Interaction betweenChlamydia pneumoniaeseropositivity, inflammation and risk factors for atherosclerosis in patients with severe coronary stenosis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) seropositivity in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) (n = 81) is associated with increases in markers of inflammation, the severity of coronary atherosclerosis, and traditional risk factors for cardiovascular events. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The severity of coronary atherosclerosis was ranked by Gensini score. Inflammation and endothelial dysfunction were evaluated using white blood cell counts and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), ferritin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukins 1beta and 6 (IL-1beta, IL-6), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), E-selectin and oxidized LDL (oxLDL), and these were compared between Cpn-seropositive and seronegative individuals. RESULTS: IgA and IgG Cpn seropositivity were significantly associated with the presence of CAD (p = 0.005) and were independent predictive factors for the severity of coronary atherosclerosis (p = 0.005). Elevated levels of IL-6 (p = 0.027) and triglyceride (p = 0.038) and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p = 0.038) were significantly predicted by Cpn IgA and IgG seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS: Seropositivity for Cpn is a risk factor for patients with significant angiographically documented coronary stenosis. Additionally, Cpn seropositivity was significantly associated with dyslipidemia and elevated IL-6, known risk factors for CAD. These observations indicate that Cpn infection may be one entry point to the causal or contributory pathways that lead to atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations.