Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and mortality from ischaemic heart disease: large prospective study
- 22 July 2000
- Vol. 321 (7255), 204-207
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7255.204
Abstract
Objective: To determine whether there is an independent association between infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae and ischaemic heart disease. Design: Prospective study using a nested case-control design. Setting: Medical centre in London run by BUPA, a private medical organisation. Participants: 21 520 professional men aged 35–64 who attended for a medical examination in London between 1975 and 1982. Main outcome measure: Death from ischaemic heart disease. Results: The distributions of concentrations of IgG and IgA antibodies to C pneumoniae were similar in the 647 men who subsequently died of ischaemic heart disease and in 1294 age matched controls who did not. There was no material association with heart disease irrespective of the cut-off point chosen to define seropositivity. At a cut-off point that defines 15% of controls as positive, for example, the odds ratios were 1.26 (95% confidence interval 0.95 to 1.68) for IgG and 1.09 (0.82 to 1.43) for IgA. Conclusions: No material association was found between infection with C pneumoniae and ischaemic heart disease. The size and prospective design of the study and the socioeconomic homogeneity of the cohort minimise both random and systematic error.This publication has 14 references indexed in Scilit:
- Relation of C pneumoniae antibodies to ischaemic heart disease. Finnish study finds significant association between raised IgG, but not IgA, titres and mortality.1999
- Relation of C pneumoniae antibodies to ischaemic heart diseaseBMJ, 1999
- Relation of Chlamydia pneumoniae serology to mortality and incidence of ischaemic heart disease over 13 years in the Caerphilly prospective heart disease study Commentary: Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and ischaemic heart diseaseBMJ, 1999
- Lack of Association between First Myocardial Infarction and Past Use of Erythromycin, Tetracycline, or DoxycyclineEmerging Infectious Diseases, 1999
- Prospective Study of Chlamydia pneumoniae IgG Seropositivity and Risks of Future Myocardial InfarctionCirculation, 1999
- The species specificity of the microimmunofluorescence antibody test and comparisons with a time resolved fluoroscopic immunoassay for measuring IgG antibodies against Chlamydia pneumoniaeJournal of Clinical Pathology, 1999
- Chronic infections and coronary heart disease: is there a link?The Lancet, 1997
- Epidemiology and prevention: Association of Chlamydia pneumoniae and acute coronary heart disease events in non-insulin dependent diabetic and non-diabetic subjects in FinlandEuropean Heart Journal, 1996
- Association of Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae infections with coronary heart disease and cardiovascular risk factorsBMJ, 1995
- Chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae Infection as a Risk Factor for Coronary Heart Disease in the Helsinki Heart StudyAnnals of Internal Medicine, 1992