SEROPREVALENCE OF CHLAMYDIA PNEUMONIAE INFECTION IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME

A lot of different risk factors may increase the susceptibility of patients to cardiovascular disorders. This study was designed to determine the seroprevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae as a risk factor in patients with acute coronary syndrome in Urmia. It was a case-control study and the data were collected by searching in patients’ records and laboratory tests. Serum samples were collected from 40 inpatients with acute coronary syndrome and 44 inpatients that referred to eye ward, matched for age and sex as case and control group, respectively. The control group was free of criteria of any heart problems (symptoms or ECG change). The levels of serum triglycerides, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, IgG and IgM antibodies against C. pneumoniae was measured and the results were analyzed with chi-square statistical test. There were no significant differences between the mean of age, sex, smoking history and the level of fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides and C. pneumoniae IgG and IgM antibodies in the case and control groups, but there was a significant difference in the mean of the white blood cell counts that was higher in the case group. Seroprevalence of IgG was 68.5% and 66.5% in case and control groups respectively and in both groups, it was higher in men than women. Only one patient in the control group (2.3%) had positive IgM antibody against C. pneumoniae. Although high prevalence of infection with C. pneumoniae was found in subjects but its role in increasing the risk of developing acute coronary syndrome was not confirmed.