; Marat Ezhov; Maya Safarova; Tatyana Balakhonova; Eiichi Sato; Mayuko Amaha; Tsukasa Nakamura; Kostas Kapellas; Lisa M Jamieson; Michael Skilton; James A Blumenthal; Alan Hinderliter; Andrew Sherwood; Patrick J Smith; Michiel A van Agtmael; Peter Reiss; Marit G A van Vonderen; Stefan Kiechl; Gerhard Klingenschmid; Matthias Sitzer; Coen D A Stehouwer; Heiko Uthoff; Zhi-Yong Zou; Ana R Cunha; Mario F Neves; Miles D Witham; Hyun-Woong Park; Moo-Sik Lee; Jang-Ho Bae; Enrique Bernal; Kristian Wachtell; Sverre E Kjeldsen; Michael H Olsen; David Preiss; Naveed Sattar; Edith Beishuizen; Menno V Huisman; Mark A Espeland; Caroline Schmidt; Stefan Agewall; Ercan Ok; Gülay Aşçi; Eric de Groot; Muriel P C Grooteman; Peter J Blankestijn; Michiel L Bots Journal: Circulation Date: 2020-06-17 Impact factor: 29.690