Author/Editor		Zorc, Marjeta; Keše, Darja; Petrovič, Danijel; Legan, Mateja
Title		Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in Slovenian patients with diffuse coronary artery disease
Type		članek
Source		Med Arh
Vol. and No.		Letnik 58, št. 6
Publication year		2004
Volume		str. 331-4
Language		eng
Abstract		Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP) infection might be involved in the pathogenesis of various forms of coronary artery disease (CAD), but there are no data about diffuse CAD with clinical picture of stable angina pectoris. Authors in a propsective study determined serum CP antibody levels (with MIF test) of 71 patients with coronarographically proven diffuse CAD and compared them to the age matched control group of the healthy Slovenian population. After azithromycin treatment in patients with chronic CP infection or reinfection, the CP antibody levels were determined again. A high percentage of chronic infection with CP was demonstrated (83.1%), and almost half (46.5%) of patients with diffuse CAD had reinfection or reactivation of chronic infection. A significantly higher prevalence of chronic CP infection was found in patients with diffuse CAD than in the healthy population (83.1% vs. 15.9%, p<0.0001). After treatment with azithromycin, IgA seronegativity was achieved in 17.3%, in 23.1% the titer was lowered, howecer, in 57.7% of patients no change of antibody titers was found. In conclusion, a high prevalence of chronic infection with CP was found in patients with diffuse CAD. With azithromycin therapy, the eradication of chronic infection is difficult to achieve as well as to prove.
Descriptors		CORONARY DISEASE CHLAMYDIA INFECTIONS CHLAMYDIA PNEUMONIAE ANTIBODIES, BACTERIAL AZITHROMYCIN IGA IGG IGM CHRONIC DISEASE CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY TECHNIQUE SEROEPIDEMIOLOGIC METHODS